Discover Which Fruit and Vegetables Help Relieve Arthritic Pain

If you or someone you know suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, youknow how painful and debilitating it can be. If you haven'twalked a mile in those shoes, you can't imagine how frustratingit can be. Your doctor may say try this medication, try that.Don't do this, do that. But sometimes, to no avail. The diseaseis caused by a misguided immune system attack on the body's ownjoint tissue, which leads to swelling, pain, stiffness and insome cases deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis is more common amongwomen than men.

Perhaps what you're eating, or more specifically what you're noteating can be causing some of your soreness. Recent findingssuggest that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes andcertain oils aids in relieving symptoms in people with rheumatoidarthritis. After following a diet rich in fruits and veggies forthree months, people with rheumatoid arthritis experienced anumber of improvements not seen in people following a typicalAmerican diet high in processed foods. Some of the improvementsshown include a decrease in pain, inflammation, disease activityand in the number of swollen joints. Further, previous researchsuggested that more olive oil and cooked vegetables help protectpeople from the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

The current results suggest that "patients with (rheumatoidarthritis) can obtain better physical function and increase theirvitality" from eating a fruit, vegetables, legumes and some oilsdiet for three months, write Dr. Lars Skoldstam of Visby Hospitalin Sweden and colleagues.

This plan is similar to that of people who live in theMediterranean. They also tend to eat a lot of fruit, vegetables,and legumes, more fish and less red meat. Moreover, they drink amoderate amount of wine, and rely on olive oil as their mainsource of dietary fat. Earlier research has suggested thatfollowers of this diet enjoy a wide range of benefits, such as alower risk of heart disease, cancer and memory loss.

Additional studies have shown that citrus and zinc may also cutrheumatoid arthritis risk. Citrus can be helpful because of theantioxidants they contain. Findings are not conclusive, yetpromising.

In the study, the doctors found that women getting less than 40micrograms of beta-cryptoxanthin, a component found in citrusfruits such as oranges and grapefruit were at a somewhat elevateddanger of developing rheumatoid arthritis than women who consumedmore than that amount.

Although thus far it has only been proven that genetics is theculprit behind rheumatoid arthritis, if there have been somefindings as to the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables,wouldn't it make sense for suffers to up their intake? Itcertainly can't hurt? and may actually help. Now please pass thebroccoli with a side of grapefruit!

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any health care program.

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics.