Managing Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases With Diet: Is It Possible?

People’s diet can influence their well-being, with a known impact on heart and mental health. However, it has not previously been clear whether dietary factors influence Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD)-specific outcomes. Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) are a range of conditions that affect peoples’ joints, cause pain, and disability, and reduce health-related quality of life. The primary knowledge focused only on osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, rather than the full spectrum of RMDs.

Is Diet an Important Factor for Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases?

A task force was set up to examine the evidence across six key lifestyle factors – diet, exercise, weight, alcohol, smoking, and paid work in people with one of seven RMDs (axial spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, gout, and osteo-, rheumatoid, or psoriatic arthritis).

This study was performed following the EULAR standard operating procedure and is reported following PRISMA guidelines. Although several dietary components were identified as having a low impact, there were none with a high impact in any of the RMDs studied.

Therefore, based on the current evidence, there is no single dietary intervention that has substantial benefits, and no consistent evidence that any dietary exposure significantly improves outcomes in these conditions.

This study is important, as it suggests that health professionals can advise people with RMDs that consuming specific dietary components is unlikely to influence the progression of their disease.

For diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis where effective treatments are available, the current evidence suggests that there is no specific place for often expensive supplements and extra vitamins unless deficiencies are demonstrated. However, it is still important to maintain a well-balanced diet and healthy weight for general health reasons.

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Source-Eurekalert