At first, it’s just a numb arm.
But over time, the loss of control over all of your muscles indicate it’s something much worse–a condition called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
For most people with the condition, there’s little they can do to fight the gradual loss of control over their own bodies. As of 2014, scientists haven’t found a cure for the disease, and oftentimes there isn’t even anything they can do to stop its progression.
Until now.
Reporting in the health journal The Lancet, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital say that feeding those with ALS a special diet–in this case, a high calorie diet–extended their longevity while reducing the effects of ALS.
While it isn’t a cure, it’s close enough, say experts.
“We are particularly excited because these results provide the first preliminary evidence that a dietary intervention may improve life expectancy in ALS, and they are strongly supported by epidemiological and animal data,” says Anne-Marie Wills, M.D. from the MGH Department of Neurology and Neurological Clinical Research Institute, who co-wrote the study. “This strategy has never been tested before in ALS, and we are optimistic that it may provide a new, effective and inexpensive therapy for this devastating illness.”
What Researchers Discovered
For researchers like Wills, diet has long been thought of as a potential treatment for ALS–but up until this point, these studies were only carried out on animal models. For this round of testing, Wills enrolled a total of 24 participants diagnosed with ALS who had lost a significant amount of weight and needed to be tube fed.
She then split them into three groups: A control group and two groups receiving a nutritional formula containing 125 percent of their daily calorie needs. In essence, they were on a bulking diet, with one group receiving a formula rich in fat and the other receiving a formula rich in carbohydrates. Then Wills waited for the results–and the results were exciting.
For those who consumed the high fat formula, the unlikely occurred: They lost weight and had a higher risk of death. But for those in the high carbohydrate group, they gained weight and faced no adverse effects.
“While it’s not possible to make clinical recommendations based on this single, small study, I think the results support the importance of avoiding weight loss in this disease,” says Wills. “”We’re hoping to obtain funding for a large study of whether nutrition counseling to encourage weight gain–something not currently covered by health insurers–can help slow the progression of ALS, and I’m optimistic that interventions designed to maintain or increase weight could be even more effective if started before patients have lost a significant amount of weight.”
What This Means For You
To fight ALS, the solution may be as a simple as eating a high carbohydrate diet–with plenty of calories added to improve weight gain. Of course, doing so now isn’t recommended under doctor’s supervision, but this study highlights how important nutrition is when fighting any disease, including ALS.
Readers: Do you know somebody with ALS?
Source:
High Calorie Diet May Slow Down Progression of ALS – HealthCanal.com
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