Ataxia Diet FAQ
Ataxia Diet FAQ
Ataxia Diet FAQ
TABLE 1: FOODS THAT IF AVOIDED MAY REDUCE DIZZINESS AND IMPROVE A SENSE OF BALANCE IN
SOME ATAXIA PATIENTS
Aspartame
Chocolate
No dark or milk chocolate or foods containing chocolate are allowed. White chocolate is
OK.
Avoid citrus fruits and their juices as well as bananas or foods with bananas as
ingredients..
No foods with MSG are allowed. This includes all foods with hydrolyzed protein as an
ingredient.
Citrus-Containing Foods
Monosodium Glutamate
(MSG)
Nitrate/NitriteContaining Foods
Onions, raw
No bacon, hot dogs, sausage, ham, smoked fish, etc. with nitrates or nitrites are allowed.
Sulfite-Containing Foods
Tyramine-Containing
Foods
Most cheeses (cottage cheese, ricotta, cream cheese, and American cheeses are OK),
pizza, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk; beef liver, chicken liver; all nuts, including peanut
butter (seeds are OK); soy sauce and foods containing hydrolyzed soy protein; beans
such as lentils, lima and navy beans.
For ataxia patients, taking a daily multivitamin is important to help with fatigue and general health. But,
oftentimes, a multivitamin needs to be supplemented to provide MDRs (minimum daily requirements) of some
specific micronutrients. Below is a list of micronutrients recommended for adults that sometimes require
supplementation beyond a good daily multivitamin that ataxia patients may wish to consider taking:
TABLE 2: MICRONUTRIENTS RECOMMENDED FOR ADULTS
MICRO
NUTRIENT
DOSAGE
CONSIDERATIONS
Vitamin B-12
100-400
mcg/day
Vitamin C
500-1,000
mg/day
Some people find sodium ascorbate and calcium ascorbate less irritating to
the gastrointestinal tract than ascorbic acid.
Vitamin D-3
2,000 IU/day
(50 mcg)
Vitamin E
200 IU/d
Vitamin K
Women: 90mcg Adequate intake (AI) of vitamin K is essential in maintaining bone health.
/day; Men: 120
mcg/day
Calcium
1,200
mg/day
Adequate intake (AI) from all sources for both Males/Females over 50. To
maximize absorption, take no more than 500 mg of elemental calcium at one
time. Most calcium supplements should be taken with meals, although
calcium citrate and calcium citrate malate can be taken anytime. 400 IU/d of
D-3 will help insure calcium absorption.
Coenzyme Q10
200-300
mg/day
Coenzyme Q10 is fat-soluble and is best absorbed with fats in a meal. Doses
higher than 100 mg/d are generally divided into two or three doses
throughout the day. Higher doses of 800-1,400 mg/day of CoQ-10 have
been shown in some studies to improve Parkinsons symptoms. Higher doses
should only be taken on advice of your physician. Women who are pregnant
or breast feeding should not take take CoQ-10.
Omega-3 ,6, 9
2,000 mg/day
Omega 3 (ALA, EPA, and DHA), 6 (GLA, linoleic acid), 9 Fatty Acids. These
fatty acids require adequate Vit.-E.
Glucosamine
sulfate only.
Not
glucosamine
HCl or with
Chondroitin
sulfate. Take
only after
discussing with
your physician
1,500 mg/day
for relief or
arthritis pain
only in some
patients
Flavonoids
eat fresh
vegetables
and fruits daily
ii
Note: Whole foods are your best sources of vitamins and minerals - especially organically grown fruits and vegetables.
12/09
i Adapted from Nadia Hamed, R.D. and Susan Perlman, M.D., The Ataxia
Diet (2009); David Buchholtz, Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for
Taking Charge of Your Pain (New York: Workman Publishing, 2002); Siegel B.
Love, Medicine and Miracles : Lessons Learned about Self-Healing from a
Surgeon's Experience with Exceptional Patients (New York: Perennial, 1998);
Timothy J. Maher, Nutrition and Ataxia (March 22, 2009) at
http://www.ataxia.org/ pdf/2009_Nutrition_and_Ataxia.pdf.
ii If you take warfarin (a blood thinner), you should know that vitamin K or
foods containing vitamin K can affect how the drug works. Ask your health care
provider how much vitamin K or vitamin K-containing foods you should
consume.
iii *SCA1 is a disorder resulting from the defective gene Ataxin-1 misfolding of
the protein produced by the gene. Dr. Nicolas Bazan of Louisiana State
University found that the omega three fatty acid, docosahexainoic acid,
protects cells from this defect.
iv For each micronutrient, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of
Medicine establishes a recommended dietary allowance (RDA) or adequate
intake (AI). For RDA/AI for older adults, see http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/
infocenter/olderadulteyedisorders.html.
v
Taken from the University of Minnesota Ataxia Center Website
http://www.ataxiacenter.umn.edu/aboutataxia/sporadic/wheat/home.html