Rheumatoid-Arthritis Explained

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Fasting Diet
In one study, fasting followed by a 12-month vegetarian diet improved rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.
Fasting Diet
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Fasting has been shown to improve both signs and symptoms of RA, but most people have relapsed after the returning to a standard diet.⁹⁷^,98 When fasting was followed by a 12-month vegetarian diet, however, the benefits of fasting appeared to persist.⁹⁹^,100 It is not known why the combination of these dietary programs (i.e., fasting followed by a vegetarian diet) might be helpful, and the clinical trial that investigated this combination⁹⁹ has been criticized both for its design and interpretation.¹⁰²^,103^,104

Warmbrand Diet
A diet free of meat, poultry, dairy, chemicals, sugar, eggs, and processed foods has helped people with rheumatoid arthritis in anecdotal reports.
Warmbrand Diet
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Strictly vegetarian diets that are also very low in fat have been reported to reduce RA symptoms.¹⁰⁴^,105 In the 1950s through the 1970s, Max Warmbrand, a naturopathic doctor, used a very low-fat diet to treat people with RA. He recommended a diet free of meat, dairy, chemicals, sugar, eggs, and processed foods.¹⁰⁶ A short-term (ten weeks) study employing a similar approach failed to produce beneficial effects.¹⁰⁷ Long before publication of that negative report, however, Dr. Warmbrand had claimed that his diet took at least six months to achieve noticeable results. In one trial lasting 14 weeks—still significantly less than six months—a pure vegetarian, gluten-free (no wheat, rye, or barley) diet was gradually changed to permit dairy, leading to improvement in both symptoms and objective laboratory measures of disease.¹⁰⁸ The extent to which a low-fat vegetarian diet (or one low in animal fat) would help people with RA remains unclear.

Coffee
Drinking four or more cups of coffee per day was associated with an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in preliminary research.
Coffee
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Drinking four or more cups of coffee per day has been associated with an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in preliminary research.¹⁰⁹

Olive Oil
Olive oil appears to reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
Olive Oil
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Preliminary evidence suggests that consumption of olive oil, rich in oleic acid, may decrease the risk of developing RA.¹¹⁰ One trial in which people with RA received either fish oil or olive oil, found that olive oil capsules providing 6.8 grams of oleic acid per day for 24 weeks produced modest clinical improvement and beneficial changes in immune function. However, as there was no placebo group in that trial, the possibility of a placebo effect cannot be ruled out.¹¹¹

Unsaturated Fats
A low-fat diet that avoids animal fat in meat and dairy may help decrease the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.
Unsaturated Fats
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Feeding a high-fat diet to animals who are susceptible to autoimmune disease has increased the severity of RA.¹¹² People with RA have been reported to eat more fat, particularly animal fat, than those without RA.¹¹³ In short-term studies, diets completely free of fat have helped people with RA.¹¹⁴ Since at least some dietary fat is essential for humans, though, the significance of this finding is not clear.

High-Omega-6
People with RA who eat less arachidonic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid found in animal fats), by avoiding meat, egg yolks, and whole-milk products may experience a reduction in tender and swollen joints.
High-Omega-6
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Arachidonic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid found in animal fats that the body uses to make inflammatory substances. In a controlled study,¹¹⁵ people with rheumatoid arthritis were instructed to reduce their arachidonic acid intake to less than 90 mg per day by eating minimal amounts of meat, no egg yolks, and only low-fat milk products. Compared with a group following a typical Western diet, the low arachidonic acid diet led to a 14% reduction in the number of tender and swollen joints. A second part of this study also found that the anti-inflammatory benefits of fish oil were significantly better when combined with the low arachidonic acid diet.

Low-Allergen
Your healthcare provider can help you determine if certain foods are making your arthritis worse.
Low-Allergen
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Food sensitivities develop when pieces of intact protein in food are able to cross through the intestinal barrier. Many patients with RA have been noted to have increased intestinal permeability, especially when experiencing symptoms,¹¹⁶ and RA has been linked to allergies and food sensitivities.¹¹⁷ In many people, RA worsens when they eat foods to which they are allergic or sensitive and improves by avoiding these foods.¹¹⁸^,119^,120^,121 In one study, the vast majority of RA patients had elevated levels of antibodies to milk, wheat, or both, suggesting a high incidence of allergy to these substances.¹²² English researchers have reported that one-third of people with RA may be able to control their disease completely through allergy elimination.¹²³ Identification and elimination of symptom-triggering foods should be done with the help of a physician.