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Restricting calories for a couple of days a week reduced certain immune cells and molecules involved in lipid metabolism (processing of fats) in people with MS in a small study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The study was funded by the National MS Society.

• Background: What is the best diet for people with MS? What difference does diet make in the disease course? Efforts are underway to answer these questions with rigorous studies.
• Details of this study: The ATAC-MS Study compared three diets: a control diet (100% of calorie needs 7 days/week), a daily calorie restriction diet (78% of calorie needs 7 days/week) and an intermittent calorie restriction diet, also called intermittent fasting (25% of calorie needs 2 consecutive days/week; 100% of calorie needs 5 days/week).
• Compared to the control diet, both calorie restriction diets resulted in weight loss and improvements in  emotional well-being. These results were previously reported.
• The team then extended the study to explore how daily versus intermittent calorie restriction affected immune and metabolic function, because lab studies had suggested intermittent fasting could reduce inflammation. To explore this question, they analyzed blood samples taken throughout the study.
• The results suggested that intermittent fasting reduced certain immune T cells (such as some involved in MS immune attacks), increased other types of T cells, and altered levels of molecules involved in lipid metabolism (how the body processes fats).
• Further, larger studies are necessary to confirm the findings and explore whether they indicate that the diet can directly reduce MS-related disease activity.

Learn more…

• There may not be one diet for MS, but eating healthfully is a crucial component of wellness. Learn how to make life easier in the kitchen and get additional resources for weight management, nutrition, and food assistance.

“Intermittent calorie restriction alters T cell subsets and metabolic markers in people with multiple sclerosis” by Kathryn C. Fitzgerald, Pavan Bhargava, Matthew D. Smith, Diane Vizthum, Bobbie Henry-Barron, Michael D. Kornberg, Sandra D. Cassard, Dimitrios Kapogiannis, Patrick Sullivan, David J. Baer, Peter A. Calabresi, and Ellen M. Mowry is published in eBioMedicine (published online July 8, 2022.