Keto and Multiple Sclerosis

The symptoms vary depending on where the damage occurs in the brain or spinal cord. The progression can also differ: it may be chronically progressive or relapsing-remitting. The medications currently available, which aim to suppress the misguided immune response, have an unsatisfactory impact on disease progression and on limiting neurological damage. The causes of the disease are still not fully understood.

However, the repair of damaged myelin sheaths is possible. Nutrition plays a crucial role in this. It offers the opportunity to positively influence both inflammation and myelin formation, as well as immune cell activity.

A ketogenic diet shows the strongest effects. With ketogenic nutrition, both inflammation and demyelination can be improved, and the myelin sheaths can be protected. This leads to better energy supply to nerve cells and the brain, because ketones generate fewer free radicals than glucose metabolism. As a result, nerve cells are better protected from oxidative stress, which in turn leads to improved motor, sensory, and cognitive function.

Patients appreciate this because they feel less exhausted (fatigue) and have more energy. Some experience a significant reduction in their symptoms and a clear improvement in overall performance. Overweight patients lose abdominal fat. This is particularly advantageous because abdominal fat triggers autoimmune diseases. The increased performance and enormous improvement in quality of life motivate MS patients to maintain the ketogenic diet for longer periods or to incorporate occasional fasting. The goal is to maintain ketone levels above 2.0 BHB. It has proven helpful to supplement the diet with 2–4 tablespoons of MCT and coconut oil and to take a teaspoon of omega-3 oil daily. The use of exogenous ketones has also proven beneficial, especially to achieve high ketone levels and to maintain a long-term ketogenic diet.

As the immune system improves, so does the repair of nerve cells. The cells’ resistance to stress also benefits from ketogenic metabolism. You can think of it like this: sugar-based nutrition puts considerable stress on the nervous system. Consuming ketones is beneficial for the brain because it provides sufficient energy for the cells.