A Diet Mimicking Fasting Promotes Regeneration and Reduces Autoimmunity and Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
A study in mouse models of multiple sclerosis, with preliminary safety and feasibility data in patients. It is not an efficacy trial in people.
Cell Rep, 2016. Choi IY, et al.
Funding and competing interests (as published with the paper): The mouse study was funded by NIH/NIA grants AG034906 to VDL. The human study was funded by Meylin Projekt e.V. and Familie Ernst Wendt Stiftung Stadt Koeln, which were not involved in any decision making process relating the study or its participants. The work of FP is supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG Exc 257). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Aging or the National Institutes of Health. The University of Southern California has licensed intellectual property to L-Nutra that is under study in this research. As part of this license agreement, the University has the potential to receive royalty payments from L-Nutra. VDL has equity interest in L-Nutra, a company that develops medical food.
- Study type
- Animal study (mice), with a preliminary human safety note
- Journal
- Cell Rep
- Published
- 2016
- Authors
- Choi IY, et al.
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.05.009
- PubMed ID
- 27239035
Summary
Researchers tested periodic 3-day Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) cycles in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis), and separately mention preliminary data on an FMD or a ketogenic diet in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
In the mouse model, the authors reported that FMD cycles reduced disease severity in all mice studied and fully reversed symptoms in 20% of them, alongside changes in immune cell types and inflammation markers, and promoted regeneration of the cells that produce myelin. For the human data, the authors describe it only as preliminary evidence that an FMD or ketogenic diet was safe and feasible in these patients.
The disease-severity and remyelination findings are from the mouse model; the human reference is explicitly 'preliminary,' addresses safety and feasibility only, and is not a controlled efficacy result. This study does not show that an FMD treats or reverses multiple sclerosis in people.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
