A ketogenic diet — low in carbohydrates, high in healthy fats, and adequate in protein — reduces fatigue and depression in people with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). This is shown by a clinical study.
A ketogenic diet — low in carbohydrates, high in healthy fats, and adequate in protein — reduces fatigue and depression in people with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). This is shown by a phase II study that examined the tolerability of the nutritional intervention.
Measures of disability and quality of life also improved during the study. However, the researchers emphasized that there are not yet enough efficacy studies to recommend this diet for MS patients outside of closely monitored clinical trials.
Keto for six months
The research was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. There were 64 patients, two were teenagers (15 and 17 years old) and the rest were adults. The majority were female and white. During the study they should stay for six months ketogenic feed.
Participants’ urine was analyzed daily with a test strip to determine if their diet induces ketosis. According to the researchers, anyone who had a positive test for ketosis on 85 percent or more of the days had adhered to the diet.
Side effects Constipation and diarrhea subsided quickly
Among participants who completed the study, the most common side effects were constipation (43 percent), diarrhea (18 percent), nausea (9 percent), weight gain (9 percent), fatigue (5 percent), worsening depression or anxiety (5th percentile). percent) and acne (5 percent). Changes in the timing and heaviness of the period were reported in 27 percent of the participants who were menstruating.
Two participants dropped out of the study due to side effects, including nausea and loss of appetite. However, regarding a quarter of patients did not experience any side effects from the diet, and the majority who did experience side effects only registered them in the first two weeks.
The ketogenic diet reduces fatigue and depression in patients with MS
At the same time, there was a nearly 50 percent decrease in participant-reported levels of fatigue and depression during the ketogenic diet. Patients with MS also reported significant improvements in physical and mental quality of life.
The restricted mobility decreased, manual dexterity and the ability to walk increased. Average BMI decreased significantly, as did body fat. The levels of the pro-inflammatory hormone Leptin decreased, the levels of adiponectin, a hormone with anti-inflammatory effects, increased. “Future research should aim to explore the ketogenic diet as an adjunctive therapeutic approach to the management of MS,” the scientists concluded.
