Fasting reduces symptoms of multiple sclerosis

by Stepy — June 2, 2016

Fasting reduces symptoms of multiple sclerosis

Fasting reduces symptoms of multiple sclerosis, according to new research from the University of Southern California (USC).

The researchers found that the fasting-mimicking diet triggers a death-and-life process in cells that appears essential to the repairing of the body.

“During the fasting-mimicking diet, cortisone is produced and that initiates a killing of autoimmune cells,” said Valter Longo, the study’s lead author and professor who directs the USC Longevity Institute at the Davis School of Gerontology. “This process also leads to the production of new healthy cells.”

“We started thinking: If it kills a lot of immune cells and turns on the stem cells, is it possible that maybe it will kill the bad ones and then generate new good ones?” Longo said. “That’s why we started this study.”

For the first part of the study, mice with an autoimmune disease were put on a fasting-mimicking diet for three days out of every week. The fasting-mimicking diet reduced symptoms in all the mice, and “caused complete recovery for 20 percent of the animals,” the researchers wrote.

The study abstract summarized the following details:

“Dietary interventions have not been effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we show that periodic 3-day cycles of a fasting mimicking diet (FMD) are effective in ameliorating demyelination and symptoms in a murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model. The FMD reduced clinical severity in all mice and completely reversed symptoms in 20% of animals. These improvements were associated with increased corticosterone levels and regulatory T (Treg) cell numbers and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TH1 and TH17 cells, and antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Moreover, the FMD promoted oligodendrocyte precursor cell regeneration and remyelination in axons in both EAE and cuprizone MS models, supporting its effects on both suppression of autoimmunity and remyelination. We also report preliminary data suggesting that an FMD or a chronic ketogenic diet are safe, feasible, and potentially effective in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients (NCT01538355).”

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition where the immune system is directed against the central nervous system.

The study showing that fasting reduces symptoms of multiple sclerosis was published in the journal Cell Reports.

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REFERENCES:
1. “Diet That Mimics Fasting May Also Reduce Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms.” USC News. University of Southern California, n.d. Web. 31 May 2016.
2. “A Diet Mimicking Fasting Promotes Regeneration and Reduces Autoimmunity and Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms.” Cell Reports. Cell Reports, n.d. Web. 31 May 2016.
3. “What Is MS?” National Multiple Sclerosis Society. National Multiple Sclerosis Society, n.d. Web. 31 May 2016.