Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Hi I have had restless legs all my life and I am now 68. I have been determined not to take medication which so far I have managed not to have to do. It meant sleeping apart from my husband and I found I woke up 4 - 5 times a night and the restless legs would kick in each time- though usually less in the earlier hours of the morning. I have followed a healthy anti-inflammatory diet - no sugar, no wheat - very little dairy and lots of vegetables. Nothing seemed to work and I was thinking of going on medication. However I have always avoided potatoes - thought they might make me fat haha - anyway I read about a guy who lived for a whole year on potatoes and his health markers all improved markedly. He also lost a ton of weight. There are lots of stories about weight loss if you google potato hack. I started to eat potatoes and for the first time in years my restless legs started to calm right down. In fact - I haven't had any restless legs for weeks since eating a diet with lots of potatoes. Now it is important that you boil the potatoes and let them cool right down before you eat them. When you cool the potatoes the starch converts to resistant starch which goes straight to the colon where it is food for your good bacteria. It could be that my gut bacteria is vastly improved from the cold potatoes or there is something else very interesting:
Potatoes are one of the foods most abundant in Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is a natural substance whose presence was first demonstrated in urine by Liebig in 1853 [1]. It did not attract scientists’ attention until the 1980s and 1990s when it was found that KYNA is an antagonist of ionotropic glutamate receptors, including N-methyl-D-aspartate. So it blocks glutamate.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jchem/2015/617571/
A study he small new study, headed by Richard P. Allen, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, used MRI to image the brain and found glutamate — a neurotransmitter involved in arousal — in abnormally high levels in people with RLS. The more glutamate the researchers found in the brains of those with RLS, the worse their sleep.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/me ... ery_solved
So this has been a game changer for me and it may not work with everyone but it certainly has been the most remarkable change for me. I would be very interested if anyone else has a good experience eating lots of potatoes.

First time I've heard of this as helping RLS but.... if it works then go for it.

I live in the island of Ireland and indeed we know all about our potatoes, indeed each person on the island consumes almost twice as much potato as the average American, it is 70% water, low in fat, no salt, no cholesterol, it's only the stuff you add to it that causes extra calories. An average potato has just 110 calories and nearly half your daily value of vitamin C.
More potassium than a banana, a good source of vitamin B6, fibre, magnesium and antioxidants and of course resistant starch.
It is often considered a meal in itself.

How long have you been having this benefit from the potatoes? Please do report back keep us advised whether or not it continues to help you.

I too am resident in the Emerald Isle and fascinated to read your account. Cold potatoes are not unknown here by any means - we refer to them as potato salad and I just wonder would the addition of mayonaise and spring onions have any detrimental effect on the process? I discovered a lovely cache of potatoes when I was digging the garden today which I had overlooked to harvest earlier in the year so am doubly excited. I presume that the addition of sauerkraut, which I have a big jar of in the fridge, would also enhance the beneficial effect on the gut bacteria. I can see a series of tasty meals unfolding; hopefully followed by sleep-rich nights. Many thanks for posting this.

I believe that the addition of a good quality oil (mayonnaise is OK if it is made from Olive oil and trans-fat free) is actually good because it lowers the glycemic index even more. Also the addition of apple cider vinegar to your cold potatoes lowers it as well. I am a big fan of sauerkraut home made. Often the shop sauerkraut has been sterilised for crazy hygiene laws and has no good bacteria. I would like to know if anyone else gets help from the humble spud.

I know potatoes kicks in the RLS BAD

For peanut1---- So, my question is: when you say potatoes kcks in the RLS BAD, is it after eating ANY kind of potatoes, hot or cold? In any shape or form? I wonder what the trouble is for SOME people whereas these Irish "lassies" are praising the spud (so far!)?

As one of the lassies praising the spud, it is practically our national dish.
Not personally convinced of it having wondrous properties with regard to RLS but always willing to learn and be hopeful.

Folks --

I don't have the depth of research into this topic that many of you do; however, I noticed a marked improvement in my RLS when I started upping my potassium intake, and, of course, potatoes are high in potassium. The bad news is it worked great for a time but wasn't the panacea I first thought it might be. I'm still a believer though, and I'll be having a baked potato with broccoli for lunch today. I'll also be making a doctor's appointment with an RLS specialist, as I got about 30 mins. of sleep last night, and there's got to be a better way.

Wish me luck,and good luck to all of you!

M

30 Minutes sleep is ... not enough. I really hope you have luck getting a good doctor and effective treatment. As a preliminary you could consider getting your serum ferritin levels checked. I found bringing up my iron levels helped my symptoms enormously. If you have access to it, you could also try Kratom in the interim - it does not normally require a prescription - if it is legal in your jurisdiction. Many people find it very effective for rls.

Regarding potatoes, I have eaten cold spuds for three days now and honestly have had only very mild symptoms (as well as a tasty meal). In fairness, I have slightly increased my dose of kratom also in an attempt to overcome persistent nocturnal alertness.

I'm wondering with all this talk about potatoes and national dishes and lassies...has anyone seen any trends of a lower presence of RLS in certain cultures or countries? I've read that Japan has lower rates of cancer due to their cultural diet.

yawny, I cannot quote any numbers, but I am pretty sure that there are statistics that indicate that RLS is primarily a problem for those of northern European heritage. As I remember, it is far less common in those with Asian and African ancestry and somewhat less common in those whose ancestral roots are from southern Europe (which includes the Hispanics). With six genes currently identified as having a correlation with RLS, a regional tie should not be too surprising.

Yes, indeed. RLS is more common in women than in men, and more common in Northern and Western Europe.

Yes; I heard that it was particularly predominant in Sweden (although whether to believe everything you hear about Sweden these days?) BUT there was that study someone posted recently about a study in India so clearly it must be a problem there also.

Bwaa-ha-haa on the Sweden comment.

If I remember correctly, it is in all populations. It's whether it's around 1% or 15%. At least in European and countries with a lot of descendants from Europe, some doctors know about it. Imagine if you were the less than 1% in Korea...

I have to say with regret that I do not find much relief from the cold cooked potatoes. I could not say categorically that I get no relief but I have had symptoms on nights when I have eaten them ... That's not to say that I won't struggle on with this experiment - they are quite tasty to my Irish sensibilities.