Stephen H. Loomis

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia engulfs patients in a downward, reinforcing cycle of unrestorative sleep, chronic pain, fatigue, inactivity, and depression. In this study we tested whether a mostly raw vegetarian diet would significantly improve fibromyalgia symptoms. METHODS: Thirty people participated in a dietary intervention using a mostly raw, pure vegetarian diet. The diet consisted of raw fruits, salads, carrot juice, tubers, grain products, nuts, seeds, and a dehydrated barley grass juice product. Outcomes measured were dietary intake, the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), SF-36 health survey, a quality of life survey (QOLS), and physical performance measurements. RESULTS: Twenty-six subjects returned dietary surveys at 2 months; 20 subjects returned surveys at the beginning, end, and at either 2 or 4 months of intervention; 3 subjects were lost to follow-up. The mean FIQ score (n = 20) was reduced 46% from 51 to 28. Seven of the 8 SF-36 subscales, bodily pain being the exception, showed significant improvement (n = 20, all P for trend < 0.01). The QOLS, scaled from 0 to 7, rose from 3.9 initially to 4.9 at 7 months (n = 20, P for trend 0.000001). Significant improvements (n = 18, P < 0.03, paired t-test) were seen in shoulder pain at rest and after motion, abduction range of motion of shoulder, flexibility, chair test, and 6-minute walk. 19 of 30 subjects were classified as responders, with significant improvement on all measured outcomes, compared to no improvement among non-responders. At 7 months responders' SF-36 scores for all scales except bodily pain were no longer statistically different from norms for women ages 45-54. CONCLUSION: This dietary intervention shows that many fibromyalgia subjects can be helped by a mostly raw vegetarian diet.

Abstract Changes in chemical composition, water content, respiration, and ability to survive rapid dehydration in dry air were studied in nematodes, Aphelenchus avenae , recovering from anhydrobiosis, in water. Water content rises rapidly, from about 0.02 mg H 2 O/mg dry weight to 2.0 mg/mg after five minutes and 2.9 mg/mg after four hours. Glycogen increases from 5 μg/mg to about 25 μg/mg after one hour. Glycerol and trehalose fall from 45 μg/mg and 125 μg/mg respectively to undetectable levels and 70 μg/mg after four hours. Oxygen uptake rises from about 25 nl/mg/min after ten minutes to 450 nl/mg/min after 1.5 hours and then falls to about 150 nl/mg min after four hours. Lipid content declines from 124 μg/mg to 51 μg/mg after 24 hours. Correlations were observed between survival in dry air and glycerol, trehalose, and water contents.

Abstract Decay of primary amines associated with proteins of anhydrobiotic and lyophilized, fresh nematodes (Aphelenchus avenae) occurs more readily in the lyophilized, fresh worms than in the anhydrobiotic ones. Addition of glucose accelerates the rate of decay, while addition of trehalose along with the glucose inhibits the effect of the glucose. Similar results were obtained with bovine serum albumin stored in the presence of glucose, glucose and rehalose, or trehalose. The data are interpreted to mean that not only does trehalose not participate in a browning reaction with dry proteins, but that it also inhibits browning reactions between dry proteins and reducing sugars.