Diet for rheumatoid arthritis

How can a diet for rheumatoid arthritis differ from a diet recommended by doctors for other joint diseases? In that it should take into account the systemic nature of this disease, in which chronic inflammation of the synovial membrane of the joints and the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, as well as various extra-articular manifestations of the pathology have an autoimmune origin.

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment with Diet

What dietary treatment for rheumatoid arthritis does dietetics offer, if it is already known that the pathogenesis of this disease lies in the fact that T-lymphocytes of people with this diagnosis produce immune response regulatory cells (cytokines), which trigger an inflammatory reaction against their own cells, mistaking them for antibodies?

Over the past 20 years, the level of understanding of the fundamental biology of rheumatoid arthritis has grown greatly. But modern drug therapy only relieves pain with steroid and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs or tries to influence the immune system with immunomodulatory drugs and cytostatics. In this case, the pathological process only slows down, but does not stop: autoimmune diseases are still incurable. And what diet for rheumatoid arthritis will help here?

Domestic doctors - in the absence of a separately developed system of therapeutic and prophylactic nutrition for this pathology - most often prescribe diet 10 for rheumatoid arthritis. This diet was developed more than 70 years ago by M. Pevzner for patients with cardiovascular diseases. It is aimed at activating systemic circulation and creating a gentle mode of operation of the cardiovascular and digestive systems. Its main points: a significant reduction in the consumption of NaCl (1.8 g per day) and free liquid (1.2 l per day), as well as an increase in the intake of potassium and magnesium into the body. With a daily caloric content of 2500 kcal, it is recommended to consume: 65 g of animal and 25 g of vegetable protein; 40-45 g of vegetable and 25-30 g of animal fats; no more than 400 g of carbohydrates. The effectiveness of this diet for rheumatoid arthritis, judging by the lack of public information, has not been studied.

But the problems of increased intestinal permeability (the so-called "leaky gut") have been comprehensively studied since the early 90s of the last century. And the connection between autoimmune diseases and intestinal dysfunction, the lymphoid tissue of which restrains the invasion of antigens (foreign proteins), has been clinically proven. Through the "leaky gut", foreign proteins from food products and waste products of intestinal bacteria are absorbed into the bloodstream and recognized by the body as antigens, which causes an immune reaction. All examined patients with rheumatoid arthritis were found to have intestinal problems of an inflammatory or bacterial nature, and improper nutrition - too much animal protein and fat in food - led to a decrease in the protective potential of lymphoid tissue. In 2011, the journal "Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology" published a review of the effects of specific diets and foods on patients with rheumatoid arthritis in North American clinics.

Scandinavian Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis

The Nordic Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis, also called the New Nordic Diet, is based on foods traditionally eaten by people in Northern European countries. It is not a therapeutic diet, but simply because the Danes are fed up with the abundance of Americanized food in supermarkets and restaurants…

In 2003, Danish restaurateur Claus Meyer opened the Nordic restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, which was voted the best restaurant in the world for two years in a row. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but following these events, the University of Copenhagen conducted a study on the peculiarities of the local cuisine, which claimed that traditional Scandinavian food can help in the fight against excess weight.

Can the Scandinavian diet help with rheumatoid arthritis? In principle, it can, if you consider that the fundamental principles of this diet include:

• getting more calories from plant foods rather than meat, since replacing some animal proteins with plant proteins reduces the intake of saturated fats and increases the intake of unsaturated fats, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• increasing the consumption of seafood and river fish, which contain protein, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.
• Including wild mushrooms, berries, and edible plants in your diet, as they contain more vitamins C and E and other antioxidants. And game (meat from wild animals and birds), which contains less fat and has lower levels of saturated fat and more polyunsaturated fat than meat from farmed animals.

According to the "northern diet", it is recommended to eat: fatty fish, eggs, venison and elk; rapeseed oil (this is the main vegetable oil in the countries of this region); berries (lingonberries, cloudberries, blueberries, strawberries, elderberries, black and red currants); whole grain rye bread; as well as vegetables, legumes, oats, barley, nuts and seeds (flax, sunflower and plantain).

Dong Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis

First of all, the Dong diet for rheumatoid arthritis put the author of this very strict diet, the American doctor Collin H. Dong, back on his feet, who became disabled due to rheumatoid arthritis in the late 30s of the last century.

After several years of unsuccessful attempts to cure his disease, Dong decided to experiment with his diet and abandoned the standard American menu of meat, dairy products and fruits. Instead, he began to eat Chinese peasant food - rice, vegetables and fish. Gradually, the doctor improved his diet, and the symptoms of the disease disappeared, after which he practiced medicine for another 30 years. In 1973, Dong published The Arthritic's Cookbook, which provides recipes for a diet for rheumatoid arthritis. And in 1975, his second book, New Hope for the Arthritic, was published, which details the principles of therapeutic nutrition that allow you to fight this serious illness.

The Dong diet for rheumatoid arthritis excludes meat and all dairy products; fruits (except melon) and some vegetables (tomatoes, eggplants and peppers); chocolate and roasted nuts; alcoholic beverages; vinegar and hot spices; all products with preservatives and food additives (especially monosodium glutamate).

It should be noted that the Dong diet, according to studies, helps approximately 20% of patients with this pathology. Therefore, many nutritionists criticize these principles of nutrition.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics member and nutritionist Ruth Freshman (author of The Food Is My Friend Diet) says that fatty fish (again, omega-3 fatty acids), whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds are the main foods that a rheumatoid arthritis diet should include.

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What can and cannot be eaten with rheumatoid arthritis?

The question of what foods are acceptable and what foods are not acceptable in a rheumatoid arthritis diet menu should be formulated this way: what you put on your plate (and then in your mouth) can be your medicine, or it can continue to provoke your body, causing a variety of symptoms, including joint pain and degeneration.

First, let's answer the question of what you can't eat with rheumatoid arthritis? Data from numerous studies conducted in various clinics and scientific medical centers around the world from 1991 to 2014 convince us that with rheumatoid arthritis, you should avoid the main triggers of this disease: animal protein (i.e. meat, poultry and fish), eggs and all dairy products (skim or whole milk, sour cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.). In general, nutrition should be based on the principles of vegetarianism.

American and Canadian nutritionists recommend eating this way for at least a month (until the intensity of the symptoms of the disease decreases or disappears), and then returning one product to your menu every two days. In this case, it is necessary to closely monitor the slightest deterioration in the condition when consuming this or that product. In this way, you can identify your personal trigger product, but you should keep in mind that there may be more than one “food trigger”.

What can you eat with rheumatoid arthritis? There is information that people with rheumatoid arthritis who adhere to the Mediterranean diet note a decrease in joint pain. With this diet, you should eat lean poultry, low-fat fish, legumes and lots of fresh vegetables with olive oil (rich in ω-3 and ω-6 essential fatty acids). It is also very useful to take a dessert spoon of flaxseed oil daily.