Diet and Fibromyalgia

A strict diet led to the rapid improvement of most symptoms of fibromyalgia in a woman in Italy, highlighting a new low-cost, low-risk method for treatment, according to a case report.
The study, “Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Case Report on Controlled Remission of Symptoms by a Dietary Strategy,” was published in the journal Frontier in Medicine Rheumatology.

Fibromyalgia is a complex, chronic, and often debilitating disorder. Patients with fibromyalgia tend to experience pain, fatigue, disturbed sleep, mood swings, and cognitive impairments. Currently, there are no long-term effective treatments for fibromyalgia.

Interestingly, several studies have suggested that patients with fibromyalgia may have low levels of serotonin or low serotonin activity. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate several bodily functions.

In this case report, physicians in Italy detail the case of a patient with fibromyalgia whose symptoms were successfully managed through a strict dietary approach that focused on the elimination of foods that may interfere with the absorption of the amino acid l-tryptophan (Trp), a precursor of serotonin.
The patient, a 34-year-old Caucasian woman, underwent surgery several years earlier, after which she started experiencing lower back pain, restless legs, and morning stiffness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-rays revealed a lumbar disk hernia and no lesions or abnormalities at the hips.

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