Diet Could Help Arthritis Sufferers

18/03/08 Arthritis sufferers could protect themselves against heart attacks and strokes by eating a gluten-free, vegan diet, research suggests.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects around 350,000 people in the UK and leaves them at higher risk from strokes and heart attacks.

The condition causes pain, swelling and inflammation in the joints and can leave people feeling generally unwell and tired. It affects more women than men and is most common after the age of 40.

A new study in the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy found that a gluten-free vegan diet - which excludes animal products - lowered levels of "bad" cholesterol, which is linked to heart disease. The diet also raised the levels of natural antibodies to fight compounds in the body that are implicated in arthritis, according to the study.

Experts from the Rheumatology Unit at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm split a group of patients with RA, with half eating a vegan and gluten free diet and half eating a non-vegan diet. A total of 30 patients in the vegan group and 28 in the non-vegan group completed at least three months on the diet and were included in the final analysis.

In the vegan diet, protein accounted for 10% of the total energy intake, carbohydrates accounted for 60% and fat for 30%. The vegan diet contained vegetables, root vegetables, nuts, fruits, buckwheat, millet, corn, rice and sunflower seeds. Unshelled sesame seeds in the form of sesame milk provided a daily source of calcium.

Meanwhile, the non-vegan diet was made up of 10% to 15% protein, 55% to 60% carbohydrate, and no more than 30% fat. Saturated fat was not supposed to make up more than 10% of the total energy intake. The diet was made up from all food groups and five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables were recommended alongside eating potatoes, bread and cereals and choosing whole-grain products as often as possible.

The result showed a decrease in the total level of cholesterol and in levels of "bad" cholesterol, also called LDL, among those on a vegan diet. There was also an increase in levels of natural protective antibodies. In contrast, the diet among the control group did not influence cholesterol values significantly.

Of the results of the vegan diet, the authors said: "There is now a large body of evidence indicating that this change of lipid profile is favourable in relation to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, and this diet therefore is likely to be antiatherogenic also in RA. We also report that both BMI and weight decreased significantly in the vegan diet group, which was not the case in the control group."

A spokeswoman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said the study would have to be replicated in larger numbers before firm conclusions could be drawn. But she said it was still of "great interest". "The role of diet and how it can reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis tends to be exaggerated," she said. "However, we do know that, for example, eating oily fish can reduce inflammation, and risk factors for developing the condition include high consumption of red meat and low consumption of fruit and vegetables, so diet does play some role, however limited."