Does the lactose in dairy products cause pain and stiffness in the joints of people with arthritis?
There is no known association between lactose in dairy products and arthritis; however, our understanding of the causes of and effects of diet on most types of arthritis is limited. At some point in the future, researchers could discover an important role for lactose or other nutritional components in the development of arthritis. There are more than 100 types of arthritis and for most there is no known dietary connection. However, diet can play an important role for a few forms of arthritis, such as gout and osteoarthritis. Attacks of gout can be triggered in susceptible people by alcoholic beverages and foods rich in purines. Examples of foods with a high purine content include sardines, liver, and other organ meats. Even among people with gout, though, the effect of food choices is usually small. Recent studies suggest that newly diagnosed gout is more common among people who consume a lot of meat, seafood and high fructose corn syrup, while risk appears to be lower among those with
