A patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) asks if diet can help ease their symptoms. Or maybe a patient with severe knee osteoarthritis (OA) seeks diet advice because they want to lose weight and relieve pressure on their joints. Although there’s no specific nutrition plan for patients with rheumatic diseases, research has shown many dietary factors…
(Reuters Health)—Behavior changes could potentially reduce a large part of the risk for developing gout, a U.S. study suggests. Based on data from more than 14,000 people, researchers calculated how much factors like being overweight, following a diet that isn’t heart healthy, drinking alcohol or taking diuretics contribute to high levels of uric acid—a precursor…
New research recently found that, when combined with standard treatment, diet and exercise regimens are cost effective for overweight and obese patients with knee OA…
The popularity of natural dietary supplements has grown worldwide, with many adults using them to manage musculoskeletal conditions. But for RA patients, little is known about the risk of side effects and potential adverse drug interactions when taking these supplements with standard RA therapies. New research examined the supplement use patterns of RA patients…
Postmenopausal women are often told to consume more than 1,500 mg of calcium daily to reach neutral bone balance. But new research suggests this recommendation should be revised, finding no connection between dietary calcium intake and postmenopausal bone loss…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Heredity plays a substantially larger role than diet in determining serum urate levels, according to new findings in BMJ. Nearly 25% of the variation in serum urate is attributable to common genetic variants, while dietary pattern explained less than 1%, Dr. Tanya J. Major of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New…
The National Psoriasis Foundation says weight loss and other dietary interventions may benefit psoriasis patients. New recommendations note the benefits of a gluten-free diet for patients who test positive for gluten sensitivity, but also found little evidence to support the use of fish oil supplements for psoriasis patients…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—New recommendations from the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board suggest that losing weight by following a low-calorie diet can reduce psoriasisseverity in overweight patients, but there is little evidence to support other dietary interventions. “Our psoriasis patients have long asked us about the role of diet on psoriasis,” Dr. April Armstrong of the…
(Reuters Health)—Eating an overall healthy diet is tied to a lower risk of hip fracture among women over age 50, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers analyzed decades’ worth of dietary and health data for more than 100,000 U.S. men and women. They found that women who scored highest on the American Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI)…
The Case A 58-year-old patient with knee osteoarthritis has been decreasing her physical activity over the past several years due to painful joints, which has resulted in significant weight gain. At her appointment, you encourage her to engage in more physical activity and eat a well-balanced diet. A few weeks later, the patient returns to…