Multiple Sclerosis and the Gluten-Free Diet
Evidence Suggests that Eating Gluten-Free may Reduce MS Symptoms
Oct 5, 2009
Many Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients are willing to try unorthodox therapies to try to reduce or eliminate painful and problematic symptoms. One of the alternative medicine approaches that is growing in popularity is to eliminate gluten and other potential problem foods from the diet.
Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, millet and rye (as well as spelt and oats in some cases). It is the binding agent that keeps the dough together as bread rises. 1 in every 115 people in the US cannot tolerate dietary gluten. When the villi in the small intestine begin to atrophy and break down because of the ingestion of gluten, the patient is then diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
What do Celiac Disease and Multiple Sclerosis have in Common?
These relatively mysterious autoimmune disorders have quite a bit in common. Neither disorder is diagnosed consistently or correctly, and in fact, each of these diseases may be misdiagnosed for the other!
This common misdiagnosis is because both celiac and MS have such broad constellations of symptoms, and may appear very differently from one patient to the next.
Both disorders are insufficiently researched by the medical and scientific community - particularly the area where the two diseases may overlap.
What does Science say about Treating MS with a Gluten-Free Diet?
In his article “Be Wary of Multiple Sclerosis ‘Cures’”, Stephen Barrett, M.D. lists the gluten-free diet in his category of cures that are “Implausible and untested or inadequately tested”. And he's right - this area of research has not been sufficiently tested by all accounts.
However, anecdotal evidence suggests that this approach may be beneficial in the control and reduction of MS symptoms. The story of Roger McDougall, British Playwright, is compelling, as he controlled his MS to the point of a complete elimination of symptoms until his death at the age of eighty-eight. He did this with a gluten-free, dairy-free and legume-free diet and vitamin supplementation.
In his pamphlet detailing his experience with MS and his remission, McDougall states that he based his diet “on the food consumed by the hunter-gatherer, before mankind settled down in agricultural communities, grew cereals and tended cattle.” This is now commonly called the Paleolithic diet or Paleodiet.
The Gluten-Free Diet may not be Right for Everyone
For patients considering trying a gluten-free diet, it is important to ensure that a physician is aware of this dietary change and is supporting it with blood tests to watch vitamin and mineral levels, and so on.
Some medical professionals will be willing to see if this helps their patients, while others may be against such an unorthodox change, particularly due to the lack of scientific reports supporting it. It is perhaps even more important for patients seeing this kind of physician to report dietary changes, in the effort of swaying another doctor toward a whole-body approach to medicine.
Before committing to a long-term lifestyle change, most patients should conduct 2-week food elimination trials. This means avoiding gluten entirely for 14 days, and eating it on the 15th day. During the 2-weeks off, some patients may or may not notice a difference in symptoms.
However, if a gluten-free diet is going to be beneficial, trial patients should see a drastic difference upon the reintroduction of gluten to the diet on day 15. Stomach upset, intestinal distress, fatigue, migraine, sore muscles and even emotional responses may result from the ingestion of gluten. If any of these symptoms appears, it is important for the patient to commit to a gluten-free diet for longer term health.
Elimination of Legumes, Dairy (Casein) and Sugar may also Help Reduce Symptoms
McDougall and other proponents of dietary control of MS also recommend eliminating legumes (beans and peanuts, including soybeans) from the diet, reducing sugar intake, and the elimination of dairy from the diet. Because casein, a protein found in all dairy-based cheeses is so chemically similar to gluten, many patients who follow gluten-free diets also follow a casein-free diet as well.
Again, food elimination should not be treated as a panacea. The human body relies upon dietary diversity for vitamins and nutrients. A separate 2-week food trial should be undertaken for each of these potential problem foods.
Supplement Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and Heart-Healthy Fats
Part of the reason for adequate medical support for this change in diet is to ensure that patients are getting enough of the vital nutrients required to support immune systems. Patients who benefit from a gluten-free diet also require Vitamins B12 and D to help reduce symptoms. The packaged foods sold as gluten-free are often lower in nutritive value than mainstream products. It is important to be aware of which vitamins and minerals each individual needs.
Heart healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids, unsaturated fats like those in canola oil or olive oil) are also a vital part of a healthy diet in support of metabolic functions and maintaining energy levels.
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