Cutting fat is always good for us

EVERYONE living with relapsing-remitting MS longs for an extended period free from dreaded relapses – which can last days, weeks or months and cause debilitating symptoms, from loss of mobility to loss of sight.

Research shows a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular exercise, can help people manage MS. It can alleviate some symptoms, such as fatigue, and is recommended by most neurologists.

Eating healthily – cutting down on saturated fat – is a positive thing whether you have MS or not. But research on the Overcoming MS (OMS) programme hasn’t yet provided conclusive evidence of its benefits, particularly in changing the underlying course of the condition. We often meet people who feel specialist diets have made a difference to their MS, but there are also many who feel such diets haven’t done anything.

Before considering such a diet, we’d recommend people consult reliable, independent information and talk to their specialist nurse or doctor.

OMS also recommends doses of Vitamin D supplements well beyond the recommended level and this could carry side effects. There is also not currently enough evidence to say whether Vitamin D supplements have an effect. Investigating Vitamin D and developing and testing self-management programmes are two of the MS Society’s research priorities.

Living with MS is hard, and although there are increasingly more effective treatments becoming available, it’s understandable that people want to take control of their lives and find a magic bullet. Sadly that magic bullet doesn’t yet exist – but researchers around the world are working on it.