ms food

Some controversies exist, when it comes to discussing MS food, that can give benefits when eating or drinking these foods.

Is it a good thing for those of us with Multiple Sclerosis to eat or drink foods, that contain caffeine?

From the point of view of a person with Multiple Sclerosis, I think that there are pros and cons to the idea of eating and drinking foods containing caffeine.

From my point of view, I don't think that it is a good idea to make it a regular habit of eating and drinking foods that contain caffeine most of the time, but I do think there are some benefits to consuming caffeine containing foods periodically.

The negative side of the effects caffeine-
containing foods and drinks on Multiple Sclerosis can include:

* Excess caffeine adds more stress to the functioning of the adrenal glands and the liver

This means that excess caffeine actually reduces how well the liver detoxifies, increases adrenal exhaustion, more than is already present.

This also increases the overall fatigue that the body is already experiencing from MS fatigue and sets our bodies up for a vicious cycle that just increases how much less our adrenals are functioning and with increasing the stress that our bodies are already experiencing.

* Caffeine reduces how some of the other organs throughout the body can function

Caffeine-containing foods, that contain excess caffeine, reduces the amount of the hormones that the adrenal glands produce that the other organs throughout the body need to function properly.

The liver is the main detoxifying organ, when it comes to any caffeine that you consume in the foods that you eat or drink.

When it comes to the MS food, caffeine-
containing foods can cause a much stronger reaction in people with Multiple Sclerosis, compared to people without Multiple Sclerosis, since the nervous system, endocrine, immune and other systems of the body of those with MS can be more over reactive to most things that don't affect others without Multiple Sclerosis as quickly or as strongly.

If you have known issues with your liver not functioning very well, it is probably not a good idea for you to consume larger amounts of coffee, tea, caffeine containing soda, chocolate or other foods containing caffeine, since this makes it so much more difficult for your body to process and get rid of the excess caffeine in the body.

The adrenal glands help to give us energy, helps to regulate body temperature, and aids in producing the "fight or flight" hormones of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Physical and emotional stress usually trigger the release of these 2 hormones, giving us that extra boost of energy that we need to function in more stressful situations.

When secreted into the bloodstream, adrenaline and noradrenaline increase the heart rate and blood pressure. Adrenaline often produces a sudden remarkable burst of energy. This is why it often too easy for people to become more addicted or dependent on drinking larger amounts of coffee or other caffeine-containing foods.

The problem is that drinking larger amounts of coffee and other foods that contain higher amounts of caffeine is that this can cause the more exhausted adrenals to function even less than they already are, thus stressing out the adrenals even more.

This can result in us feeling more exhausted when we eat or drink larger amounts of caffeine-containing foods and drinks because this takes away the ability of the adrenal glands to produce the needed amounts of the hormones adrenal and nor adrenal that the other organs throughout the body need to function properly.

If high blood pressure is also present, caffeine-containing foods and drinks, like coffee, tea and chocolate should be either eliminated for a period of time or only consumed occasionally to prevent causing more problems with the high blood pressure.

The benefits of drinking or eating foods containing caffeine on Multiple Sclerosis can include:

* boosting energy levels

* increasing blood flow or circulation of the blood through out the brain and the rest of the body by opening up or dilating the blood vessels to increase blood flow.

This can help reduce some of the problems that can result because of the effects of Multiple Sclerosis on the brain, such as helping to reduce brain fog, reduce cognitive problems, increase memory, help improve vision, help reduce dyslexia or scrambling things and other symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.

* increase circulation or blood flow to the arms, legs, hands and feet.

This may help with increasing circulation, if we have more problems with circulation in these parts of the body, but that doesn't mean that we should contain caffeine all or most of the time to help increase blood flow, since this may cause more problems than it solves.

The MS Food, containing caffeine can, benefit from eating or drinking can also vary from person to person to some degree, based on how your body tends to react to caffeine too. Caffeine that is in coffee can metabolize differently compared to the caffeine that is in tea or chocolate.

I have more of a problem with how my body metabolizes the caffeine in coffee, than either tea or chocolate. My adrenals appear to react more strongly to the caffeine that is in coffee than the tea or chocolate. Knowing this changes how often I even consider drinking coffee.

I don't think that it is a good idea to drink coffee or tea or caffeine-containing sodas or eat chocolate too much of the time, but if consumed with moderation, the effects of caffeine can benefit those of us with Multiple Sclerosis to some degree.

From my point of view, I do consume caffeine, primarily in coffee or chocolate, every now and then, when I am having more problems with brain fog, cognitive problems (can't figure much of anything out logically) or severe memory problems. More often than not this does help me, but since I do have more problems off and on with reduced liver function and with reduced adrenal function (exhausted adrenals), I don't do this very often.

More often than not I instead resort to taking vitamins and eating a more balanced diet over a longer period of time to help increase my energy levels, help to improve memory, to reduce brain fog and to help improve how well I can think through things, rather than increase the amount of caffeine that I am consuming on a regular basis.

This appears to be less stressful on my overall health, if I decrease the amount of caffeine, rather than increase it more often.

Also, be aware that if you have high blood pressure, liver or adrenal dysfunction or any other health condition, that accompany your own particular case of Multiple Sclerosis, that you are uncertain of as to how your system will react to consuming caffeine-containing foods or drinks, consult with your doctor to determine if caffeine is beneficial to you or not before you decide to use caffeine as a way of attempting to improve how well you can function with your set of symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.

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