‘Reverse arthritis in 8 weeks’ with anti-inflammatory diet expert says

A top professor has revealed the ‘best’ anti-inflammatory diet to follow, which, according to research, can ‘reverse arthritis symptoms in just eight weeks’. In a recent podcast episode with ZOE Health co-founder Jonathan Wolf, Dr Tamiko Katsumoto MD, an expert in rheumatology and immunology, explained how diets high in inflammatory foods, such as processed goods, heighten your risk of developing arthritis.

The debilitating health condition now plagues one in five people, causing discomfort and stiffness that can affect any joint. However, it is most prevalent in the hands, knees, hips, feet, and lower back.

While smoking was once the leading cause of chronic disease, today, poor nutrition takes the top spot, warns Dr Katsumoto. She also highlighted that inflammation plays a significant role, as excessive amounts in your body can trigger various health issues.

Dr Katsumoto, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford University, specialises in the benefits of plant-rich diets on individual health and has been studying the impact of diet on the immune system, reports Surrey Live.

In her discussion with Jonathan about the science behind arthritis, she unveiled a diet that can reduce inflammation, enhance mobility, and “shield you from the threat of this disease.” The health expert also delved into the differences between osteoarthritis, wear and tear, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that deteriorates progressively, frequently causing persistent pain. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition that prompts the body’s immune system to attack healthy joint tissue.

It is crucial to understand that arthritis cannot be cured.

Nevertheless, certain treatments, including dietary changes, lifestyle modifications and medication, can help decelerate its progression and control symptoms – whilst reducing the likelihood of developing arthritis.

Since excessive inflammation within the body can trigger this health condition, reducing inflammation is essential.

In research entitled ‘A multidisciplinary lifestyle program for rheumatoid arthritis: the ‘Plants for Joints’ randomised controlled trial‘, scientists stated: “Reversing and preventing adverse lifestyle factors could potentially reduce the incidence and burden of RA, as well as alleviate its comorbidities.”

Dr Katsumoto suggests contemporary diets worsen the problem, but adopting healthier choices could diminish your risk of the disease. The bone, joint and muscle specialist also emphasises the most advantageous foods, lifestyle adjustments and supplements for joint health.

When Jonathan enquired whether “full-blown arthritis” is unavoidable if you’re beginning to experience symptoms, the Stanford professor responded: “Not necessarily.”

He then questioned: “Could you reverse arthritis with the right foods?”

To which the doctor answered: “Yes”. Dr Katsumoto, an arthritis expert, debunked a common myth about the condition, stating: “I think the biggest myth is that there’s nothing you can do to change your arthritis course. I think there are actually a lot of things that we are all capable of doing through diet, lifestyle, etc, that can make a difference.”

In a study that reportedly ‘slowed arthritis inflammation in eight weeks’, Jonathan shared some encouraging news: “Within eight weeks of changing your diet, [you can have] have a profound impact on your arthritis because it’s having this profound impact on inflammation.”

He then posed a question to Dr Katsumoto: “You’re saying if you are living with arthritis and you were to make that sort of change in your diet, you think it can really change not only your symptoms but even potentially get you to a point where you say, ‘I don’t even need to take all the medication I’m taking today’.”

Jonathan continued: “I understand that you’re also really interested in food as playing an important protective role. And that in particular [you’re] excited about a breakthrough new clinical trial that the team was telling me about actually earlier this week, which I think is called plants for joints. Could you tell me about that?”.

The professor shared: “This was a very exciting trial. I’m a huge fan of randomised controlled trials. I think this is our highest level of evidence. This is a group, our Dutch colleagues, they actually did two studies in parallel. They did one in rheumatoid arthritis and they did one in osteoarthritis.

“To clarify, it was a metabolic-associated osteoarthritis. So patients that tended to have metabolic syndrome were maybe overweight. So those patients with OA.” Jonathan responded: “So randomised controlled trials are basically the gold standard of scientific testing?”

Dr Katsumoto confirmed: “Yes, they are helpful in that they minimise any confounding bias in terms of the fact that people are put into two different groups, there’s an equal chance of whatever intervention working or not, and comparing to a placebo provides a robust comparator.

“Basically what they did was they put them through a lifestyle intervention, and this is absolutely really thrilling to me because I’m a huge fan of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Just to quickly provide their six pillars of lifestyle medicine; diet is number one, in addition; exercise, stress reduction, social connections, sleep, and then finally avoidance of risky substances. So those are the six pillars of lifestyle medicine.

“Essentially what this randomised controlled trial did was put these patients through either the active arm. They called it the plants for joints arm that underwent these six lifestyle interventions versus the placebo, which was essentially the standard of care. They ran them through this program for 16 weeks and what they found at the end of the study and even at eight weeks at the midpoint, they saw dramatic improvements in the patient’s joint disease.”

She continued: “So for the rheumatoid arthritis patient, the endpoint they looked at is called DAS28. This is a disease activity score based on 28 different joints. So you measure swollen and tender joints. You measure the CRP inflammatory marker. You measure how the patient is feeling.

“Based on that endpoint, which is a very robust endpoint, there was a very statistically highly significant difference in terms of the RA patients that underwent this lifestyle program. They looked more deeply to see what was the most likely thing driving this difference, and it was most likely diet. Of course, you can’t separate out, it was a full holistic intervention of multiple different domains.”

