Dietary therapy in people with inflammatory arthritis

People with inflammatory arthritis may experience benefits from dietary therapy and the risks appear to be low, says a study in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. The research team does not suggest that dietary therapy is used instead of mainstream medicine, however.

The group set out to determine the effects of a therapy consisting of dietary elimination, dietary supplements and probiotics (DDP therapy), given alongside conventional medication.

The participants were 104 people with inflammatory arthritis who had undergone DDP therapy at a clinic in Finland.

The dietary elimination in DDP therapy included the omission of all animal milks, wheat, rye, barley and oats, and the participants were asked to avoid added sugar and yeast. Dietary supplements included multivitamins with the main antioxidants, n-3-omega polyunsaturated fatty acids and curcuminoids. The probiotic supplement most often used was a mixture of Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

The physician who had given the DDP therapy analysed the patients’ case histories to form his opinion on the efficacy of the therapy and a questionnaire was sent to the 104 patients.

Seventy-nine of the 104 patients (76%) returned their questionnaires. Of those who responded, 91% were taking conventional medication at baseline and 81% were using disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The average duration of their disease was almost seven years.

Findings

• 89% participants reported they had benefited overall from the DDP therapy, expressed as a reduced need for conventional medications and/or an improvement in general health.
• 84% participants reported a moderate or significant improvement in joint symptoms.
• Negative side effects were few and mild.

“This study demonstrates that patients with inflammatory arthritis perceive benefits from DDP therapy, and the risks appear to be low,” the authors conclude.

Remember to always speak to your GP, rheumatologist or dietitian before omitting foods from your diet.

Click here to read the original research.

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