Swank diet

Dr Swank

The Swank Multiple Sclerosis Diet is a low saturated fat diet for the management of Multiple Sclerosis developed by the late Dr. Roy L. Swank(1909-2008),who introduced the diet in 1948. The The Swank MS Foundation is a public charity that provides information and resources on the diet.

The diet

The diet is very simple:

1. Saturated fat should not exceed 15 grams per day.

2. Unsaturated fat (oils) should be kept to 20-50 grams per day.

3. No red meat for the first year. After the first year, 3 oz. of red meat is allowed once per week.

4. Dairy products must contain 1% or less butterfat unless otherwise noted.

5. No processed foods containing saturated fat.

6. A good source of omega-3 (oily fish, cod liver oil, cod liver oil tablets, etc.) along with a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement are recommended daily.

There are no restrictions on wheat, gluten or dairy, but any foods that that an MS sufferer is intolerant to should be avoided.

Research

Swank's research on 144 patients over a 34 year period was published in one of the worlds leading medical journals, The Lancet on July 7th 1990. The results of the study showed that those who followed the diet had not shown any significant deterioration of their condition over a 34 year period. Conversely, those that did not follow the diet did significantly deteriorate over the same period. More recent articles, have shown that after 44 years, the patients who had continued to follow this diet had not shown any significant deterioration of their condition.

Dr. Swank's research has been disputed by some, due to lacking documented double blind testing. For that reason, many in the medical community do not accept the Swank Diet as a treatment for MS.