I have recently embarked on a low oxalate diet and seeing good results. I have experienced some nights completely RLS free, although it will take time to get the food combination right.
I have been looking into the correlation between Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer’s and RLS and found one very interesting research paper published this year*
It studied the brains of Parkinson's disease patients and found calcium oxalate crystals in the substantia nigra, the area of the brain that sends signals down the spinal cord to control the muscles of the body.
Parkinson's disease is characterized by the loss of dopamines, the main neurotransmitter, in the substantia nigra.
In short, these crystals destroy dopamine and spark an inflammatory response.
This seems related to RLS because pramipexole, a dopamine agonist, is known to relieve the symptoms of RLS.
Two types of crystalline particles, known to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome were found: calcium oxalate and TiO2.
Calcium oxalate is found in many green, leafy vegetables such as spinach.
If you have a leaky gut, you can absorb more than 50 times the amount of oxalates. Once in the body, the crystals tend to gather in damaged tissue.
Symptoms of oxalate poisoning are varied, but include gout, tendonitis, joint pain, teeth problems, sleeping disorders, mental and emotional fatigue.. and perhaps dementia.
In an uncanny coincidence, women who suffer from vulvodynia tend to get the symptoms from 10pm until 4am. Sufferers who have tried low oxalate diets have reported great relief.
When you first embark on a low oxalate diet, the body can find relief within the first week, but then try to expel the crystals causing a flare up of symptoms. From the literature I've read, it may be better to start slowly and not expect too much in the first 3 weeks or so, but gradually see improvements after that.
*Submicron Crystals of the Parkinson's Disease Substantia nigra: Calcium Oxalate, Titanium Dioxide and Iron Oxide
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/523878v1.full