There is rarely a medical disorder of the body that cannot be positively influenced by an optimal diet. Although we are not commonly advised of dietary changes from our doctors or medical specialists, it has been understood for centuries that €you are what you eat'. Hippocrates wrote €let food be thy medicine and let medicine by thy food'.
For many years scientists have studied the relationship between diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is clear that Rheumatoid Arthritis can be positively influenced by a diet that supports the healing of the gut and does not trigger the food sensitivities that vary from person to person.
This can be seen most commonly when patients fast. Let us look at some below
€ 14 patients were studied before, during and after a one-week water fast. During fasting the duration of morning stiffness, and number and size of swollen joints decreased in all 14 patients. No adverse effects of fasting were seen except transient weakness and lightheadedness. The authors consider fasting as one possible way to induce rapid improvement in rheumatoid arthritis.
€ 15 patients with RA fasted for between 7 to 10 days. Almost all patients showed substantial improvement. Many patients felt the return of pain and stiffness on the day after returning to their "normal" eating and all benefit was lost after a week.
As you can see from the above summary, by eliminating food from most RA patients they tend to improve. This is very powerful information indeed! It is telling us loud and clear that the symptoms for most sufferers of Rheumatoid Arthritis is strongly linked to the food (or lack of) entering the body.
So we can see that when we do not eat we feel better. But what is the optimal rheumatoid arthritis diet program that can help the RA pains and sufferings and still allow them to enjoy food? The answer might be a low-fat vegan diet that begins with an elimination process (to sidestep food allergies) and to heal the gut (by changing the balance of the microflora from an overgrowth of bad bacteria and pathogens to an abundance of healthy bacteria). Such a diet has been shown to be very beneficial in scientific studies.
€ Dr McDougall et al demonstrated the effects of a very low-fat, vegan diet on 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis over a 4-week period. The results showed that all aspects of the patients' RA decreased significantly, except for duration of morning stiffness. After just 4 weeks, average levels of C-reactive protein decreased 16%, RA factor decreased 10%, while erythrocyte sedimentation rate was unchanged. Dr McDougall concluded €This study showed that patients with moderate-to-severe RA, who switch to a very low-fat, vegan diet can experience significant reductions in RA symptoms€.
Consult a medical practitioner for knowing more about rheumatoid arthritis diet program.
[1] €Effects of fasting on disease activity, neutrophil function, fatty acid composition, and leukotriene biosynthesis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis' Hafstrom et al, Arthritis Rheum 31:585, 1988
[2] Rheum Dis Clin North Am 17:363, 1991
[3] J. McDougall et al Journal of Altern. and Complementary Med. Feb 2002, 8(1): 71-75.
For many years scientists have studied the relationship between diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is clear that Rheumatoid Arthritis can be positively influenced by a diet that supports the healing of the gut and does not trigger the food sensitivities that vary from person to person.
This can be seen most commonly when patients fast. Let us look at some below
€ 14 patients were studied before, during and after a one-week water fast. During fasting the duration of morning stiffness, and number and size of swollen joints decreased in all 14 patients. No adverse effects of fasting were seen except transient weakness and lightheadedness. The authors consider fasting as one possible way to induce rapid improvement in rheumatoid arthritis.
€ 15 patients with RA fasted for between 7 to 10 days. Almost all patients showed substantial improvement. Many patients felt the return of pain and stiffness on the day after returning to their "normal" eating and all benefit was lost after a week.
As you can see from the above summary, by eliminating food from most RA patients they tend to improve. This is very powerful information indeed! It is telling us loud and clear that the symptoms for most sufferers of Rheumatoid Arthritis is strongly linked to the food (or lack of) entering the body.
So we can see that when we do not eat we feel better. But what is the optimal rheumatoid arthritis diet program that can help the RA pains and sufferings and still allow them to enjoy food? The answer might be a low-fat vegan diet that begins with an elimination process (to sidestep food allergies) and to heal the gut (by changing the balance of the microflora from an overgrowth of bad bacteria and pathogens to an abundance of healthy bacteria). Such a diet has been shown to be very beneficial in scientific studies.
€ Dr McDougall et al demonstrated the effects of a very low-fat, vegan diet on 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis over a 4-week period. The results showed that all aspects of the patients' RA decreased significantly, except for duration of morning stiffness. After just 4 weeks, average levels of C-reactive protein decreased 16%, RA factor decreased 10%, while erythrocyte sedimentation rate was unchanged. Dr McDougall concluded €This study showed that patients with moderate-to-severe RA, who switch to a very low-fat, vegan diet can experience significant reductions in RA symptoms€.
Consult a medical practitioner for knowing more about rheumatoid arthritis diet program.
[1] €Effects of fasting on disease activity, neutrophil function, fatty acid composition, and leukotriene biosynthesis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis' Hafstrom et al, Arthritis Rheum 31:585, 1988
[2] Rheum Dis Clin North Am 17:363, 1991
[3] J. McDougall et al Journal of Altern. and Complementary Med. Feb 2002, 8(1): 71-75.
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