Can a plant-based diet reduce rheumatoid arthritis symptoms?

Meat and dairy products are today often painted in a bad light when it comes to health issues (and global warming).

Unsurprisingly therefore, people with inflammatory forms of arthritis increasingly question if what they eat can impact on flare-ups of symptoms.

Now a review of the evidence published in Frontiers in Nutrition suggests that while more research is needed, red meat and diets that include animal products could indeed make symptoms worse.

Weight is a clear-cut issue as plenty of research shows that ensuring body weight is healthy reduces symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, makes drugs work better and is good for overall health. A plant-based diet is a great way of achieving a healthy weight.

Weight issues aside, when it comes to the question of if plant-based diets reduce rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, much of the work in this area is hypothetical but patterns are emerging.

“Dietary triggers may play an inciting role in the autoimmune process, and a compromised intestinal barrier may allow food components or microorganisms to enter the blood stream, triggering inflammation,” the research team says.

“Evidence suggests that changes in diet might play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis management and remission. Several studies have shown improvements in rheumatoid arthritis symptoms with diets excluding animal products. Studies have also shown that dietary fiber found in these plant-based foods can improve gut bacteria composition and increase bacterial diversity in rheumatoid arthritis patients, thus reducing their inflammation and joint pain. Although some of the trigger foods in rheumatoid arthritis patients are individualized, a vegan diet helps improve symptoms by eliminating many of these foods.

While further research is needed to test the effectiveness of plant-based diets on joint pain, inflammation, and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, it’s definitely something to consider.

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