DIET AND ARTHRITIS

Many people ask if diet affects arthritis. They wonder if what they eat 
or how their body uses food can cause, cure, or affect arthritis. Since 
symptoms of arthritis can vary from day to day, it is natural to think 
that what you ate yesterday caused or reduced the pain you feel today. 
Researchers do recommend a good, balanced diet for people with 
arthritis. You will find the seven guidelines for a good diet and what 
researchers know about diet and arthritis in this fact sheet.

WHAT IS A GOOD DIET?

A good diet is important for everyone. Many Americans eat diets that 
include too much of some foods and not enough of others. Experts in diet 
recommend these basic guidelines for a balanced, healthy diet:
Eat a variety of foods from each of the five different food groups
(breads/cereals/rice/pasta; fruits; vegetables; meat/poultry/fish/dried 
beans/eggs/ nuts; and milk/yogurt/cheese); Maintain a healthy weight;
Avoid too much fat and cholesterol; Avoid too much sugar; Eat foods
with enough starch and sugar; Avoid too much sodium; and Drink alcohol
in moderation. 

WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE ROLE OF DIET IN ARTHRITIS?

In addition to a good diet, research has shown several other connections 
between food and some forms of arthritis. These include links with gout, 
osteoporosis, and Reither's Syndrome.

Gout is the most familiar example of a known link between diet and 
arthritis. People with gout may have a painful attack if they eat foods 
with high levels of chemicals called purines.

When you have gout, your body has trouble with the way it uses or gets 
rid of purines. A build up of purines in the body can worsen the 
symptoms of gout. Fortunately, medications to control gout are very 
effective. If you are on gout medication, you probably will not even 
have to change your diet. But your doctor may suggest that you drink 
more fluids to help your body get rid of purines. Foods that are high in 
purines include wine, anchovies, beer, gravies, and liver. Ask your 
doctor for more information on purines, or call your local Arthritis 
Foundation chapter for a free brochure on gout.

Diets low in calcium or high in alcohol may increase your chances for 
getting osteoporosis. In osteoporosis, bones lose enough strength so 
that they break easily. Both calcium and alcohol affect the strength of 
your bones --calcium is one of the main building blocks of bone, and 
heavy drinking weakens bones.

Food or water spoiled by certain bacteria can lead to a form of 
arthritis called Reiter's Syndrome. People who develop this rare kind of 
arthritis seem to have a defect in their body's defense system. This 
makes them more likely to develop arthritis in response to certain 
infections.

WHAT IS NEW IN RESEARCH INTO DIET AND ARTHRITIS?

There are some scientific reasons to think that diet affects arthritis. 
Diet may serve as a risk factor by increasing your chances for 
developing certain kinds of arthritis. Diet may also change the way the 
body's defenses -- the immune system-- react in certain kinds of 
arthritis that involve inflammation. Inflammation is a part of your 
body's defense system. It can cause the swelling, redness, warmth, and 
tenderness that come with some kinds of arthritis.

Some very early studies in animals or in small numbers of people with 
certain types of arthritis suggest, but do not prove, that changes in 
diet may help. The results of these studies are experimental. They need 
to be studied further in large numbers of people. So, there is not 
enough scientific evidence to recommend dietary changes to people with 
arthritis, other than weight control.

HOW DO RESEARCHERS TEST DIETS?

Researchers test the role of diet in arthritis in certain ways. They 
accept that there is a connection between diet and arthritis only after 
a number of studies show the same results.

To test what effect a diet may have on arthritis, researchers will have 
one group of people with arthritis try a test diet. The foods in this 
diet are thought to make arthritis better or worse. A second group of 
people stays on a diet that does not contain the foods being tested. 
Neither the researchers nor the people in the study are told who is in 
which group.

Both groups are alike. There are an equal number of men and women. The 
people are similar in their ages as well as in the kind of arthritis 
they have. People in both groups continue to follow their diets for a 
number of weeks. In addition, the people in both groups usually stay on 
their regular medical treatment programs during the study.

Researchers measure the amount of improvement in each person by several 
different ways, such as the amount of swelling in each joint. Then they 
compare the total improvement between the two groups to see if the test 
diet made a difference. Other researchers repeat the study three or four 
times in other groups of people with arthritis to see if they get the 
same results. Only then do researchers accept the treatment as 
effective.

WHAT DIET CLAIMS ARE UNPROVEN?

Some people claim that special diets, foods, or supplements cause or 
cure arthritis. These claims usually appear in magazine articles, books, 
and on talk shows. Most claims for such diets have not been 
scientifically tested to prove that they work and are safe. 

Some claims for special diets for arthritis are health frauds. There is 
no scientific evidence for the claims. Other findings are still under 
study. Still other claims have never been studied. All diets are 
considered unproven until repeated studies show they work and are safe.

When you hear about diet claims in the treatment of arthritis, ask these 
questions:
Does the diet eliminate any group of foods? Does it stress only a few
foods or eliminate others? 

If you can answer yes to either question, you are probably looking at an 
unproven diet.