Study: Keto diet helps reduce fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis
A diet that includes meat, fats, and non-starchy vegetables may be safe for people with multiple sclerosis, relieving fatigue and depression, according to new research due to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology next month in Seattle, Washington.
The new study adds to a growing body of research that seeks to explore how a diet with an emphasis on fewer carbohydrates and fewer sugars can help people lose weight, improve their mental health, and even reduce symptoms of certain diseases. They are low-carb and were first developed in the 1920s to help children prone to seizures because they push the body into a state of ketosis, or a fasting state when it converts available fats, not sugar, into energy.
Since then, the keto diet has been explored to help manage conditions from obesity and diabetes to inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
Study details
The latest study, conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia, of 65 people with MS, the most common form of the disease, was published in Healthline.
Participants were instructed to eat two to three ketogenic meals per day for 6 months, including one or two servings of eggs, fish, or meat with up to 4 tablespoons of butter, oil, avocado, ghee, or heavy cream, along with a cup to 2 cups of non-starchy vegetables, such as leafy greens, cucumbers, or broccoli.
Study participants were allowed a maximum of 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, adherence to which was observed through daily urine tests.
Finally, about 54 people - or 83 percent of the test subjects - were able to follow the diet for the full 6-month test period.
Using the questionnaires, the researchers say study participants reported better scores in physical and mental health, reported a 17% improvement using a common test for MS progression and were able to walk 100 feet more than at the start of the study.
The researchers said the blood samples showed improvements in levels of inflammatory markers in the blood by the end of the study, although they did not specify what those markers were.
The shipping you a FREE Keto cookbook home door click here