Therapeutic fasting for multiple sclerosis: What's the point - and how does it work?
It is well known that our diet has an important influence on our well-being and our health. But even omitting food can have a positive effect on our health. This does not just mean the question of whether you contritely refuse the next currywurst or a thick piece of cream cake, but rather it is about complete abstinence. In other words: fasting. The therapeutic effect of fasting is well documented and is being intensively researched - especially in connection with multiple sclerosis.
What does it mean to fast?
Fasting is the complete or partial abstinence from drinks, food or stimulants over a certain period of time. The term comes from Old High German – the language our ancestors spoke over 1,000 years ago – and simply means “to hold on”. It meant adhering to the commandments of abstinence. Many religions have had and still have fasting rules, especially for ritual purposes or for spiritual purification. Lent in Christianity and Ramadan in Islam are very well known. But the medical benefits of fasting were also recognized early on. Hippocrates, probably the most famous doctor of antiquity, is said to have warned that a minor ailment should be cured “by fasting rather than by medicine”. Another famous doctor is considered to be the inventor of therapeutic fasting: At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Darmstadt doctor Otto Buchinger comprehensively described the positive effects of fasting on blood values and blood pressure, for example. Current studies give hope that fasting can also have positive effects on autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Fasting and MS: First studies show positive results
In 2016, researchers at the University of Southern California investigated whether a fasting cure could have a positive effect on the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. To do this, they put mice with an autoimmune disease on a radical diet. Three days a week, the rodents were told: "No cheese, please" - and nothing else. And indeed: Compared to the control group, which was fed a normal diet, the fasting animals showed a significant improvement in symptoms after just three cycles. The researchers also found a lower amount of inflammatory messengers in the animals' bodies and were even able to prove that remyelination had taken place. This means a restoration of the myelin sheath around the nerve fibers, which is damaged by multiple sclerosis. Animal experiments cannot of course be easily transferred to humans. For this reason, the Berlin Charité conducted a pilot study in the same year with 60 MS patients who followed different diets over a period of 6 months. With success: The quality of life of the fasting patients and those who followed a ketogenic diet (strictly low-carbohydrate diet) was better than that of those with a normal diet.
Further study should bring clarity
Due to the positive results of the Berlin study, a follow-up study on fasting in multiple sclerosis is currently underway. The study leader of the so-called NAMS study (Nutritional Approaches in Multiple Sclerosis) is Prof. Dr. Friedmann Paul of the NeuroCure Clinical Research Center at the Charité. The study includes seven visits by researchers to over 100 participants over a study period of 18 months. The test subjects are divided into three groups, each of which will test a different type of dietary change:
- Anti-inflammatory diet: In this type of diet, the subjects limit their meat consumption in order to increase the quality of dietary fats. The German Nutrition Society (DEG) recommends a lacto-vegetarian diet for people with multiple sclerosis, which is characterized by a higher proportion of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Adaptive catabolism: In this form of therapeutic fasting, the subjects completely avoid carbohydrates. The brain is stimulated to use ketone bodies (fat derivatives) instead of glucose as an energy source. The resulting stabilization of nerve cell function has been widely observed, especially in the treatment of epilepsy.
- Intermittent caloric restriction: During the course of the study, the test participants are to fast three times a week by completely abstaining from solid food during these periods. The menu therefore consists of vegetable juices or broths. The participants then continue with an intermittent fast in which they do not eat any solid food for 16 hours a day.
Finally, the effects on the symptoms and quality of life of the subjects will be assessed in order to be able to make better statements about the value of the diets and fasting. Those interested can find further information about the ongoing study in our links at the end of the article.
Personal Experiences with MS and Fasting
Can a fasting cure really improve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis in an individual case? There is no general answer to that. For many MS patients, taking the drug Tecfidera in particular is tied to regular meals, as it can cause side effects on an empty stomach - such as stomach cramps or heartburn. However, the experience reports from MS bloggers on the Internet are interesting. For example, Julia Hubinger reports in her blog "Mama Schulze": "I'm really doing really well with it - I didn't think I would feel an improvement straight away. (...) Suddenly I feel so light and energetic. I've also noticed that I've slept much better the last two nights. I can't yet say whether that's a coincidence or related to the fasting." Hubinger had opted for the 16:8 version of fasting in her self-experiment, where you don't eat any solid food for 16 hours a day.
Often underestimated: The consequences for social life
Fasting can potentially improve the quality of life of MS patients, not only by improving symptoms, but also by giving them the good feeling that there is another way to actively influence the course of the disease. But where there is light, there is also shadow: particularly weakened people or patients who are underweight may be taking a risk by fasting. Anyone considering therapeutic fasting should definitely discuss it with their doctor and possibly consult a nutritionist in order to plan the duration and exact implementation. The current studies are hopeful, but do not yet offer any conclusive, medically reliable results. And there are also disadvantages for social life: a romantic candlelight dinner at your favorite Italian restaurant, a fun birthday meal with the family or a Sunday brunch with friends - all of this becomes uninteresting for the person fasting, if not torture. Whether fasting is an option for the individual depends on numerous individual physical and social factors. Fasting is certainly a possible way to improve well-being for MS patients.
