Diet treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA):
The effect of diet on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or inflammation of the joints was studied in a controlled, single-blind trial. Participants in the treatment group (n=27) fasted for 7-10 days, followed by an individually adjusted gluten-free vegan diet for 3.5 months, followed by a 9-month lactovegetarian diet. The control subjects consumed an ordinary mixed food diet. Compared to the control group, those on the specified diet had a significant improvement in all clinical variables and most laboratory variables measured. A year later, the patients were re-examined. Researchers found that vegetarians who had benefited from the diet showed a significantly greater benefit than diet non-responders or control subjects. This suggests that the vegetarian diet positively influenced measures of inflammation and disease activity. (9)