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Switching your diet to avoid or incorporate certain foods may help with your MS symptoms. However, research on whether diet and MS are linked is inconclusive.

When you live with multiple sclerosis (MS), the foods you eat can make a significant difference in your overall health.

No specific diet can treat or cure MS, but many people find relief from symptoms by modifying their overall nutrition program.

For some, making a few minor changes in daily food choices is enough. For others, adopting a new dietary program helps reduce existing symptoms and prevent new ones from developing.

This article explores the role of diet in managing symptoms of MS and reviews four potentially beneficial diets.

Nutrition plays a vital role in boosting health. And if you live with MS, diet is important for managing symptoms such as inflammation and fatigue.

The connection between diet and MS symptoms has not been widely researched, so the theory that nutrition plays a role in managing its symptoms is controversial.

Evanthia Bernitsas, MD, a neurologist at the Detroit Medical Center Harper University Hospital, explains that existing research studies on the topic are small, not well-designed, and tend to be biased.

But overall, Bernitsas says it’s common for people living with MS to follow an anti-inflammatory diet that:

Kiah Connolly, MD, agrees. “Because MS is a demyelinating autoimmune disease and autoimmune diseases involve inflammation, many theories on the potential positive effects diet may have on the disease are based in decreasing inflammation in the body and improving neuronal health,” Connolly explains.

Some of the more popular diets she’s referring to for MS include the:

All these dietary plans focus on decreasing processed foods and increasing nutrient-rich foods. However, beyond these basics, the different diets vary in many core guidelines, and they can affect each individual in completely different ways.

Be sure to discuss your health with your doctor before implementing any of these diets. For example, if you have high blood cholesterol and fat levels, following a low fat dietary plan can be beneficial. If you have digestive symptoms that may be indicative of celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is typically most helpful.

Is it safe to change your diet with MS?

Because most of the suggested dietary modifications involve healthy foods that may benefit anyone’s overall health, Connolly says making many of these dietary changes is generally a safe option for people with MS to try.

But be sure to talk with your doctor before changing your eating plan.

The paleo diet includes anything people could eat before the establishment of modern food processing (modeled after the Paleolithic era).

What to eat:

What to avoid:

The elimination of these foods, many of which may cause inflammation, can be helpful for people seeking dietary modifications to help manage their MS symptoms.

Terry Wahls, MD, created the Wahls Protocol, which focuses on the role food plays in managing MS symptoms.

Wahls’s own MS diagnosis led her to do a deep dive into the research around food and the role it plays in autoimmune diseases.

She discovered that a nutrient-rich paleo diet high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids helped reduce her symptoms.

What to eat:

As someone who lives with MS and conducts clinical trials that test the effect of nutrition and lifestyle to treat MS, Wahls knows how important complementary dietary strategies are to a treatment plan for MS.

How is the Wahls Protocol different from paleo?

The Wahls Protocol is similar to the Paleo diet, with recommendations for eating lean meat, fish, chicken, and nuts and avoiding processed foods and refined sugar. However, the Wahls Protocol excludes eggs and allows legumes (such as in soy milk). It also permits two servings of gluten-free grains (such as rice) per day.

The Wahls Protocol also puts more emphasis on vegetables and fruit. For example, it recommends nine cups of fruit and vegetables per day, with one-third each from dark-green leafy vegetables and deeply colored fruits and vegetables.

According to Dr. Roy L. Swank, the creator of the Swank MS diet, eating a diet very low in saturated fat (15 grams per day maximum) can help manage MS symptoms.

The Swank diet also eliminates ultra-processed foods containing fat and hydrogenated oils.

During your first year on the dietary plan, red meat isn’t allowed. You can have 3 ounces of red meat per week after the first year.

What to eat:

  • whole grains
  • as many fruits and veggies as you want
  • very lean protein, including skinless white meat poultry and white fish

It’s also important to make sure you’re getting essential fatty acids as part of this dietary plan.

What does an expert say?

Evanthia Bernitsas, MD, says the Swank diet, which emphasizes a high intake of omega-3s, has the potential to benefit people with MS.

The focus on keeping saturated fat to a minimum also shows promise in managing inflammation.

There are many theories about the effect of gluten on MS symptoms.

A 2018 review of some older studies found that a gluten-free diet may positively affect those with MS. However, other studies included in the review found no positive effect.

More research on the link between gluten and MS is needed.

“Some people suspect that gluten is an undiagnosed allergen in many of us and functions as a source of inflammation contributing to ailments in all of us,” Connolly explains.

When going gluten-free, your focus is eliminating all foods that contain the protein gluten, including wheat, rye, and barley.

Foods to avoid include:

  • batter-fried foods
  • beer
  • flour, including flour in baked goods
  • processed meats and imitation crab meat
  • salad dressings, soups, ketchup, soy sauce, and marinara sauce

Why go gluten-free?

“While this is not proven, some rationalize that eliminating gluten from the diet will eliminate this source of inflammation and decrease the symptoms of MS.” Kiah Connolly, MD

Following a well-balanced and carefully planned diet is a smart choice when considering dietary modifications.

However, following a specific diet isn’t required to manage your MS symptoms. Instead, focus on eating foods that don’t cause your symptoms to flare.

Changing your eating pattern to the Wahls Protocol, Swank diet, paleo diet, or gluten-free diet may help with symptoms of MS. But more research is needed on the link between diet and MS.

If you have any questions about how to implement changes to your diet, talk with your doctor or a healthcare professional.