I didn't know this!

[byyygrace]

Apparently salt makes MS symptoms worse. I attended an event last night that my neurologist(the one I like!) was the speaker and he talked about this. He said we should all be on a low sodium diet and consume no more than 2 grams a day. I just started researching it but wanted to share this article.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ECTRIMS/42063

He talked about some other things that I'll share later!

Colin

[HVAC]

Interesting. This will be something to watch as more research comes out. Personally I just follow a well balanced diet for over all health. Many Americans get too much salt because they put it in everything.

A few years ago it was Vitamin D and MS. With out supplements I had a high vitamin D level. My Neurologis spoke at a NMSS meeting said you did not need to get your levels checked just take this large amount every day no matter what.I did not follow his advice because I was getting enough Vitamin D. As research came out they backed off that idea. For one thing Vitamin D can't fix you once you get MS. The thought is that low levels cause you to get MS. Certainly most people should watch our salt and if you have low vitamin D take supplements or better yet get out in the sun.

Alex

[immisceo]

Well, 'associated with' (as it states in the link) is a pretty moderate statement. It's more a correlation that may merit further study to find if it's anything causal.

In fact, your first sentence seems to be at odds with what the doctor who actually conducted the study said "Farez emphasized repeatedly that the findings did not prove that high salt intake caused the increased disease activity. He acknowledged that, if there is a causal relationship, it possibly could go in the reverse direction... Farez and colleagues also measured serum sodium but found no relationship between it and clinical or MRI activity. It was also not significantly associated with estimated sodium intake, with an R2 value of just 0.0082.".

I think we all acknowledge that making sure we keep to a healthy diet is a great idea in general and so much the more so when dealing with a chronic disease. And from a research standpoint, small studies with large claims are important as they are a jumping off point for further study direction and possible replication.

However, my entire neurology team attended ECTRIMS (where the linked report is from) and discussed with me the importance of looking with a jaundiced eye at the PR headlines that come out of such a conference. These are industry meetings, so things get presented that may or may not come out in the wash over time, and are often at very early stages.

Personally, my diet has essentially turned me into a pickle and I know I need to reduce my salt intake so sure. But I'm not sure this study adds to my reasons to do so.