Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I was reading an article about a teenager's struggle with Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. They mention in the article that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and its main symptom is joint inflammation. They also mention what they think causes it:

"The disorder is believed to have several causes, according to the Web site of the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, including unknown environmental factors and a genetic susceptibility, reflected in a family history of autoimmune disorders and a positive blood test for the HLA B-27 antigen."

They don't mention her diet or that diet is a known cause of arthritis. Because they mention it is an autoimmune disorder, I'm curious about how a person's diet might affect the condition.

Has anyone with arthritis noticed any difference from changing your diet?

flag	asked Feb 23 2011 at 14:46 Ali 2,802●5●15

	Yes, my husband, he has flare ups when he consumes sugar, beer, bread (esp white) and yeasty products. This is anecdotal however, I do not have any scientific evidence to back this up. Perhaps anyone has a source of information? – Louisa Feb 23 2011 at 16:32
	Absolutely. This is the top issue in my life right now -- RA joint pain that went away after eating zero-carb. A researcher in Norway has done some work on ketogenic diets and RA, but the trials have only lasted 7 days, and while they've shown a reduction in morning joint pain, they didn't show any changes in other bio-markers. I think they need to run the trials for longer than a week; I've been ZC and virtually pain free for 2 years. I'll post the links in the next comment. – Rose Jun 27 2011 at 20:15
	ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10895373 mendeley.com/research/… – Rose Jun 27 2011 at 20:15
	In a review of the (sparse) literature on diet and RA, this article says: "In one study, 16 RA patients fasted for 7–10 days and followed a lactovegetarian diet for the subsequent 9 weeks. There was a significant improvement in both objective and subjective disease symptoms during the fasting period, followed by rapid deterioration when the patients began on the lactovegetarian diet." (rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/11/…) – Rose Jun 27 2011 at 20:17
	Rose, great information! Thank you so much for sharing! – Ali Jun 28 2011 at 12:27

ChronicHope · Accepted Answer · 2011-02-24 11:40:37Z UTC

There is definitely some scientific evidence that diet affects arthritis For example link text and link text However, much of this evidence is contradictory or inconclusive.

There is also much anecdotal evidence. Some people wil tell you that a strict vegetarian diet is necessary. Others that paleo is the only possible option. Some that you have to drink vinegar others that you must avoid it. It all gets quite confusing after a while.

Since neither the scientific or anecdotal evidence can agree on a definite strategy, I take from this that the best course of action is to try out for oneself alterations for diet that seem like they may help. See if they do work for the individual concerned and if not, move on and try something else. After all, each body has its own genetic heritage which is bound to affect the interplay of nutrition with disease. Other people's experience offers some clues as to what to try - and what to expect in the initial stages - but only our body's response can tell us if a particular dietary choice is right for us.

Geoff · Answer 2 · 2011-02-23 17:31:10Z UTC

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Yes, I had arthritis and now most of it's gone. The key was to cut out all nightshades (they pop up in a lot of spices) and also to cut eggs. I also do not eat dairy but not sure if that was a cause.

answered Feb 23 2011 at 17:31

Geoff
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I was thinking about grains, but it's interesting to hear about nightshades. I know they cause problems for some people, but wasn't sure what those exact problems were. Thanks! – Ali Feb 23 2011 at 17:44

I've been really wondering about the nightshades in spices. Thanks for mentioning this. – Soposie Feb 24 2011 at 8:03

Me too with the nightshades. I reduced my painkiller intake overnight by 25 % through cutting out nightshade plants as well as increasing my sleep since I wasn't up with unbearable pain on a regular basis any more. – ChronicHope Feb 24 2011 at 11:13

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Celebrating the first wk! No arthritic pain today - no pills nec.- catching up on housework I've been unable to do - lifting things - I'm on top of the world - hope it lasts. No nightshades for me (a few yams), no cayenne or peppers (hard - I'm addicted to spice!) and gradually cutting down coffee. I'm eating eggs (may have to forego later, I'll see) no dairy - if the diet is responsible for the upswing I'll take it! Good Luck! – semirade Feb 24 2011 at 21:51

