Scientist Suffering From Lou Gehrig’s Disease Blames Intermittent Fasting for Cause

in collaboration with

Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)

While she was convinced of the benefits of this practice, a molecular biologist claims that intermittent fasting 5:2 would be the cause of her condition, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Simple coincidence or justified assertion? We asked the question to Dr. Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo.

“I strongly suspect intermittent fasting to be the cause”

The principle of the 5:2 method? Eat a balanced diet for 5 days and then fast for 2 days, with a calorie intake limited to 500 calories per day for women and 600 calories for men, before starting this cycle again.

This practice, made famous by Dr Michael Mosley, a star doctor on British television, quickly won over many followers.

But according to molecular biologist Dr Vivienne Cox, this diet is the cause of his disease – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as “Charcot’s disease” – which affects the brain and nerves.

According to her, the 5:2 fast would interfere with the “energy metabolism of nerve cells“. Indeed, two years after starting the fast in question, Dr Vivienne Cox reportedly began to develop a “wobbly walk“, weakening her bones and causing her to stumble, according to her interview with The Telegraph.

The sixty-year-old is thus convinced that her previous diet, rich in sugar and carbohydrates, kept amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at bay.

A theory that science does not validate

Faced with these claims, many scientists have called for caution. Professor Sir John Hardy, professor of neuroscience at University College London, has notably recalled that an isolated case never constitutes proof.

For its part, the Motor Neurone Disease Association does not recognize any link between diet and the onset of Lou Gehrig’s disease. However, it points out that some studies have shown possible associations between the disease and high levels of physical exercise, exposure to agricultural chemicals and heavy metals.

It has also been established that weight loss and malnutrition are aggravating factors in Charcot’s disease.

Contradictory studies conducted only on animal models

Although dietary restriction reduces oxidative imbalance potentially linked to ALS progression, dietary restriction has not shown benefits.

In a study using an animal model of ALS, long-term 40% caloric restriction accelerated disease onset, transient restriction accelerated disease development in males. Intermittent fasting was ineffective in delaying disease progression and detrimental to disease progression.

But conversely, the same caloric restriction was able to delay the onset of symptoms and increase lifespan using another animal model of the disease…

Result: we currently know too little to predict the effects of dietary restriction in ALS in humans.

Many questions remain unanswered

Doctissimo’s medical director, Dr. Gérald Kierzek, shares the caution of other experts and emphasizes that a particular case does not allow us to answer the many questions still pending concerning the risk factors for Charcot’s disease.