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. 2024 Sep;2(3):156-165.
doi: 10.3390/sclerosis2030011. Epub 2024 Jul 4.

Diet-Induced Changes in Functional Disability among People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Secondary Pooled Analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Pilot Trials

Allison R Groux  1 , Elizabeth S Walker  1   2 , Farnoosh Shemirani  1 , Jennifer E Lee  3 , Amanda K Irish  4 , Linda M Rubenstein  5 , Linda G Snetselaar  5 , Warren G Darling  6 , Terry L Wahls  1 , Tyler J Titcomb  1   5
Affiliations

Diet-Induced Changes in Functional Disability among People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Secondary Pooled Analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Pilot Trials

Allison R Groux et al. Sclerosis. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Emerging evidence links dietary interventions to favorable multiple sclerosis (MS) outcomes; however, evidence for the efficacy of dietary interventions on functional disability remains sparse. Data from two 12-week, randomized, controlled pilot trials were pooled to investigate the efficacy of a modified Paleolithic diet (Paleo) on functional disability, as assessed by the MS Functional Composite (MSFC), among people diagnosed with MS. Pooled baseline-referenced MSFC scores were calculated from the nine-hole peg test (NHPT), timed 25-foot walk (T25FW), and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) Z-scores. There was no significant difference in the mean change in MSFC scores between groups (p = 0.07). In the Paleo group, a significant increase was observed in the MSFC scores (p = 0.03), NHPT (p < 0.001), and PASAT (p = 0.04) Z-scores at 12 weeks, indicating reduced functional disability compared to baseline values. No significant changes were observed within the Control group. Study-specific differences in the MSFC changes between groups were observed. Functional disability was reduced compared to the baseline in the Paleo group, possibly depending on MS type. These results provide preliminary observations on the efficacy of a modified Paleolithic diet for reducing or maintaining functional disability in MS.

Keywords: functional disability; modified Paleolithic diet; multiple sclerosis; multiple sclerosis functional composite; nine-hole peg test.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: Terry Wahls personally follows and promotes the Wahls™ diet. She has equity interest in the following companies: Dr. Terry Wahls LLC; TZ Press LLC; The Wahls Institute, PLC; FBB Biomed Inc; Levels Health Inc; Foogal Inc.; and the website http://www.terrywahls.com. She also owns the copyright to the books Minding My Mitochondria (2nd edition), The Wahls Protocol, and The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life and the trademarks The Wahls Protocol® and Wahls™ diet, Wahls Paleo™ diet, and Wahls Paleo Plus™ diets (the Wahls elimination diet is not trademarked). She has completed grant funding from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for the Dietary Approaches to Treating Multiple Sclerosis Related Fatigue Study. She has financial relationships with Master Health inc., Vibrant America LLC, Standard Processed Inc., and the Institute for Functional Medicine. She receives royalty payments from Penguin Random House. Terry Wahls has conflict of interest management plans in place with the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Healthcare System. All the other authors report no personal or financial conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Pooled analysis flowchart. A total of 106 individuals were assessed for eligibility in the two studies combined. Of these, 46 were randomized (22 into a modified Paleolithic diet and 19 into Control). A total of 14 Paleo diet participants and 13 usual diet participants were analyzed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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