MS Diet Group's Research Proposal

Encouraged by the activities of Ashton Embry, the MS Diet Group realised the need for UK based research work to underpin their dietary approach and to convince conventional medical practitioners that it is a practical treatment for MS. To this end Research Officer Sylvia Brown has written a research proposal entitled, "Investigation into the role the leaky gut plays in the onset and progression of Multiple Sclerosis".

An extensive literature search led her to the following conclusions:

• At present there is no cure for MS but there is now very strong evidence that modification of the diet can significantly retard and arrest the progress of the disease.
• Ashton Embry has a scientific theory could explain why Diet could affect the onset and progression of MS. This theory involves undigested food proteins entering the body's system.
• This is thought to occur through increased intestinal permeability - more commonly know as "leaky gut syndrome".
• Thus, these undigested food proteins enter into the bloodstream and this could set the stage for autoimmune reactions such as Multiple Sclerosis through a process called Molecular Mimicry.
• In simple terms, Molecular Mimicry involves the immune system's mistaken attack on body tissue because it thinks it is a foreign antigen. In the case of Multiple Sclerosis, the immune system attacks the myelin sheath surrounding the central nervous system.
• MS is widely believed to be an autoimmune illness, which occurs through this process of Molecular Mimicry but quite how this occurs is as yet unknown.

Now, an important factor in Ashton's "highly plausible" theory is assumed to be a permeable intestine or "leaky gut", as that is how the undigested food proteins and gut bacteria products enter into the bloodstream. The Best Bet Diet works by avoiding the suspect food proteins - gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats), dairy, legumes(beans or peas) and, in addition, at least greatly reducing, or completely avoiding, yeast and sugar which can make the leaky worse. The programme also recommends to avoid all foods that you, as an individual, have an intolerance or allergy too, as detected by an Elisa Panel Blood Test, as well as taking supplements to normalise immune system function and heal the leaky gut.

Thus, by keeping the diet clean and healing the gut, this theory which revolves around the development of a "leaky gut", could explain why the Best Bet Diet is helping so many to stabilise MS, avoid relapses, halt the progression of MS and promote recovery.

The research proposal outlines the evidence for the links with food antigens and leaky gut and suggests a programme to measure the extent and progression of intestinal permeability in a group of patients with MS.

It is vital that such research is carried out in this field, so as to prove (or disprove) a connection between MS and Leaky Gut Syndrome. If there is a connection in some or all cases of MS, we need to know. This could lead to be a breakthrough in understanding Multiple Sclerosis, which would help hundreds of thousands worldwide. Sylvie, herself, also hopes to be involved with the research.

The MS-Diet Research Group held its first meeting on the 14th of September 2002 in Sheffield.

Members are:

• David L J Freed, MD, (Chairman):
  Former lecturer in immunology at the University of Manchester, who now runs the Salford Allergy Clinic. Dr Freed has written many papers on the influence of diet and human disease with a particular interest in the role of lectins and gut permeability and has over thirty years experience of patient care. He is Vice Chairman of the British Society for Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional Medicine. Dr Freed will supervise the research.
• John Wareing, PhD, (Secretary)
• Sylvia Brown, 1st BSc (Chemistry with European Studies (German))
• Julie Hitchen, BSc. Pharm
• Dennis Brown, BSc, PhD, CChem, FRSC, CEng, FIChem, FIEng
• Susie Cornell, B.H.MA, ITEC, (HONS) EFMA

The proposal has been provisionally accepted by Sheffield Hallam University, with the hope of much of the funding being made available through the Medical Research Council and negotiations with them are now underway.

The proposal has an impressive list of professional supporters, including our own Lawrence Wood, Judy Graham, Susie Cornell. Also Dr Jan De Vries and, internationally, Dr Ashton Embry, Dr Lynn Toohey, and several top UK university academics.