Vegan diet may help ease arthritis pain

Ditching dairy products and eggs, as well as focusing on eating plant-based foods such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits, has been found to improve joint pain.

A low-fat vegan diet may be the key to "easing" pain in those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

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Ditching dairy products and eggs, as well as focusing on eating plant-based foods such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits, has been found to improve joint pain in a new study conducted by researchers at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Participants also experienced weight loss and improved cholesterol levels.

"A plant-based diet could be the prescription to alleviate joint pain for millions of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis," commented lead author, Dr Neal Barnard. "And all of the side effects, including weight loss and lower cholesterol, are only beneficial."

The study followed 44 adults with rheumatoid arthritis for 16 weeks.

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"In addition to reductions in pain and swelling, body weight decreased by about 14 pounds on average on the vegan diet, compared with a gain of about two pounds on the placebo diet. There were also greater reductions in total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol during the vegan phase," the researchers added in the report.

Full study results have been published in the ‘American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine’.

(Cover Media/Reuters)