Foods that Help Arthritis; Foods that Aggravate Arthritis

There is an old saying that "we are what we eat." What this means is that if you eat mostly junk food, your body will be junk.

Many people believe they can eat what they want, not control stress, and continue to lead a sedentary life--then just take a pill to cure what ails them, falsely believing that this is a magic cure-all.

Unfortunately, pharmaceutical drugs cause side effects, thus, requiring another pill to control the side effect. That pill will then cause another side effect, which will then require yet another pill to control that side effect. It's a vicious cycle.

Eastern and Indian cultures have understood the healing power of certain foods, spices, and herbs for centuries. Food groups are now beginning to be studied by researchers in western cultures to see if there are indeed healing powers within those foods.

The answers may surprise those who depend on pharmaceutical drugs. For instance, even if you eat a healthy diet, be aware that some foods considered healthy may be unhealthy for arthritis sufferers--such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant.

Foods That May Aggravate Arthritis

Researchers have found that rigid omission of nightshade vegetables, with other minor diet adjustments, has resulted in positive to marked improvement in arthritis and general health.

Solanine is a natural defense for potatoes and eggplant against insects. For most people, solanine is neutralised in the intestine. But because solanine foods often trigger joint pain, some researchers believe that arthritis patients may lack the intestinal mechanism that undoes solanine's toxicity. Diet appears to be a factor in the etiology of arthritis based on surveys of over 1400 volunteers during a 20-year period.

Plants in the drug family, Solanaceae (nightshades) are an important causative factor in arthritis in sensitive people. This family includes potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.), eggplant (Solanum melongenaL.), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), and peppers (Capsicum sp.) of all kinds except the black pepper (family, Piperaceae).

A buildup of cholinesterase inhibiting glycoalkaloids and steroids from consumption and/or use (tobacco) of the nightshades and from other sources such as caffeine and some pesticides (organophosphates and carbamates) may cause inflammation, muscle spasms, pain, and stiffness. Osteoarthritis appears to be a result of long-term consumption and/or use of the Solanaceae which contain naturally the active metabolite, vitamin D3, which in excess causes crippling and early disability (as seen in livestock)

Eat Your Berries to Combat Arthritis

According to study at the Department of Horticulture and National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins from cherries was comparable to the commercial antioxidants, tert-butylhydroquinone, butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole, and superior to vitamin E, at a test concentration of 125 microg/ml.

Anthocyanins from raspberries and sweet cherries demonstrated 45% and 47% cyclooxygenase-I and cyclooxygenase-II inhibitory activities, respectively, when assayed at 125 microg/ml.

The cyclooxygenase inhibitory activities of anthocyanins from these fruits were comparable to those of ibuprofen and naproxen at 10 microM concentrations. Anthocyanins 1 and 2 are present in both cherries and raspberry. The yields of pure anthocyanins 1 and 2 in 100 g Balaton and Montmorency tart cherries, sweet cherries and raspberries were 21, 16.5; 11, 5; 4.95, 21; and 4.65, 13.5 mg, respectively. Fresh blackberries and strawberries contained only anthocyanin 2 in yields of 24 and 22.5 mg/100 g, respectively. Anthocyanins 1 and 2 were not found in bilberries, blueberries, cranberries or elderberries.

Mom Was Right--Eat Your Broccoli

Scientists at the University of East Anglia launched a three year study to investigate the benefits of broccoli in the fight against osteoarthritis in 2010.

Initial laboratory research at UEA found that a compound in broccoli called sulforaphane blocks the enzymes that cause joint destruction in osteoarthritis - the most common form of arthritis.

Broccoli has previously been associated with reduced cancer risk but this is the first major study into its effects on joint health.

With funding from both Arthritis Research UK and the Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC), the £650,000 project will explore how sulforaphane may act to slow or prevent the development of osteoarthritis. It will prepare the way for the first patient trials and could lead to safe new ways of preventing and treating this painful disease.

Sulforaphane is a bioactive compound found in cruciferous vegetables, particularly broccoli. Eating broccoli leads to a high level of sulforaphane in the blood, but scientists don't yet know if the sulforaphane gets into joints in sufficient amounts to be effective. This is one of the things that the UEA team hopes to discover.

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in the UK where it affects around six million people. It is a degenerative joint disease which gradually destroys the cartilage in the joints, particularly in the hands, feet, spine, hips and knees of older people. There is currently no effective treatment other than pain relief or joint replacement.

Prof Ian Clark, of UEA's School of Biological Sciences, who is leading the research said: "The UK has an aging population and developing new strategies for combating age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis is vital - to improve the quality of life for sufferers but also to reduce the economic burden on society."

As part of the three-year project, the UEA team will also investigate the effects of other dietary compounds on osteoarthritis, including diallyl disulphide which is found in high amounts in garlic and also appears to slow the destruction of cartilage in laboratory models.
Sources:

Eating broccoli could guard against arthritis, Science Daily, Sept. 15, 2010.

N.F. Childers, Ph.D.1,2, and M.S. Margoles, M.D.3, An Apparent Relation of Nightshades (Solanaceae) to Arthritis

Marathon runners should pick cherries for speedy recovery, Science Daily, Apr. 3, 2010

Steroid Alkaloids, Cornell University, Department of Animal Science