Posted on August 30, 2007 in Latest News
Patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) spend considerable amount of their fortune in “unorthodox medicines, substances, or treatments (including diets), during the prior six months” of coming to know about the disease. This is not a random claim but a proven result of a research done in 1989, which has not yet been proven wrong.
A high percentage of people believe that diet and RA have a direct relation to each other. There have been prolific claims on modified diets that have lessened the effect of RA and yet no scientific evidence has backed these claims.
But the fact about these claims is that, though they can not be proved scientifically, they can’t even be ignored. For the same reasons experts say, “It is important to avoid elimination diets and fad nutritional practices and to be cautious of claims of miracle cures.” This is especially true for RA patients as they are prone to malnutrition.
Patients of Rheumatoid arthritis are said to be at a nutritional risk for many reasons. This is primarily because of severe weight loss, resulting in decreased calorie and protein percentage in the body. Also in patients experiencing chronic inflammation, the production of cytokines, such as interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor, increases resting metabolic rate and protein breakdown. Therefore it is a constant challenge to meet the nutritional requirements of the increased metabolic rate.
Secondly nutritional deficiency can also be an effect of arthritis medication that are always taken for a long term. For instance, in patients receiving methotrexate a frequent folic acid deficiency is found. Additionally, prolonged dosing of other RA medications may be associated with conditions such as gastritis or peptic ulcer, frequently reducing a persons desire to eat.
The most commonly observed vitamin and mineral deficiencies in patients with RA, are folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium. And because RA patients suffer from severe malnutrition, food rich in nutrients will not be sufficient for them. They will need to seek nutritional supplements to improve their nutritional status.
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