March 28, 2024

Diet has no effect on joint diseases

Diet has no effect on joint diseases

A balanced and healthy diet has health benefits, for example it has a positive effect on the psyche and the cardiovascular system. However, it probably cannot really affect the course of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The scientists concluded this from an evaluation of 24 systematic reviews and 150 clinical studies on this issue.

Most studies have involved osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, examining the effect of a variety of diets and supplements: animal products, specific diets and foods, fruits, vegetables or other plant-based foods, minerals, vitamins, and more. Some studies also included uncommon diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis, systemic sclerosis, gout, and axial spondyloarthritis.

All dietary interventions studied, including probiotics, vitamin D, fish oil/omega-3, chondroitin, glucosamine, avocado, and soybeans, had little, if any, effect on joint disease progression as there was no “meaningful” improvement. Clinicallyā€¯ – there were no effects in daily life. The quality of the studies’ validity was also rated from low to medium at most. This means, for example, that there have been too few studies, or that the patient groups have been too small, or that the studies have come up with contradictory results.

The authors concluded, “Based on current scientific knowledge, there is no single nutritional measure that provides significant benefits.” However, they advise to eat healthy food and, above all, not to gain weight, because it has been proven that being overweight has a negative effect on joint diseases.

Source: DOI 10.1136 / rmdopen-2021-002167

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