Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group starch

i am not really having many flares these days and try to keep active and fit with weights and speed walking and my AS exercises

i eat plenty of starch. does the NSD work for all or just some?
jus' wondering if i would feel even better if i tried the NSD

Hi there, the only way to know is to try it out.

Results can vary on the NSD due to several factors.

One is that if someone has had AS for a very long time and is severely damaged and fused, well the diet can't fix that. It can prevent or slow down further damage but can't unfuse you or relieve pain that is from old mechanical damage.

Another is how strict the person is and how long they try the diet for (I'd suggest being very strict for at least 3 months before deciding if it works for you or not). People generally experience a gradual improvement over a period of months rather than a miracle cure in days or weeks. Cheating on the diet will very quickly undo all your hardwork.

Severe IBS type issues can complicate the diet meaning the person has to further adjust the it to make it work for them.

Personally, it's been a complete lifesaver for my hubby Jon who started out with very aggressive AS that was just rampaging through his body. He was able to ditch the meds after 9 months on the diet.

You've got nothing to lose so give it a crack. Here's some links for inspiration.

NSD Guide

NSD Success Stories

All the best.

thankyou

I don't think it helps if you are one of few with AS who are HLA B27 negative. If you read up about it the theory goes that it is this antigen that reacts with a particular type of bacteria in the gut.

We don't really know the mechanism for HLA B27 negative; it could still have a relation to something in the gut, or it might not...

I do have HLA B27, and have found that starches really do cause inflammation. Argh, most of my favorite foods are starchy! No wonder holiday season caused my worst flares, including the iritis that finally got me diagnosed.

i keep hearing this but not sure if theres ant truth to it. pos or neg i still think its worth a try :]

Hi Saltire,
I always believed everyone is different so mileage may vary in my opinion. Even though some of us are b27 neg and some are b27 pos, we all might still have another gene(s) that could have a different/same role in AS, which are now being discovered.

Sort of on topic, but sort of off topic too...
Could a person's rate of metabolism determine the rate of overall pain caused by starch? I used to be a BIG eater and I was really active, I was only a lightweight, and food hardly effected my pain levels. Now it's the opposite of all that.

Take care,
James

Hi, alibat:

I know many people who are confirmed B27 negative, AS+, but the diet helps them very much.

It is not only the B27 antigen but many others that crossreact with this--probably B51, but certainly B7CREG, B60, and B39 just to name a few.

The diet works for AS, but some of us need to "make it work" for us while others have an easier time. There are so many obfuscating factors that most of us never believe in the diet--but I had some early experiences that made me certain of the connection, especially the obvious one of fasting to eliminate symptoms.

HEALTH,
John