Milk and Multiple Sclerosis?

[KJG]

Hi

I have recently found this forum after reading about Ray Peat and his diet recommendations. I have started to incorporate some of his ideas but I am slightly concerned with regard to the alleged link between milk/dairy products and their potential to cause multiple sclerosis.

I have read Ray's articles on MS and there is no mention of dairy products being problematic, but would appreciate other opinions on this please. Many thanks.

 

[HDD]

I was dx with MS in 1988. I originally followed a very lowfat diet (Swank) without dairy. I ate soy cheese. Blech

I had more extreme MS symptoms return 3 yrs ago after a short Paleo challenge. This is when I found Ray Peat's article on MS. I have been on high dairy since. I dont drink a lot of milk but I consume cheese all day and night and some greek yogurt. I have not had any MS symptoms in 2 years.

 

[tara]

KJG

I'm guessing you've seen this article of Peat's?
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/mu ... osis.shtml

 

[KJG]

I was dx with MS in 1988. I originally followed a very lowfat diet (Swank) without dairy. I ate soy cheese. Blech

I had more extreme MS symptoms return 3 yrs ago after a short Paleo challenge. This is when I found Ray Peat's article on MS. I have been on high dairy since. I dont drink a lot of milk but I consume cheese all day and night and some greek yogurt. I have not had any MS symptoms in 2 years.

Thanks for this info, good to hear peat diet is really helping.

 

[KJG]

KJG

I'm guessing you've seen this article of Peat's?
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/mu ... osis.shtml

Yes, I had seen that article but appreciate the reply. Any related thoughts?

 

[tara]

KJG

I'm guessing you've seen this article of Peat's?
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/mu ... osis.shtml

Yes, I had seen that article but appreciate the reply. Any related thoughts?

I don't know much about multiple sclerosis, I just remembered reading this article quite awhile ago - I've now forgotten a lot of it, even what I understood at the time. :) I also don't know anything at all about the mechanism others suspect linking milk with multiple sclerosis.

Peat has suggested that pretty much everyone try to find a source of milk that agrees with them. Different milk can work best for different people. Peat has mentioned that some people react badly to milk that has added vitamins, or to milk that comes form cows grazing plants that are allergenic for the individual, for instance. So he suggests trying milk from different farms or factories to find what woks best for the individual. Poster Burtlancast has written posts about the distinction between A1 and A2 proteins in milk, which are present in different proportions depending on teh breed of animal the milk comes from. I haven't seen Peat give this much credence, but I suspect this may be a relevant difference for at least some people. Some people here swear by raw milk, some drink low fat commercial milk, etc. My take, from reading Peat would be that if you feel good drinking particular milk, and you observe and notice no negative effects, it will probably do you good.

Peat strongly promotes getting plenty of calcium - eg 1200-2000mg, more calcium than phosphorus, ideally 1.5:1 ratio of Ca:Ph. Meat, grains and legumes tend to have higher phosphorus. You can use a tool like cronometer dot com to assess your diet in this (and other) respects. or people who can't get enough calcium from milk, Peat recommends clean egg shell powder as next best, probably followed by oystershell powder (which I use).

My key issue is migraine, and I have an interest in anything that messes wth the health and function of the nerves in the head. I haven't solved this problem yet. Personally, I do have difficulty with milk, at least some of the time, though it's not so much a direct migraine trigger for me as an occasional contributor to foggy brain. I am still experimenting to try to find how I can drink milk in a way that works for me. Currently I'm only drnking smaller quantitities, and trying A2 milk when it's available, which is not always.

I hope you can find a way to reverse or at least stop its progression. I think there is a chance you can. HDD's story is a good one. I'll reread that article of Peat's and see if I have any more thoughts.

 

[KJG]

Thanks again for your thoughts. Thankfully, I do not have M.S but am looking to follow Peat recommendations to optimise health. Hence my reason for asking about the M.S link due to the high milk consumption recommended.

Not sure if I am comfortable with incorporating milk and dairy products honestly, but a dairy free peat approach seems sound for my particular needs.

 

[HDD]

In my experience, dairy has not been a factor in M.S. Hormones? Yes. Unsaturated fats? Yes Dairy? Not one bit.

The parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an important regulator of calcium metabolism. If dietary calcium isn't sufficient, causing blood calcium to decrease, the PTH increases, and removes calcium from bones to maintain a normal amount in the blood. PTH has many other effects, contributing to inflammation, calcification of soft tissues, and decreased respiratory energy production.

When there is adequate calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium in the diet, PTH is kept to a minimum. When PTH is kept low, cells increase their formation of the uncoupling proteins, that cause mitochondria to use energy at a higher rate, and this is associated with decreased activity of the fatty acid synthase enzymes.

Multiple sclerosis relapses consistently occur at times of high PTH, and remissions consistently occur at times of low PTH (Soilu-Hänninen, et al., 3008). PTH increases the activity of nitric oxide synthase, and nitric oxide is a factor in the vascular leakiness that is so important in MS.

Substances such as PTH, nitric oxide, serotonin, cortisol, aldosterone, estrogen, thyroid stimulating hormone, and prolactin have regulatory and adaptive functions that are essential, but that ideally should act only intermittently, producing changes that are needed momentarily. When the environment is too stressful, or when nutrition isn't adequate, the organism may be unable to mobilize the opposing and complementary substances to stop their actions. In those situations, it can be therapeutic to use some of the nutrients as supplements. Calcium carbonate (eggshell or oyster shell, for example) and vitamins D and K, can sometimes produce quick antistress effects, alleviating insomnia, hypertension, edema, inflammations and allergies, etc., but the regular use of milk and cheese can prevent many chronic stress-related diseases.

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/milk.shtml