sticking to the diet. (Ketones are produced by the body when it is burning fat for fuel.) Fully 83% of participants adhered to the diet for the six-month study period.
Those who followed the diet had less body fat and showed about a 50% decline in fatigue and depression scores after six months. What’s more, their quality of life and mental health scores improved over the course of the study. They also performed better on tests measuring MS disability. Specifically, study patients walked an average of 1,631 feet on a six-minute walking test at the start of the study, compared to 1,733 feet after six months on a keto diet.
Levels of inflammatory markers in their blood also improved through the study period, Brenton adds.
Multiple Sclerosis Diet: Foods to Eat & Avoid
Is the keto diet right for you?
So, should everyone with MS start eating a keto diet?
Not necessarily, Brenton says. There is no one-size-fits-all MS diet. “What works for some patients may not work for others, and accumulating evidence suggests that there are numerous benefits to diet interventions in patients living with MS,” he shares. “My current advice is to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and to maintain a healthy weight, as both of these aspects likely play a positive role in MS.”
The study is scheduled for presentation at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Seattle, to be held April 2 to 7. Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
This study builds on previous work in animals and smaller studies in people, according to Dr. Barbara Giesser, a neurologist at the Pacific Brain Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
“Ketogenic diets may be of benefit in persons with MS by several mechanisms, including decreasing inflammation, reducing body fat, and/or promoting a less inflammatory gut microbiome,” Giesser adds.
The study did have its share of limitations, including its small size and lack of a control group for comparison’s sake, Giesser notes.
And keto diets aren’t risk-free, she shares. “Ketogenic diets could lead to other medical complications or nutrient deficiencies,” Giesser explains, “and any dietary regimen should be undertaken after consultation with a physician.”
General dietary recommendations for people with MS include eating a heart-healthy diet that limits saturated fats and highly refined grains, sugars and processed foods, and is abundant in colorful plants, lean proteins and polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and other fatty fish, Giesser advises.