ABSTRACT
Abstract Background: Numerous anecdotal reports claim that patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) may benefit from glyconutrient (GN) supplementation; however, little if any empirical evidence exists. This pilot study examined the benefits of GN supplementation on various objective and subjective physiologic measures related to MG. Methods: Seven (7) male and 12 female volunteer patients (n = 19) with symptomatic MG, ages 16-84 (54.79 +/- 18.36) were randomly assigned to either a GN intervention group (IG) or control-crossover group (CCG) that began the GN dietary intervention at 6 weeks. Patients were assessed at various time intervals over 52 weeks and included physiologic measures using the Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMG) along with several self-report measures related to current health status. Results: At baseline, no significant differences (p > 0.05) existed between the CCG and IG on any of the test parameters. At 6 weeks, the IG demonstrated significantly (p < 0.01) improved QMG scores while the CCG remained essentially the same. The CCG, which had begun the dietary intervention protocol 6 weeks into the study, also exhibited significant (p < 0.01) improvement in QMG scores similar to that of the IG. At 52 weeks, the entire sample exhibited significant improvement (p < 0.01) in QMG scores from baseline. Significant (p < 0.05) percentage improvement was also reported from subjective measures of activities of daily living (78.3%), energy (81.0%), endurance (79.6%), productivity (92.8%), and quality of life (88.6%). Conclusions: Dietary support with GN may potentially provide physiologic benefits to patients with MG. Continued efficacy studies employing randomized placebo-controlled trials examining specific GN are warranted to evaluate possible autoimmune benefit.
