Posted on April 20, 2008 in Latest News
The benefits of vegetarianism are many and more and more people are turning to it. But recently, people have a different reason to follow a vegetarian diet and this is the trend among patients of arthritis. Yes, it is proved that a vegetarian diet can work wonders for arthritis.
The journal, Arthritis Research and Therapy reported the study in which 30 people followed a strict vegan diet and another group of 28 enjoyed a normal diet for at least three months. This study was aimed at monitoring the progress of arthritis and the chemical levels in the blood.
The result of the study showed that the vegan group displayed a positive difference in the number of swollen/painful joints (from an average of 5.3 to 4.3). This group also showed a marked reduction in the chemical levels in the blood as compared to their counterparts who followed a normal diet. The study also found that a vegetarian diet significantly lowers levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ which contributes to heart diseases and boosts the performance of natural antibodies that combats compounds which complicate arthritic inflammation.
A shift to a vegetarian diet results in a considerable change in the behavior of fatty acids of the serum phospholipids. Such changes may trigger the production of leukotrienes and prostaglandins with less inflammatory process. Both the Arthritis Foundation in USA and the Arthritis Society in Canada recommend the following dietary practices specially designed for arthritis sufferers:
- Maintain an ideal body weight
- Eat a variety of foods
- Avoid excess cholesterol and fat
- Consume sugar moderately
- Increase intake of foods rich in fibre
- Avoid excess sodium
- Cut back on alcohol.
- These guidelines are found to be compatible with a well-planned vegetarian diet.
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