Food Allergies & Rheumatoid Arthritis
Food allergies have been proven to be are one of the major underlying causes of Rheumatoid arthritis.
Elimination of allergic foods has been shown to offer significant benefit to some individuals with Rheumatoid arthritis.
The type of food allergies that cause arthritis are technically called delayed food hypersensitivities. They can be difficult to identify because they take 24 and sometimes as much as 36 hours to show up after eating a problem food.
Many people are convinced that particular foods act as allergens which can trigger their arthritis flares. Although no specific food has been implicated as a cause of arthritis it is known that foods can alter the function of the immune system.
Many astute clinicians have long been aware that, for some patients, removing certain common foods such as dairy, wheat, corn, yeast, eggs and beef can bring blessed relief, while their return can cause a flare-up.
This clinical impression has prompted a number of research studies, with impressive results. We now know that improvement following an elimination diet appears to be frequent and long-lasting. For example, of 100 patients who were treated over the span of a decade by eliminating the foods to which they reacted, one-third were still well and needed no other treatments for their illness after as much as 71/2 years of follow-up.
Practical advice
Eliminate all foods you suspect may be the cause of your RA. Then gradually introduce them 1 at a time. This way you can determine which food you are allergic to. Once determined, do not eat those foods that you are allergic to. Virtually any food can result in aggravating RA, but the most common offending foods are wheat, corn, milk and other dairy products, beef and nightshade family foods (tomato, potato, eggplants, peppers and tobacco).
Read the very informative article Strong Intestinal Health Relieves Rheumatoid Arthritis by Melvyn R. Werbach, M.D.to learn more about food allergies and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Almost any food may cause problems, but the following seem to be common triggers:
- Wheat
- Corn
- Soy
- Milk and other dairy products
- Eggs
- Beef
Additional Possible Offenders Include:
1. Citrus fruits, and citrus juices – Citrus seems to promote swelling, and therefore may cause adverse reactions in people with osteoarthritis.
2. Foods From The Nightshade Family – Nightshades contain psyllium alkaloids, which cause problems for some people. These include tomatoes, white potatoes, (red potatoes are fine), eggplant, paprika, green peppers and hot peppers.
There is evidence to suggest that the nightshade vegetables aggravate the symptoms in many arthritis patients, In particular, those afflicted with psoriatic arthritis.
Extensive research on the relation between inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and the consumption of the nightshade vegetables, has been conducted by Dr Norman F. Childers, author of the best –selling book Arthritis – A Diet to Stop It: The Nightshades, Aging and Ill Health.
For more information on the research of Dr Childers, visit the website of the Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation, founded by Dr Childers.
3. Foods High In Oxalic Acid Such As:
- Rhubarb
- Cranberries
- Plums
- Chard
- Spinach
- chocolate, cocoa, coffee, most berries (especially strawberries and cranberries), most nuts (especially peanuts), beans, beets, bell peppers, black pepper, parsley, rhubarb, spinach, Swiss chard, summer squash, sweet potatoes, and tea.
Some good fruits you can eat include: Grapefruit, kiwis, berries, You can have them fresh or frozen or canned. Just read the label and make sure no sugar is added.
Try a gluten-free diet
Preliminary evidence suggests that a gluten-free diet may help improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In one trial, 14 weeks of a gluten-free (no wheat, rye or barley), pure vegetarian diet, gradually changed to a lacto-vegetarian diet (permitting dairy), led to significant improvement in rheumatoid arthritis as evidenced by associated symptoms as well as by objective laboratory measures of disease.
It has been reported that celiac disease, a disease characterized by an intestinal inflammatory response to glutinous grains, is associated with endocrine or connective tissue disorders and that celiac disease is over-represented in connective tissue disease, including RA . This lends further implicit support to the notion that gluten-containing grains may be a factor in at least some cases of RA. In fact, one group reported that 37% of their RA patients demonstrated elevated antibodies against gliadin.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who eat a gluten-free vegan diet could be better protected against heart attacks and stroke. RA is a major risk factor for these cardiovascular diseases, but a gluten-free vegan diet was shown to lower cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and oxidizedLDL (OxLDL), as well as raising the levels of natural antibodies against the damaging compounds in the body that cause symptoms of the chronic inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis, such as phosphorylcholine.
A brand new study coming out of research performed at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm surfaced some rather fascinating results. Researchers used a Gluten-Free Vegan diet as a means to improve the long-term health of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Related Articles:
Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Gluten Factor
Crohn’s Disease and Food Allergies
The Benefits of Green Food Supplements for Rheumatoid Arthritis
