Multiple Sclerosis and Food – What Part Does it Play?

Multiple sclerosis and food has been a topic long debated by both patients and the medical profession. The incidence of multiple sclerosis has greatly increased over the last hundred or so years and surely this cannot be a coincidence given that our diet over the same period has changed dramatically.

The human diet until a couple of hundred years ago consisted of the fruits of the land, nuts, seeds and pulses and was rich in fish and was, in comparison to today, significantly lower in fat and sugar. Nowadays the Western diet is made up mainly of processed foods which are high in salt and saturated fats and it is therefore no surprise that the incidence of MS and many other illnesses have increased.

Surveys carried out have already shown that multiple sclerosis is more commonplace in the West than in East and this appears to be diet related and in particular attributed to the consumption of gluten which is found in wheat products. Wheat is very much the staple diet of the West whereas in countries like China and Japan rice is the staple, so can this also be a coincidence?

My experience has been that when speaking to my neurologist he tends not to place much emphasis on multiple sclerosis and food. This seems to be because medical opinion has not yet decided what part food plays with MS in particular. At patient level however there appears to be a groundswell of opinion that would indicate that multiple sclerosis and food are indeed closely linked with many MS sufferers reporting marked changes in their symptoms after a change of diet.

People with MS tend not to have much control over anything but diet is the one thing that you do have complete control over. It is completely within your hands to determine what you put in your mouth, and, it was with this in mind that a couple of years ago I decided to see what difference a change in diet would make to my MS. I discovered a plan specifically for MS sufferers which still allowed me to enjoy my food and it has undoubtedly made a remarkable difference to my life. My symptoms included numbness, fatigue, and visual problems but to name a few and I am pleased to say that whilst I am by no means cured I have noticed a significant reduction in problems.