Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet
Will a rheumatoid arthritis diet help alleviate your symptoms? Some people have found that eating certain foods and avoiding others significantly improved their symptoms. At the moment the scientific evidence is a not conclusive, although their have been a number of very encouraging studies.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a condition that affects the joints of the body and is typified by chronic inflammation resulting in pain, stiffness and discomfort. Over a million Americans suffer from the disease and it is a major disability with many people having to give up their job due to the progressive nature of the disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis diet advice falls into a number of areas: anti-inflammatory diets, allergy diet, and supplements.
Anti-inflammatory diet – there have been a number of scientific studies which have shown that a vegetarian diet can reduce the inflammation that occurs with RA. Fats from animal products can lead to the production of chemicals in the body that produce inflammation. A further study where subjects where given an ‘anti-inflammatory diet’ also showed an improvement in subjects, with less joint pain and swelling being reported. This diet reduced meat intake to just twice per week and fats where obtained from vegetable sources such as nuts and seeds. Dairy products were all low fat.
Allergy Diet – Some patients have said they had dramatic results following the removal foods that they were allergic to. It is possible to have a food allergy test taken for you. Foods that are most commonly associated with allergy include: wheat, dairy products, shellfish, beef and plants from the nightshade family (including tomatoes and eggplant).
Supplements - Positive scientific proof has been found for including certain foods such as oranges and fish oils in your diet. Fish oils contain fatty acids such as omega 3, which have potent anti-inflammatory effects. A study showed that combining fish oil with an anti inflammatory diet had an additive effect.