Can a Low-Fat Diet Help Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Two researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit have made an observation as exciting and unexpected as the arthritis-allergy link: that painful swelling and stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis appear to be aggravated by fatty foods and can be dramatically reduced by a low-fat diet. It made no difference whether the fats were vegetable oils or animal fats. They report: chicken, cheese, safflower oil, beef and coconut oil all seemed to aggravate the condition. Charles P. Lucas, M.D., and colleague Lawrence Power, M.D. first observed this remarkable side effect in two obese patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, who were put on a low-calorie, low-fat diet for weight loss. Within days, both experienced remissions of the stiffness and swelling in their joints – and they remained symptom-free for 9 to 14 months. However, within 24 to 48 hours of eating fatty foods, the researchers report, the stiffness returned. Relief with Vitamin E In one experiment, 29 arthritis patients – 4 men an
