EMBO: Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, found that diet
could have a strong impact on the progression of mitochondrial disease.
In their study, published in
EMBO Molecular Medicine,
low-carbohydrate diet aggravated muscle damage in patients with a
mitochondrial muscle disease called “progressive external
ophthalmoplegia” (PEO). However, damage was not permanent. The patients
recovered quickly and short-term muscle damage eventually resulted in a
modest improvement of muscle strength in the long run. However, more
research is needed before diet change is used as a tool in therapeutic
strategy.
