Is there a relationship between arthritis and nutrition. That is, do the foods we eat (or don’t eat) affect the expression of arthritis in our bodies?
Unfortunately, in our Western civilization we are taught to drink this potion, or put on that special lotion, and like Jack and the Beanstalk, we expect to go to bed, plant the magic seeds, or take a magic pill, and wake up. , and poof, all our problems disappear overnight.
Worse still, the FDA withdrew from the market the cox-2 inhibitor that was a drug to control inflammation in the body, due to the increased risk of cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attacks.
Therefore, learning about the foods you eat and how they affect the expression of arthritis in your body can be very important if you suffer from arthritis. More importantly, learn how the foods you eat can make you suffer with pain and suffering. So let’s get started.
Arthritis, according to the Mayo Clinic, is defined as “inflammation of one or more of your joints.” It’s a pretty vague definition, to tell you the truth, because it doesn’t really explain WHY.
That is, “ok, there is inflammation in the joints, but the most important thing is WHY IS THERE INFLAMMATION IN THE JOINTS”?
MedlinePlus expands the definition a bit further and defines arthritis as: “inflammation of one or more joints that causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and limitation of movement.”
Ok, well that’s a little better, I still don’t really answer the WHY question. So before we talk about the nutritional aspect of arthritis, let’s learn the “WHY” before we answer the how.
According to MedlinePlus, arthritis has more than 100 different types, so we’ll try to keep a loose generalization as to why we get “arthritis.” Usually, though, repetitive trauma, wear and tear, overuse, and just plain old-fashioned aging are terms that try to explain arthritis.
For the most part, they are all a pretty good picture of the genesis of arthritis. But then again, have you ever stopped to think WHY this is happening? Or better yet, is arthritis something you just have to accept as a foregone conclusion?
My simple answer to you is… drum roll please… NO. Arthritis is not a foregone conclusion. In fact, there are many things we can do to combat not only the why, but also the how. That is, we can address the WHY: joint rupture, wear and tear, limited and restricted movement, stiffness, repetitive trauma, and calcification.
It is true that as we get older, based solely on pure chronological time, we have more life experiences. With such life experiences (injuries such as slips, falls, or sports injuries), work stressors (standing or sitting all day, repeatedly using your arms above your head), and poor postural habits can lead to the development of wear and tear. .
It’s important to address what we can do to reduce these repetitive stressors and their effects on our bodies, such as muscle stiffness, joint wear, muscle weakness, and decreased energy. But for this article, let’s continue to control inflammation with our diet.
When we experience mechanical stress in our body over and over again, what happens? Joints break, cartilage erodes, bones tend to rub together, there is less lubrication in the joints, pain fibers are stimulated, and what happens after that?
INFLAMMATION
Looking back at the two definitions I used for Arthritis, INFLAMMATION was the common denominator with both. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease (when it’s in the extremities) or degenerative disc disease (if it’s in the spine).
But whether the arthritis is in the spine or extremities (or both), it is classified as osteoarthritis when the cartilage in the joints “wears down” over time (mainly from overuse). This wear and tear process will eventually create inflammation which, in turn, causes a host of other biological changes including pain, stiffness, and limited movement (aging).
Therefore, the inflammation results in painful swelling in the joint, stiffness, and limitations of movement (old age).
Eventually, all of that leads to the body’s joints failing to function properly, which in turn ultimately results in joint rupture.
So if we can control inflammation, we can control swelling, stiffness, and limitations of movement.
Controlling inflammation in the body is much like a firefighter putting out a big fire. IF the fire is burning like crazy, it will take more time, effort and probably water pressure to put it out.
The easiest fires to control are the small ones, or better yet…the one that hasn’t started yet. This is how inflammation looks in the body. Irregular fires (usually due to acute trauma) are controlled with NSAIDs.
However, nutrition is how we make sure that inflammation doesn’t start in the body in the first place. Consider proper nutrition as the body’s fire alarm, making sure no major catastrophes start. So how do we do that?
Well, in a nutshell, the chemical mediators that cells release through the wear and tear or breakdown process that I talked about earlier are controlled by our diet. These chemical mediators are derived from Omega-6 (n-6) or Omega-3 (n-3).
Humans are supposed to eat (ideally) a 1:1 ratio of n-6 to n-3. However, on average, we currently eat around 10:1 to 30:1. Anything above 4:1 is considered pro-inflammatory.
Bad n-6:n-3 ratios screw everything up!
As mentioned above, we do not need to go through this dizzying vicious circle. The foods we eat will positively or negatively affect the cycle of healing or damage.
If we eat the wrong foods, foods that have a high n-6:n-3 ratio (greater than 4:1 is considered pro-inflammatory), the cycle of chronic inflammation will be perpetuated. The foods that follow are the best foods to eat for arthritis.
FOOD: ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
food
N6: N3
Fruit <3:1
broccoli 1:3
Kale 1:1.3
lettuce 1:2
White Potato 3:1
sweet potato 4:1
grass fed
Meats 3-5:1
Wild game 3:1
fresh fish 1:1
raised on a farm
salmon 1:1
Chicken breast
(1gr of fat),
bacon and
Dairy 4:1
flax, hemp,
Chia Seeds 3:1
All of the foods listed above have a 4:1 or less n-6:n-3 ratio and are considered anti-inflammatory. Eat these foods to reduce inflammation, which results in pain, swelling, stiffness, and limited movement associated with arthritis. In my next article, I’ll cover the 6 foods to avoid that speed up arthritis and speed up your body clock and the foods that slow it down. Until then, study the above foods, increase them in your own diet, and watch the pain go away.