Newsbriefs: RA Symptoms; RA Progression

Diet May Impact RA Symptoms.

If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) your diet may worsen or lighten your symptoms of RA, report 24 percent of patients with long-term disease, according to a study conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. Patients were given a list of 20 foods and surveyed as to which were viewed as “inflammatory” or “anti-inflammatory.” Foods in the anti-inflammatory group included fish (omega-3 fatty acids have long been thought to lessen pain and swollen joints), berries (blueberries and strawberries), spinach, red wine, and chocolate. Foods in the inflammatory category included red meat, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, diet soda and beer. Patients also said sleeping well and regular exercise improved their symptoms. In a survey conducted 30 years ago, between 1985 and 1990, the same percentage of patients reported that certain foods impacted their symptoms. (Arthritis Care & Research, online Feb. 19, 2017.)

RA Progression Slower Now.

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease onset before 2001 experienced greater disease progression than patients with onset after 2002, according to a study at the University of Hertfordshire, England. Researchers attribute slower disease progression to more intense and earlier treatment of symptoms, resulting in less erosion and joint space narrowing, or that RA may have become less severe. (Arthritis Care & Research, online Feb. 19, 2017.)

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