Swank diet

Roy L. Swank

The Swank Diet is a low saturated fat diet proposed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and introduced by Roy L. Swank (1909–2008) in 1948.[1]

The widespread claims made for the diet have not been substantiated by independent medical research.[1][2]

The diet

According to the Swank diet web site, the diet consists of:

  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 that, a maximum of 3 oz. (85 grams) of red meat per week
  4. Dairy products must contain 1% or less butterfat
  5. No processed foods containing saturated fat
  6. A good source of omega-3 (oily fish, Flaxseed, cod liver oil, cod liver oil tablets, etc.) along with a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement are recommended daily
  7. Wheat, gluten or dairy product quantities are not restricted[3]

Swank claimed that the diet could "slow progression of the disease as well as benefit overall health".[4]

Effectiveness

As of 2015 there is no good medical evidence supporting the use of the Swank diet.[2] The British Dietetic Association does not recommend the Swank diet, or any other alternative diet, for people with multiple sclerosis.[2]

In 2012, the Cochrane Collaboration conducted a systematic review into dietary therapies for multiple sclerosis and was "not able to confirm the positive results claimed" for the Swank diet.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Farinotti M, Vacchi L, Simi S, Di Pietrantonj C, Brait L, Filippini G (2012). "Dietary interventions for multiple sclerosis". Cochrane Database Syst Rev 12: CD004192. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004192.pub3. PMID 23235605. With the present review we are not able to confirm the positive results claimed in a broad case-series study (Swank 1990) on a dietary treatment developed by Dr Roy Swank.
  2. 1 2 3 "Policy Statement—Use of Alternative Diets and Supplementation in the Management of Multiple Sclerosis". British Dietetic Association. 2015. p. 2. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  3. ↑ http://www.swankmsdiet.org/the-diet
  4. ↑ http://www.swankmsdiet.org/


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