Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Healthy Living Food Diet

Question:
I don't know if the following study has been posted here already,or if I am opening a big can of worms. I am mostly vegetarian now, almost vegan, but eat way too much sugar, and I have really fallen off the wagon here during Christmas. What surprises me is that ALL of these women went off the diet. I would expect some of them to, but ALL? Despite a significant reduction in pain? Personally, I would be glad to eat this way for the rest of my life if it would make me feel so much better. How do the rest of you feel about this? http://go1.warp9ems.com/go.pl?tu=6392777-2032 Living Food Diet Eases Fibromyalgia 12-26-2001 From the March 2001 issue of Nutrition Science News (newhope.com/nutritionscience news). Reprinted by permission. A low-salt, uncooked vegan diet of living food relieves fibromyalgia symptoms, according to a Finnish study conducted by researchers at the University of Kuopio. Thirty-three female fibromyalgia patients with an average age of 51 and an average body mass index (BMI) of 28 were given the choice of following a normal diet or trying a completely animal-product-free vegan diet. (A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; 30 or over is considered obese.) The groups were not randomly selected because of the effort and motivation required to adhere to the vegan diet. At the start of the study, the two groups were virtually identical, except that the vegan group complained of more pain. It was this considerable pain that had motivated them to try the diet. The 18 women who chose the living foods diet were instructed to eat uncooked berries, fruit, mushrooms, nuts, seeds and vegetables, along with cereals and cooked legumes, and supplement with vitamin B12 for three months. Aside from four women who ate fish occasionally, all participants adhered strictly to the diet. Results showed the vegan group reduced their urinary sodium level by 67 percent over the three months, confirming dietary compliance. In addition, the average BMI of the diet group dropped to 24 as they lost weight during the study period. At the end of three months, the group following the living food diet had a significant decrease in pain, slept better, and had less morning stiffness. Total serum cholesterol also showed a statistically significant reduction. Participants did not improve in terms of exercise ability or strength. Despite its benefits, none of the patients chose to adhere to the diet beyond the study period. They did report, however, that their pain gradually returned as they drifted back to their previous omnivorous diet. This is the first study that suggests a vegan diet can improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The researchers suggest repeating the study for a longer period of time and using a crossover design to confirm its effectiveness in this disabling condition. Do you have any comment on this healthy living food diet?

Answer:
Without reading the paper it is hard to tell. Stories like this that are based on studies are not always accurate so I will have to read the paper to see what was really said. I might even have it upstairs. Can't remember and my joints are hurting too bad to get up the stairs right now. Some things to keep in mind. When a study says there was a significant difference this means improvement was *statistically* significant not *clinically* significant. In other words, the diet might not have made that much of a difference to the volunteers. There might also have been some other less obvious negative effects of the diet that were not measured and therefore not mentioned. Well being and depression were not mentioned in this story. When I eat simple carbs it definitely has a positive effect on my mood. The study size was a very small and no one knows if the positive effects would have persisted after 3 months. In light of other studies that have found a relationship between symptom severity and allergies, this diet might have worked because it is low in allergens. Who knows? But if a diet like this got rid of my pain -I would stay on it. I've tried a vegan diet and a vegetarian diet but it had no effect. I would probably lose a lot of weight too. I'm up to a size 6 now but without sweets I would be back down to a 2. All in all I would rather be skinny than be in pain.