Answer: At this time, there is no scientific data available to support any particular diet over another for the treatment of scleroderma symptoms. Physicians recommend that persons with a diagnosis of scleroderma observe a healthy balanced diet following the ADA guidelines. Removing any one particular food group such as dairy or grains has not been shown to have an effect on disease progression.

That being said, however, there are times that persons with scleroderma may need to observe special diets. This situation occurs when certain complications develop. If one has gastrointestinal involvement including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), difficulty swallowing, bloating, decreased motility, and weight loss, removal of certain foods or types of foods from the diet are often necessary to minimize symptoms and improve health.

A consultation with a dietician may be very helpful in these cases to ensure that all necessary daily dietary requirements are being met and that the patients’ diet is not too restrictive or undesirable. So often when a special diet is recommended food may no longer seem as desirable and preparation of these foods certainly are not conventional. A dietician can help patients prepare foods that are palatable and offer suggestions for variety so that the diet does not become too routine.

Examples of special dietary considerations for the aforementioned complications would include soft, or pureed food, high calorie foods, removal of foods that aggravate GERD, or low residue diets to minimize severe constipation and bloating.

Another example of a special diet may be for those that have pulmonary hypertension or kidney disease. These patients may be on very strict salt restricted diets. If you have any questions regarding diet please have a discussion with your physician prior to starting on any restrictions. Not only will your specific complications dictate the type of diet that you should observe, but your individual medication regimen may also require addition or deletion of particular foods from your daily meals.

Again, guidance should be sought to ensure that daily dietary requirements are being met and that symptoms are being controlled.