Originally published September 23 2005
Eating foods rich in carotenoids can help control arthritis, study says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
An eMaxHealth article reports that foods rich in carotenoids -- the chemicals responsible for the yellow and orange coloring of some vegetables -- have been found to reduce the risk of inflammatory arthritis, a study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center found.
That glass of orange juice or snack of carrot sticks may actually help stave off inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
The study showed for the first time that subjects who ate a diet high in dietary carotenoids -- the chemicals that give certain fruits and vegetables their orange and yellow colorings -- dramatically reduced their risk of inflammatory arthritis.
Maybe it's by their antioxidant effects, which is what the authors put forth, but as far as fully understanding that, I don't think we do."
In addition to diet, McCallum says it's important to talk with your physician if you feel you may be at risk for inflammatory arthritis.
We treat rheumatoid arthritis very aggressively nowadays, and we believe we get much better results when we begin treatment early.
The gold-standard treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is methatrexate.
But we have five new agents in the last six years, which makes it an exciting time to be a rheumatologist.
"What I and many of my colleagues do is to start with methatrexate, and if it doesn't work as well as we want, we'll add some other agent to that.
McCallum says earlier research has shown that a diet rich in carotenoids and other antioxidants can also help ward off osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease.
Our present understanding is that it's a problem with the cartilage, which is the shock-absorber between the bones.
"To have a balanced diet, to have a balanced lifestyle with some exercise, to make sure you don't gain excessive weight, to maintain your muscle tone, those are the kinds of things that I recommend to my patients, from the standpoint of decreasing the ill effects of arthritis."
For a listing of these beneficial foods and other diet recommendations to help stave off or improve inflammatory arthritis, visit the Arthritis Support web site.
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