Increase the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis with Milk?

It was in 1952 that the New England Journal of Medicine was the first to suggest an association between diet and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This was after the famous Dr. Swank did his research in Norway finding high incidence of MS in the inland farmland vs. the low incidence of MS in the coastal fishing towns.

Milk consumption and MS seem to be clearly linked
Strong correlations have been confirmed in studies by both Dr. Swank and Dr. Embry in Norway where the incidence of MS is much greater (5 times as common in the Embry study) in the inland areas where farming and the consumption of dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and butter are more common (see http://www.dairytruth.com/2006/09), especially compared to the coastal fishing communities where there is less dairy consumption.

One local source, a well known naturopath focusing on MS and Parkinsons disease, told me that in fact 80% of people with MS are allergic to milk, this is compared to about 15% of the general population. The US National Library of Medicine has also found a highly significant correlation between liquid cow milk consumption and MS (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1291895).

What does the milk do?
Research is pointing to the similarity between the myelin cells and those which are in 'milk' being so similar that it can be confusing our immune system which is attacking the milk, and then switching to attacking the myelin because it is so similar (http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713996127&db=all). It is in this way that drinking milk can affect or even trigger the over activity in a person's immune system.

What about Vitamin D?
Ironically, many people are drinking a lot of milk because of their MS for the Vitamin D in it. Vitamin D deficiency is also something that is very common in people who have MS, though dairy is not the only place to get it. One can just as easily take a liquid supplement of Vitamin D for instance containing emulsified Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) with just a few drops under the tongue each day, without potentially taking on the risk of consuming potentially harmful cow milk. Seeing a naturopath locally who can direct you to the best resource around for this kind of supplement is the best way to go about getting it, there is much controversy about the purity of supplements and usually they know best. Also being under the care of a naturopath will help make sure your levels get tested and you are taking enough without taking too much.

So is WIC Bad for MS?
As a mom with MS who was on the popular WIC program through most of my pregnancy, I can't help but wonder if that could have led to the bad relapse from which MomsWithMS.com was born. Other parts of the WIC diet including beans and cereal are also mentioned in this article about the Impact of Dietary Antigens on Multiple Sclerosis http://bit.ly/cQWLe0 as being potential catalysts in an MS patient with allergies.

So if you have MS and want to help increase your odds of slowing your progression or lessening the frequency of relapses, this is one of many things you can do. Many people find these kinds of dietary changes difficult but when weighed against being able to use your body or not, it makes it a lot easier. If you really don't believe this or really don't want to change your diet, confirm if you are or are not allergic with your naturopath, do it for your family if you don't want to do it for yourself.

Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1291895
http://www.dairytruth.com/2006/09/
http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/Multiple_Sclerosis.html
Impact of Dietary Antigens on Multiple Sclerosis http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713996127&db=all