Swank diet



The Swank Diet is a low saturated fat diet proposed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and introduced by Roy L. Swank (1909-2008) in 1948.

There is no medical evidence to support the claims made for the diet.

The diet
The diet consists of:


 * 1) Saturated fat should not exceed 15 grams per day
 * 2) Unsaturated fat (oils) should be kept to 20-50 grams per day
 * 3) No red meat for the first year; after that, a maximum of 3 oz. (85 grams) of red meat per week
 * 4) Dairy products must contain 1% or less butterfat
 * 5) No processed foods containing saturated fat
 * 6) A good source of omega-3 (oily fish, cod liver oil, cod liver oil tablets, etc.) along with a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement are recommended daily
 * 7) Wheat, gluten or dairy product quantities are not restricted. But foods which cause allergies or reactions to an MS sufferer should be avoided

Research
In 2012, the Cochrane Collaboration conducted a systematic review into dietary therapies for multiple sclerosis and was "not able to confirm the positive results claimed" for the Swank diet because his work was methodologically unsound.

According to WebMD, no study has been convincing in showing benefit from the Swank diet.