When the presentation and progression of a disease are unpredictable, as is the case with MS, weight loss could result or could become a necessary solution to the onset of obesity.
MS Weight Loss: What Causes This Problem?
Patients may experience MS weight loss for a number of reasons. For one, loss in appetite may be a symptom of MS: The demyelination and inflammation of tissue in the nervous system may affect the mechanisms by which the body is triggered to feel hungry. Another reason why MS patients might have low appetites has to do with their medication. The medication they take to treat some of their symptoms may have the effect of suppressing their appetites. Other patients are simply too fatigued to shop and prepare meals and have nobody to help. Yet others experience physical difficulty swallowing or digesting food. Without medical intervention and efforts to maintain regular and healthy dietary habits under any of these circumstances, patients could end up skipping meals and, ultimately, lose significant amounts of weight.
Some patients experience MS weight loss, not because they stop eating regular meals, but for other reasons. A number of MS patients can testify to the fact that they eat as much food as they did before being diagnosed with MS, but for some reason, they lose weight progressively. It could be that they are expending more energy than they otherwise would, because they have to exert themselves to a greater degree to get tasks done.
It could also be the case that the progression of the disease has altered their metabolic rates. Alternatively, the medication they are using to treat their symptoms could have had an impact on their metabolism. Some patients experience MS weight loss because they are less mobile than before. They do not use their muscles sufficiently. Hence, these muscles atrophy, contributing to weight loss.
Managing the Symptoms of MS: Weight Loss as a Solution
Some patients have the opposite problem. Instead of weight loss, they experience excessive weight gain. This may be due to some of their medications, e.g. steroids. It may also be because the progression of their MS has disabled them and reduced their mobility. As they are no longer physically active, they may no longer be able to metabolize the extra calories they take in.
Regular exercise and activity under medical supervision may help MS patients to maintain safe and active routines. They could also learn energy-saving tips to help make shopping and meal-preparation easier. Assistance from loved ones is just as important. So is nutritional advice from those qualified to determine whether patients need nutritional supplements. Additionally, patients may benefit from changes to their medication.
