Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis with Dietary Interventions

Abstract

Self-help by means of dietary interventions can help in management of various disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a debilitating autoimmune disease. Dietary interventions necessitate a widespread appeal for both patients as well as clinicians due to factors including affordability, accessibility, and presence of scientific evidences that demonstrate substantial benefits in reducing disease symptoms such as pain, joint stiffness, swelling, tenderness and associated disability with disease progression. However, there is still an uncertainty among the community about the therapeutic benefits of dietary manipulations for RA. In the present review, we provide an account of different diets and their possible molecular mechanism of actions inducing observed therapeutic benefits for remission and management of RA. We further indicate food that can be a potential aggravating factor for the disease or may help in symptomatic relief. We thereafter summarize and thereby discuss various diets and food which help in reducing levels of inflammatory cytokines in RA patients that may play an effective role in management of RA following proper patient awareness. We thus would like to promote diet management as a tool that can both supplement and complement present treatment strategies for a better patient health and recovery.

Retracted: miR‐145 eliminates lipopolysaccharides‐induced inflammatory injury in human fibroblast‐like synoviocyte MH7A cells

“…Approximately 1% of the world population suffers from this disease, and it puts a tremendous economic burden on the society. 2 The management of RA is limited to retarding the progression of the disease, improving functional capacity, and relieving pain. Besides, over time, patients with severe cases have to receive surgical interventions, such as total hip arthroplasty.…”

Circulating Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Metabolites and Its Potential Role in Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathogenesis

“…In spite of the growing evidence of the relationship between diet and RA symptoms, research in the field is still limited to mostly observational studies; however, there are quite a few interventional studies in which diet has been evaluated as a strategy to improve RA symptoms. A detailed review of the studies can be found here [206][207][208]. Most interventions combine a diet with high intake of vegetables, fruit, and antioxidants with periods of fasting.…”

Human Postprandial Nutrient Metabolism and Low-Grade Inflammation: A Narrative Review

“…Another nutritional intervention which is associated with an improved clinical outcome is the Mediterranean diet [141]. Among Mediterranean diets, the Cretan diet has been proposed to be especially beneficial, perhaps due to the high intake of fresh vegetables, fruit, legumes and cereals [142].…”

“…A meta-analysis focusing on the effect of the Mediterranean diet intervention on inflammation and endothelial function found that adherence reduced inflammatory markers CRP, IL-6 and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) [145]. As the Mediterranean diet has been shown to have beneficial effects for RA and is rich in n-3 fatty acids, phytochemicals, unrefined carbohydrate and oleic acid, other studies have also focused on the effects of single nutrients on RA, which is reviewed in detail elsewhere [141].…”