The Role of Diet and Exercise in Managing MS
- Beyond taking medications, there are several steps people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) can take to manage symptoms and improve quality of life, including regular exercise, healthy eating, and getting good sleep, NYU Langone neurologist Dr. Lauren Krupp tells SurvivorNet.
- There’s no “magic diet,” Dr. Krupp adds, but following the general rules of the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on lean meats, fruits, and veggies and avoiding fatty, fried foods, seems to be beneficial.
- Those living with MS may have to adjust their exercise routines. Following a regular, low-impact exercise plan can help with mobility, muscle strength, and can even help reduce fatigue.
- “In terms of exercise, I think you want to be reasonable and start out slow,” says Dr. Krupp, but be sure to add aerobic exercise as well as muscle building or muscle strengthening.
After receiving a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, patients often wonder what steps can be taken to manage the chronic neurological disorder, including how to cope with symptoms, stay healthy, and maintain quality of life.
“People with MS often want to know what can they do that doesn’t involve taking a pill and doesn’t involve seeing the doctor — and there’s actually quite a bit,” NYU Langone neurologist Dr. Lauren Krupp, who specializes in adult and pediatric MS, tells SurvivorNet. Read MoreExercise For MS Patients: How To Stay Active
A regular exercise plan can help MS patients with mobility, muscle strength, and it can even help reduce fatigue. Low-impact exercises tend to be the safest, and may include activities like walking, riding a stationary bike, stretching or yoga, and training with light weights.
Dr. Krupp recommends the following forms of exercise:
- Aerobics
- Strength training
- Stretching
“In terms of exercise, I think you want to be reasonable and start out slow if you’re not someone who exercises much. But you want to include both aerobic exercise and you also want to do muscle building or muscle strengthening,” says Dr. Krupp.
“You also want to stretch in the morning before you even get out of bed. That will help get you moving more easily.”
A Healthy Diet Helps
There is “no magic diet” when it comes to improving life with MS, Dr. Krupp says. “There’s no diet that’s going to get rid of MS, but there are diets that are more healthy.”
Dr. Krupp suggests the MIND diet, which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, as it has been shown to help older people at risk of dementia.
Though the diet has been far less studied in MS than in Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Krupp notes, “if you can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease from getting worse, certainly it’s going to be helpful for MS.”
The MIND diet involves:
- Avoiding foods rich in fat and fried foods
- Eating lean meats, fresh vegetables, and fruits
Back in 2023, researchers at Rush University Medical Center reported that both the MIND diet and the Mediterranean diet were associated with fewer markers of Alzheimer’s-related brain changes.
Living With Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to communicate with the body’s arms, legs, and other parts to function normally.
WATCH: Defying All Odds – A World-Renowned Doctor’s Incredible Journey Through MS
There is no cure for MS, but there are treatments available to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
There are four main types of MS, including:
- Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS): This means an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what MS is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
- Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common MS among the million people battling the disease in the U.S., RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
- Primary progressive MS (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
- Secondary progressive MS (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of MS that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.
Depending on how your disease presents, there are a range of different treatment approaches your team may try, from physical or speech therapy to injectable, infusion, or oral medications.
Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) may be used to slow MS progression and can sometimes reduce how often you experience relapses. Some people living with MS require very little or no treatment.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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