According to recent study, fasting-mimicking diet promotes a positive affect on the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Scientists discovered that the diet triggers a death and the life process for cells that affect for the body's repair and it also leads to the production of new body cells.

"During the fasting-mimicking diet, cortisone is produced and that initiates a killing of autoimmune cells," said Valter Longo, the study's lead author and professor who directs the USC Longevity Institute at the Davis School of Gerontology.

In a recent study, Researchers put a group of mice with the autoimmune disease on a fasting-mimicking diet. It showed that the diet lowers the disease symptoms in all the mice, and "caused complete recovery for 20% of the animals,"  

Testing the mice, the researchers found the reduction in symptoms that cause to health improvements such as increased levels of the steroid hormone, corticosterone is released by the adrenal glands to control metabolism. There is a reduction in the inflammation causing cytokines and they also saw some  improvements in the white blood "T cells," responsible for immunity.

Finally, researchers found fasting-mimicking diet promotes regeneration of the myelin -Nerve fibers in the brain and spine that are protected by the sheath of proteins and fats.

Myelin is critical for the nerve impulses, malfunctioning T cells attack the myelin and damage nerve fibers with those who are with multiple sclerosis.

"On the one hand, this fasting-mimicking diet kills bad immune cells," Longo said. "Then, after the mice return to the normal diet, the good immune cells, but also the myelin-producing cells are generated, allowing a percentage of mice to reach a disease-free state."

People who have multiple sclerosis are checked the safety and potential efficacy of the diet through a pilot trial with 60 participants with the disease, lead by Markus Bock at Charité University Hospital in Berlin.

Eighteen patients had been on the fasting-mimicking diet for a seven-day cycle and then placed on a Mediterranean diet for 6 months. In 6 months, 12 participants were on a controlled diet, and 18 others were on a ketogenic diet (a high-fat diet).

Those who followed the diet, researches said they had seen some betterment in their quality of life, including physical and mental health.

Mayuka.