I agree with this. I cut out nightshades and my osteoarthritis is nearly gone. It is still improving daily too. I tried everything for about 20 years, and cutting out nightshades is what helped. – Phoenix Mar 19 2012 at 17:34

semirade · Answer 3 · 2011-02-23 17:29:35Z UTC

Hi, I'm brand new, with 5 days under my belt (literally) - I was convinced after reading Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution Diet - I have so many health disorders, RA and diverticulitis among them. I feel that there can be nothing to lose by giving this diet a try! Thus far I feel quite well, satiated and am feeling less joint discomfort daily -- I'll see how I feel after the 30 day "challenge",right now I'm very optimistic! Wolf's book specifically addresses auto-immune disorders which appeales to me, as well as intestinal disorders that I also indicate. Why Not!? Good luck!

sienna · Answer 4 · 2011-02-23 20:24:12Z UTC

Paleo has done wonders for me ( me being older than dirt lol ). Nightshades, mature cheeses do not bother me. Xheavy whipping cream and coffee every morning is OK too.

Grains and Legumes and tubers are my culprits. I fought for months to try keeping my fav natural peanut butter in my diet but finally , after a life long obsession , I gave it up.

When ever I experimented and brought PB back in, I would feel it in a day or 2 . The downside is it takes me weeks to get rid of the bad effects.

I can barely remember being this pain free. Maybe 40+ years or so ?

Jeff · Answer 5 · 2011-02-23 17:14:18Z UTC

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Robb Wolf writes a lot about controlling autoimmune disorders with a strict paleo diet, and seems to have a lot of success.

answered Feb 23 2011 at 17:14

Jeff
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Jennie · Answer 6 · 2011-02-23 18:42:31Z UTC

Absolutely, yes. I'm on a low carb path, myself, and I mention that before bringing up nightshades and dairy because it made an immediate difference for me. I noticed relief right away just giving up the grains.

I'm a candidate for rheumatoid arthritis from both sides of my family, lucky me, and it shows up for my ancestors in the hands. Ever since I was a kid living on the East coast I remember feeling achy and swollen in the fingers with certain shifts in weather.

Then I lived in California for my entire adult life and noticed it only a little here and there.

I now live on the East coast again (sigh) and after a year of low carb Paleo eating I barely feel it at all unless I go overboard on the potatoes or dairy (which I ferment myself. It helps.) Oddly, tomatoes don't affect me adversely at all but I won't go near eggplant ever again.

Eggs are not an issue for me, though I was allergic as a child and then again for a while after my one and only flu shot.

Dana · Answer 7 · 2011-02-23 19:51:05Z UTC

Years ago I was having problems with my knees. Most of the time they felt OK but if I went on a car trip of just two hours, I had to stop periodically to stretch my legs or my knees would hurt.

The first time I tried low-carbing, I went on one of those car trips shortly after I started my dietary change. I didn't need to stop except to take a potty break. My knees were fine.

tbonesteak · Answer 8 · 2011-05-01 17:53:16Z UTC

digging up an old post here...

the wife has RA and though she is not free and clear, going gluten free was a big game changer for her. as we all know, white flour and it's cousins are pure evil :) now im slowly getting her to cut sugar.. and hopefully have her adopt paleo in the not so distant future.

also, i had a post here on eastern medicine and body types... and for my wife, since she is a "cold" person, she was told to avoid all "cold" foods like pork and focus on "hot" foods like beef and chicken.

NotoriousDBA · Answer 9 · 2012-03-19 17:29:20Z UTC

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My wife and I have been eating Paleo for about two and a half weeks now. The chronic swelling of her knees and ankles, not to mention the chronic inflammation of her knees from osteoarthritis, are completely gone. To top it off, her knees are now almost completely pain free, to the point that she's considering canceling the total knee replacement surgery she's scheduled to have next month.

answered Mar 19 2012 at 17:29

NotoriousDBA
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	Did she also cut out nightshades when she went paleo? – Phoenix Mar 19 2012 at 17:36
	No, we've been eating tons of tomatoes, and the occasional bell pepper. Honestly, switching to this way of eating is hard enough for her that we're trying to keep it simple for now; i.e. we're not worrying about tweaking the specific foods we eat, macro-nutrient ratios, or supplements. We just want to get on track with a clean diet before we look at optimizing it. – NotoriousDBA Mar 19 2012 at 18:33

Namby Pamby · Answer 10 · 2011-05-01 21:55:25Z UTC

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I'm curious what you guys take if there is a flare up of RA. Do you take NSAIDs such as Naproxen? If so, doesn't Robb Wolf and others warn specifically about NSAIDs' effects on the gut flora?

answered May 1 2011 at 21:55

Namby Pamby
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Does diet affect arthritis?

10 Answers