Abstract
The suggestion of a link between nutrition and multiple sclerosis arose from epidemiological studies which described a high incidence in countries with relatively high saturated fat intakes: in addition, low levels of essential fatty acids (EFA) were recorded in the blood of multiple sclerosis patients (Swank, 1950: Sinclair, 1956: Allison, 1963; Bernsohn and Stephanides, 1976: Dick, 1976). These findings led to a double-blind trial of linoleic acid supplementation in Belfast and London and later in Newcastle (Millar et al, 1973; Bates et al, 1978) which gave encouraging results. The ‘linoleic acid’ effect is the reason for the current interest in diet and multiple sclerosis, but it is becoming apparent that a case for nutritional counselling can also be made in the interests of the general health of the patients, and that a broader approach might be of more benefit.
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Crawford, M.A., Harding, J. (1982). The role of diet in multiple sclerosis. In: Capildeo, R., Maxwell, A. (eds) Progress in Rehabilitation. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-86080-7_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-86080-7_8
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