Study Compares Wahls & Swank Diets in MS

Written by Brett Drummond (MStranslate co-founder), in collaboration with Joey Lambert (MStranslate intern)

The impact of diet on the quality of life of a person living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is of great interest to the MS community. A number of approaches have been taken when it comes to diet and MS, including some heavily publicised ones, such as the Wahls Protocol and Swank Diet. Previously at MStranslate, we have discussed the Wahls Protocol with its creator, Dr. Terry Wahls. Videos of this discussion can be found here (Part 1) and here (Part 2). Recently, Dr. Wahls conducted a study comparing her approach with the Swank Diet.  A summary of this study can be found below.

Research Summary: Impact of the Swank and Wahls elimination dietary interventions on fatigue and quality of life in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: The WAVES randomised parallel-arm clinical trial

What?

The study compared the impact of the Wahls Protocol and Swank Diet on the quality of life of over 70 people living with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Who?

A team from the University of Iowa, Iowa city, USA conducted the study.

Where?

The study was published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. The abstract/article can be viewed here.

When?

The study was published in July 2021.

BACKGROUND #1: Dr. Terry Wahls has developed a diet, based on her own experiences, that aimed to maximise nutrients and minimise components of food that may trigger inflammation.

BACKGROUND #2: Dr. Swank used evidence that higher rates of MS in a population often coincide with communities that have a higher saturated fat intake to suggest a low saturated fat diet for those with MS.

BACKGROUND #3: A growing body of evidence suggested that both diets could be beneficial for someone living with MS. In order to be able to recommend a specific diet in clinical practice, there is a need for more research.  At this stage, most data in this area has been anecdotal and very few trials have been undertaken.

FINDING #1: For the 70+ people with RRMS in the study, both quality of life and fatigue levels improved under both diets.

FINDING #2: A greater improvement in mental and physical quality of life was seen for those under the Wahls Protocol than the Swank Diet.

FINDING #3: Improvement in 6-minute walking distance was not seen in either group after 12 weeks. However after 24 weeks, there was some improvement for those following the Wahls Protocol.

THOUGHTS

This paper adds to evidence, as well as the lived experience of many living with MS, suggesting that diet can play a role in the management of multiple sclerosis. However, there are a number of things that we need to keep in mind, which are:

THOUGHT #1: Each individual with multiple sclerosis is different and it is unlikely that a one-size-fits-all approach will work when it comes to diet and MS.  While this gives us some general indications, it should be noted that it was in a relatively small group of people and so we can’t draw too many definitive conclusions.

THOUGHT #2: It should also be noted that this research was led by Dr. Wahls, the creator of the Wahls Protocol, which was tested in this paper.  However, it is important to note that the paper has gone through a peer-review process prior to publication, and featured a number of protocols designed to reduce the impact of bias in regards to the data.

THOUGHT #3: Diet studies are always going to be difficult to conduct, as it is difficult to accurately monitor exactly what a person is eating.  As well as this, there are probably a number of other factors (e.g. exercise) that will also contribute to the outcomes and it is hard to control for all of these variables.

Overall, the research continues to suggest that having a healthy diet can be an effective way to help manage multiple sclerosis.  As well as potentially helping to reduce some of the symptoms of MS, a healthy, balanced diet can also minimise the risks of a number of comorbidities that are also associated with multiple sclerosis.