What dietary factors are important in Multiple Sclerosis?
Dr. Roy Swank, Professor of Neurology at the University of Oregon Medical School, has provided convincing evidence that a diet low in saturated fats, maintained over a long period of time, tends to retard the disease process of MS and reduce the number of attacks. Swank began successfully treating patients with his low-fat diet in 1948. Dr. Swank recommends: • A saturated fat intake of no more than 10 grams per day. • A daily intake of 40-to-50 grams of polyunsaturated oils per day (margarine, shortening, and hydrogenated oils are not allowed). • At least 1 teaspoon of cod liver oil per day. • A normal allowance of protein (0.8 g/kg) • Consumption of cold-water fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel, and herring) 3or more times per week in order to boost omega-3 fatty acids. The Swank Diet was originally thought to help patients with MS by overcoming an essential-fatty-acid deficiency. Currently, it is thought that the beneficial effects are probably a result of (1) decreasing platelet aggregatio
