Your guide to living a healthy life with MS
  • Home
  • About me
  • Lifestyle and MS
    • What is MS? >
      • Types of MS
      • What causes MS?
      • Symptoms of MS
      • How is MS diagnosed?
      • How is MS treated?
    • Stress and MS
    • Smoking and MS
    • Healthy weight >
      • What is a healthy weight for me?
    • Alcohol and MS
    • Sleep and MS >
      • Sleep hygiene tips from the MS Trust
    • Importance of hydration
  • Keeping active
    • Latest MS-specific physical activity guidelines
    • Benefits of exercise >
      • UK Physical Activity Guidelines
    • Components of physical fitness
    • What sort of 'exercise'?
    • Exercise for managing symptoms
    • Exercise and relapse
    • Tips for exercising with MS
  • Diet
    • What is a healthy diet? >
      • 7 tips for a balanced diet
      • What is a portion?
      • 5 tips from the MS Society
      • Diet to reduce risk of further diseases
    • The diet debate in MS >
      • 'Best Bet' diet
      • Overcoming MS (OMS)
      • SWANK
      • Wahls protocol
    • Diet to manage symptoms
    • Dietary supplements >
      • Vitamin D
      • Vitamin B12
      • Essential Fatty Acids
    • Tips for cooking with MS
  • Blog
    • Blog posts (PDF)
  • Contact
    • Useful resources

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)

As you may recall from the 'What is a healthy diet?' page in this section our bodies need two types of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA): Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids; these are both polyunsaturated fats and are needed for the body to work effectively and make up a large part of the CNS including both brain and spinal cord. 

As briefly discussed there is an 'inflammation hypothesis' suggesting that an imbalance between these two fatty acids can provoke an inflammatory response (as seen in MS).  These fatty acids produce two hormone-like secretions Prostaglandin E2 and Prostaglandin E3 which work together to play a complicated role in how the body responds to inflammation using the immune system.  EFAs are the substances which make and repair myelin.

As much as it would make sense if we could manipulate this research to affect the course of the disease, NICE guidelines for MS released in 2014 indicate that there is no evidence that EFA supplements influence relapses or progression of MS.  

Where can I find EFA is the diet? 
     
Sources of Omega 3 EFA
  • Oily fish:
  • (Sardines
  • Salmon
  • Fresh tuna)
  • Walnuts
  • linseed/flaxseed
  • Pasture-reared eggs
  • Hemp-seed oil
  • Cod-liver oil
Sources of Omega 6 EFA
  • Evening primrose oil
  • Safflower oil
  • Soybean oil
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Corn oil
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Sesame seeds

There are no guidelines for how much of each EFA you should include in your diet but it makes sense to balance the general amounts of each that you consume.  Remember that these are still fats and whilst important it is wise not to overconsume any type of fat. 

This is a growing area of research with MS so we can expect to hear more over the coming years. 

Sources:
Active IQ (2016) Personal Training manual ​
MS Society (2014) Food and Nutrition booklet

Picture
HOME
ABOUT ME
LIFESTYLE
HYDRATION
DIET
SLEEP
CONTACT
ALCOHOL
STRESS
BLOG
SMOKING
KEEPING ACTIVE
RESOURCES
DIET & SYMPTOMS
HEALTHY WEIGHT
ACTIVITY & SYMPTOMS
Copyright 2020  HealthyLife MS.  All rights reserved.
PwMS: persons with MS
Photo used under Creative Commons from joymweinbergeditor
  • Home
  • About me
  • Lifestyle and MS
    • What is MS? >
      • Types of MS
      • What causes MS?
      • Symptoms of MS
      • How is MS diagnosed?
      • How is MS treated?
    • Stress and MS
    • Smoking and MS
    • Healthy weight >
      • What is a healthy weight for me?
    • Alcohol and MS
    • Sleep and MS >
      • Sleep hygiene tips from the MS Trust
    • Importance of hydration
  • Keeping active
    • Latest MS-specific physical activity guidelines
    • Benefits of exercise >
      • UK Physical Activity Guidelines
    • Components of physical fitness
    • What sort of 'exercise'?
    • Exercise for managing symptoms
    • Exercise and relapse
    • Tips for exercising with MS
  • Diet
    • What is a healthy diet? >
      • 7 tips for a balanced diet
      • What is a portion?
      • 5 tips from the MS Society
      • Diet to reduce risk of further diseases
    • The diet debate in MS >
      • 'Best Bet' diet
      • Overcoming MS (OMS)
      • SWANK
      • Wahls protocol
    • Diet to manage symptoms
    • Dietary supplements >
      • Vitamin D
      • Vitamin B12
      • Essential Fatty Acids
    • Tips for cooking with MS
  • Blog
    • Blog posts (PDF)
  • Contact
    • Useful resources