If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), a healthy diet can help you feel your best. But experts don't know for sure whether special diets can ease MS symptoms. That's because there hasn't been a lot of research done on them.
One diet you may have heard of is the Wahls Protocol, also known as the Wahls diet. It's named after Terry Wahls, MD, the doctor who created it. After she was diagnosed with MS, she began studying food and vitamins. She changed her diet based on her research and says it helped with her symptoms.
What Is the Wahls Protocol?
The diet is a version of the Paleolithic (paleo) diet. That's based on the idea that humans should eat more like our ancient ancestors and avoid the foods we started eating in the past several hundred years, like wheat and processed foods.
On the Wahls Protocol, you eat lots of:
- Meat and fish
- Vegetables, especially green, leafy ones
- Brightly colored fruit, like berries
- Fat from animal and plant sources, especially omega-3 fatty acids
But you don't eat:
- Dairy products and eggs
- Grains (including wheat, rice, and oatmeal)
- Legumes (beans and lentils)
- Nightshade vegetables, which include tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers
- Sugar
Who is Terry Wahls?
Terry Wahls is a medical doctor and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She’s a clinical researcher and author of many scientific papers and books.
She is perhaps most well known for her personal experience using nutrition to slow the progression of her own MS.
After being diagnosed with MS in 2000, Wahls turned to science, hoping to find a way to slow down her disease. She discovered that certain nutrients are good for brain health and developed a food plan she credits for slowing, even reversing, the progression of her chronic condition. Wahls then developed the Wahls Protocol, a program based on paleo principles and functional medicine, to manage symptoms of MS and other autoimmune conditions.
Does the Wahls Protocol Diet Work for MS?
Wahls says her diet helped her go from using a wheelchair to biking miles at a time. While her personal experience may sound promising, there isn't a lot of research that shows it works for other people who have MS.
Wahls Protocol diet research
One small study found that people with MS who switched to a paleo/Wahls-style diet for a year were much less tired. But those people also exercised and did stretches, meditated, and got massage therapy and electrical stimulation therapy. So it's hard to say for sure that the diet helped with their symptoms.
Another small study found that people with MS who followed the Wahls diet consume the right amounts of most micronutrients and metabolites (vitamins, fatty acids, and amino acids that form proteins). These findings should be interpreted cautiously, since the study included only a small number of people.
A larger study, funded in part by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, compared the Wahls diet to another plan, the Swank diet, which some experts also recommend for people who have MS. People in the study reported that both diets lessened fatigue and improved quality of life. But the study's short length, reliance on reports from people being studied, and lack of racial diversity are some limits that prevent its findings from being broadened to all people with MS.
MS Diet Plan
Eating healthy foods improves heart health, maintains body weight, supports a healthy gut (microbiome), and may positively impact the immune system and the brain. These things may help ease MS symptoms or make the disease less severe.
If you have MS or care for someone who does, connect with your doctor to develop a diet plan that meets your needs. Your doctor may recommend that you work with a registered dietitian who has experience with MS to come up with a plan that's right for you.
Talk to your doctor before starting the Wahls diet. It includes many vitamin- and nutrient-rich foods, but you may have trouble getting enough of certain nutrients or enough calories.
Takeaways
The Wahls Protocol diet is similar to paleo and focuses on nutrient-rich foods to help manage multiple sclerosis (MS). Although some people report improvements, there is limited research that proves it works well. More research is needed to fully understand the diet's impact on MS. But eating a healthy diet is good for overall health and may help ease MS symptoms. If you have MS, connect with your doctor and a registered dietitian to find a diet that’s right for you.
Wahls Protocol FAQs
Does the Wahls Protocol work?
A growing body of research shows that people who follow the Wahls Protocol diet report improvements like reduced fatigue and a better quality of life. But the research is limited, and more studies are needed to prove the Wahls diet works well for all people with MS.
What is the difference between the paleo diet and the Wahls Protocol?
Similar to paleo, the Wahls Protocol focuses on animal and fish protein and fat, fruits, and vegetables. Both diets also avoid dairy, grains, and processed foods. Unlike paleo, the Wahls Protocol diet emphasizes vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fatty acids.
What are the three levels of the Wahls Protocol?
Level one of the Wahls Protocol involves eating nine cups of specific types of fruits and vegetables each day while avoiding gluten, dairy,and eggs. Level two is a paleo version of the diet and allows organ meats, fermented foods, and seaweeds. Level three is a ketogenic approach.
Can you lose weight on the Wahls Protocol?
The Wahls Protocol focuses on protein, vegetables, and fruits while getting rid of processed foods. This diet will likely help you to lose weight, especially if you leave behind unhealthy eating habits.