Ultimately, Dr Katsumoto believes nutrition “played a huge role” in the extraordinary outcomes – particularly anti-inflammatory foods.

The  American College of Rheumatology (ACR) suggests the Mediterranean diet (MD) as an anti-inflammatory eating approach for those suffering from arthritis.

Which diet offers the finest anti-inflammatory foods?

Highlighting the most effective anti-inflammatory eating plan for reducing arthritis risk, she championed the Blue Zone diet. This eating approach draws inspiration from the dietary habits and lifestyle patterns of the world’s longest-living populations.

The regime emphasises plant-based foods, fish, grains, seeds, nuts, pulses, beans and lentils whilst eliminating much dairy and meat consumption.

Discussing the ‘top’ vegetables for combating inflammation, the Stanford professor explained: “Cruciferous vegetables. These are things like broccoli, and kale, and cauliflower, and these really kind of the deep leafy greens… And they’re so important. I really think food is medicine. And these are incredibly important in terms of helping our liver detoxify.

“We’re living in a very polluted world. I think that these are super helpful foods that can help us clear our body of a lot of these toxins, these endocrine disruptors, which we haven’t talked about. But there’s a lot of these things that we need to be thinking about that are super helpful for my patients.”

Regarding meat consumption, scientists suggest those with the greatest longevity dramatically limit their intake of animal products.

Dr Katsumoto explained that meat should be consumed sparingly, stating: “If you look at the blue zones, they say that the majority of blue zones end up eating meat less than five times a month. So really that comes down to maybe once a week. Meat should be considered a treat.”

She continued: “Another food type that I love a lot are things like chia seeds and flax seeds. I think chia seeds are the perfect food. They’re high in fibre, high in omega-3, and high in protein. They’ve just got so many great components that I add them to my smoothies. I just try to incorporate them wherever I can. I get a big bottle of them and add them wherever I can.”

Regarding fish, she notes that oily varieties are particularly beneficial for reducing inflammation.

She explained: “So we know omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly anti-inflammatory. That being said, I also encourage my patients to not go too heavy on fish, to eat the smaller fish, so not so much the tuna and the swordfish, you know, things that are much larger and can end up bio accumulating things like heavy metals and toxins.

“Try to go for the wild-caught instead of the farmed… I tend to also recommend my patients to check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s resource called seafoodwatch.org. Seafood Watch has a lot of examples where what’s sustainably caught and which ones are thought to be healthier. We have to be thinking about pollutants. Our oceans are not the cleanest, so we have to be thinking about that as well.”

What constitutes the ‘ultimate’ plate of anti-inflammatory food?

Revealing what the perfect plate of food should contain, she explained: “So half of the plate focuses on high-quality vegetables and some fruits. Then, a quarter of the plate is proteins, preferably plant proteins or lean proteins, but things like beans and lentils. I’m a big fan of tofu.”

Another item the medic champions is refined grains, which she believes should occupy the final quarter of the plate. “So, whole wheat and whole things like quinoa. And some of these ancient grains are really good, like farro and bulgur and millet.”

What is inflammation and arthritis?

Inflammation represents the body’s natural response to injury or infection, manifesting through symptoms such as swelling, redness, and discomfort. When this response occurs within the joints due to an overactive immune system, it can develop into a condition called inflammatory arthritis.

In such instances, the body mistakenly attacks its own joint tissues, causing pain and deterioration.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences states: “Acute inflammation combats infection and stimulates tissue repair and regeneration. When it fails to improve quickly, it can turn chronic and lead to disease. Inflammation resolution failure is increasingly recognised as leading to cancer development.”

Instances of how inflammation can trigger illness encompass cancer, as inflammatory processes may harm DNA and prompt cellular multiplication, potentially heightening cancer risk. Regarding arthritis, when the body’s defence system erroneously targets its own cells or tissues, conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus may develop.

The NHS states: “Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in a joint. In the UK, millions of people have arthritis or other, similar conditions that affect the joints. Arthritis affects people of all ages, including children.”

Symptoms:

• Pain, swelling, and stiffness in joints
• Redness and inflammation of joints
• Limited movement
• Tiredness and fever

Causes:

• Ageing
• Injuries that damage a joint
• Certain health conditions
• Genetic factors
• Environmental factors, such as infection with certain viruses and bacteria

Arthritis lacks a cure, yet numerous therapeutic approaches exist to help control the condition and decelerate its advancement. Possibilities encompass medication, physiotherapy, surgical interventions, and lifestyle modifications.

The NHS states: “Osteoarthritis treatments include lifestyle changes, medicines and surgery. Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis aims to slow the condition’s progress and minimise joint inflammation. This helps prevent joint damage. Treatments include medicine, physiotherapy and surgery.”

Countless people living with arthritis enjoy dynamic, rewarding lives. Through understanding the condition and discovering methods to control symptoms, you can continue leading an active existence.

If you’re worried about your bones, muscles or joints, it’s time to have a chat with your GP. To keep in tip-top shape and lower the risk of chronic illnesses, experts recommend regular exercise, cutting down on alcohol, giving up smoking, keeping a healthy weight, avoiding processed foods, eating a balanced diet, ensuring adequate sleep and staying hydrated.