Following a ketogenic diet — one that’s low in carbohydrates and rich in fat — for six months significantly reduced measures of body fat and fatigue, eased disease symptoms, and improved exercise capacity, cognition, and arm and hand dexterity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study showed.
Moreover, some of these benefits were sustained for at least three months after the study’s completion, though several measures worsened during that roughly 12-week period, mostly due to difficulties in maintaining a strict ketogenic diet in the real world, according to researchers.
While most patients demonstrated interest in following the diet after the trial ended, only 58% did so, the data showed. People who experienced greater reductions in body mass index or BMI — a ratio of weight to height — and fatigue more often maintained the dietary plan.
