New research finds a healthy diet unlikely to ease arthritis

A scientific review conducted by The University of Manchester, UK, found that a healthy diet is unlikely to ease the impact of arthritis.

The research, published in the RMD Open, discovered that while diet has significant benefits on cardiovascular and mental health, its impact on rheumatoid and musculoskeletal conditions is too small to be considered meaningful.

Diet unlikely to ease progression of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis suggests study published in @ARD_BMJ today https://t.co/ezd9gsWxqT

— BMJ (@bmj_company) June 1, 2022

The analysis looked into the results of an international taskforce conducted in 2018 by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), which researched the possible impacts of diet, exercise, weight, alcohol, smoking and paid work on disease progression.

The EULAR’s study involved controlled trials, observational studies and pooled data from 24 systematic reviews dating between 2013 and 2018, and 150 research articles, to assess the influence of diet and supplements on pain, joint damage, and physical function for osteoarthritis; rheumatoid arthritis; systemic lupus erythematosus; axial spondyloarthritis; psoriatic arthritis; systemic sclerosis; and gout.

For the majority of dietary interventions in rheumatoid arthritis, the data found the impact unsatisfactory due to the lack of research and the number of participants in studies. The data found the impact of probiotics, vitamin D, and fish oil/omega-3 to be insignificant or too minor to make a meaningful difference. The results for osteoarthritis were much the same.

Evidence for using fish oil/omega-3 for psoriatic arthritis was considered moderate, proving no effect on outcomes, with other dietary interference rated as poor. The data for systemic sclerosis and gout was also found to be poor.

“Therefore, based on the current evidence, there is no single dietary intervention which has substantial benefits on the outcomes of people with [osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis],” the authors of the review conclude.

“While there have been far fewer research studies published for the other included [rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases], again, there is no consistent evidence that any dietary exposure significantly improves outcomes in these conditions.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.