I wish Dr. Swank was alive to see this vindication of his view about fats and MS. He posited many many years ago that saturated fats caused an attack on myelin. However, he did still refer to it as an auto-immune disease, saying that consumption of fat causes a reactive auto-immune attack on myelin. His test for MS (which he used in conjunction with standard tests) was to see if blood cells slowed down in the presence of oil in a petri dish.
I was tested by him and my cells slowed down.

Concerning the request to state one's LDL, mine at last count was l79, and my HDL (the good cholesterol) was only 27. This very low HDL is characteristic of people with one of my other diseases, Polycythemia Vera.

I can't take statins because I have Porphyria. However, I have been on the Swank low fat diet for over a quarter of a century, with one modification, eating more eggs than he
advised (egg cholesterol has been shown to be more beneficial than harmful in current research). I have always gotten along well with eggs. It is important for me to force myself to eat good fats so my dry skin won't blow away.

I also limit my sugars, although I must have adequate carbohydrate because I have Porphyria. Dr. Swank did not limit pure sugar, although he probably would have advised moderation. I eat a little sugar, but not much. If I eat sugar it's pure sugar, not a substitute, most of which are toxic for Porphyria. I eat some honey and maple syrup to sweeten things like baked apples and cereal. Dr. Swank himself lived into his mid-nineties because (he said) he followed his own MS diet, even though he did not have MS.
He followed the diet because it's healthy for arteries and hearts.

Here's to you, Dr. Swank! A toast to you on Christmas Eve, 2011.

PS, I know I have a lipid disorder, although it has not been diagnosed. I have always had trouble digesting fats, and some time ago (ten years) a naturopath did a lipid study on me which blew her mind with the results. I had a skewed profile, with Omega 3 three times normal, even though I was unable to tolerate things like fish oil; I presume this might be due to not metabolizing Omega 3 and thus having it floating around in my blood, although I do not know, and she did not know. My other Omegas were low. Today I am unable to eat much Omega 3--just a few walnuts, occasional tuna or sardines, a little bit of walnut oil.
But must be careful to limit it. Bizarre?