Living with arthritis can be challenging. The pain, the stiffness, the difficulty that comes with every single step you take. However, making informed dietary choices can significantly impact your symptoms and overall well-being.
Arthritis, characterized by inflammation of the joints in your body, can be of various types, such as osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and gout. What you eat and drink can influence the inflammation levels and, ergo, the severity of your symptoms.
- Meats
- Added Sugar
- Highly processed foods
- Some vegetable oils
- Gluten
- Foods rich in AGEs
- Sugar-sweetened beverages
- Coffee
- Milk
- Alcohol
Meats
When it comes to meats, both processed and red meats have been associated with increased inflammation. They both have the potential to exacerbate arthritis symptoms.
A 2019 study has hinted at a correlation between high consumption of these meats and elevated levels of inflammatory markers like interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and homocysteine. This is even more pronounced in individuals with RA. Notably, the same paper also suggests that excluding red meat from diets may improve arthritis symptoms. [1]
Moreover, recent findings suggest a possible link between higher processed meat consumption and an increased risk of RA compared to fish and seafood intake. However, this link was not observed with red meat or poultry, warranting further research into the impact of different meat types on arthritis.
