Arthritis

Links between food and arthritis have been recorded in the medical literature as far back as 1917. Dr John Mansfield, a British doctor specialising in allergy and nutrition, states that: "Most forms of arthritis are environmentally and nutritionally induced." (3)

The form of arthritis that has been studied most closely in respect of food intolerance is rheumatoid arthritis but other forms have also responded to dietary changes. The aim of this article is to give a very brief introduction to some of the ways in which food intolerance has been implicated in arthritis.

Various forms of elimination diets have been tried to treat rheumatoid arthritis with, not surprisingly, varying degrees of success. Darlington (1) treated 70 patients with rheumatoid arthritis by identifying and eliminating symptom-provoking foods. Of these 70 patients, 19 per cent remained well and did not require any medications during follow-up periods ranging from 1.5 to 5 years. The foods that most commonly caused symptoms were: corn (56%), wheat (54%), bacon/pork (39%), oranges (39%), milk, oats (37% each), rye (34%), egg, beef, coffee (32% each), malt (27%), cheese, grapefruit (24% each), tomato (22%), peanuts, cane sugar (20% each), and butter, lamb, lemon, and soy (17% each).

Kjeldsen-Kragh et al (2) had 27 patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergo a partial fast, followed by individual food challenges. Foods which provoked symptoms were avoided, as were animal foods, refined sugar, citrus fruits, preservatives, coffee, tea, alcohol, salt, and strong spices. A control group of 26 patients ate an ordinary diet. After four weeks, the diet group showed a significant improvement in the number of tender joints, Ritchie's articular index, number of swollen joints, pain score, duration of morning stiffness, grip strength, sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein. In the control group, only pain score improved significantly. The benefits in the diet group were still present after one year.

I remain convinced of the view that YOU ARE UNIQUE and if food is implicated in an arthritic condition then the individual needs to find out what it is within their own diet that is not right for them. No of the shelf diet will wholly work for everyone. I have heard from people who have found their joint pain has been caused by things as diverse as salicylates and aspartame.

Leaving rheumatoid arthritis aside, gouty arthritis has been linked a diet too high in purines, and arthritic and joint pain, more generally, has been linked with a diet too high in solanine. Details on both these food chemicals can be found in The Food Intolerance Handbook.

(1) Darlington LG. Dietary therapy for arthritis. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 1991;7:273-285.
(2) Kjeldsen-Kragh J, Haugen M, Borchgrevink CF, et al. Controlled trial of fasting and one-year vegetarian diet in rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet 1991;338:899-902.
(3) Mansfield J. Arthritis, Allergy, Nutrition and the Environment. Thorsons 1995.