I've received several inquiries lately on Rheumatoid Arthritis. It seems as if my answer's are always the same. Cut the grains and sugar and add fish oil...Well that's because it works! Try it for a month and see what happens, if it doesn't work then tell me I'm an idiot and go back to those "healthy" grains. My hope is it works, and I'm quite certain it will.
Here is some convincing science to address this topic. It's funny (really its alarming and sad) that the majority of folks asking about Rheumatoid Arthritis tell me their doctors encourage a "whole wheat" diet. To this I say bull shit!(sorry mom, but I can't think of a better way to say it.) Here's why:
There are tons of case studies that have shown Rheumatoid Arthritis can be alleviated by a grain-free diet. Here is what Dr. Cordain says based on a review article titled "Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis" published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2000 by Loren Cordain, L. Toohey, M.J. Smith and M. S. Hickey.
"This link between diet and RA may depend on substances crossing the gastrointestinal barrier and entering circulation. In genetically susceptible individuals, this may result in RA symptoms. There is considerable evidence that intestinal permeability may be increased in patients with RA, particularly when the joint disease is active. Patients with RA have also shown a high frequency of intestinal bacterial, particularly anaerobic bacteria. Although this connection is not entirely clear, there is convincing evidence that antibiotic therapy helps rheumatic activity. Foods like cereal grains, beans, and legumes, contain lectins. Lectins have anti-nutritional properties that influence enterocytes (cells that line the intestinal wall) and lymphocytes (cells in the blood, lymph, and lymphoid tissues). Because lectins are able to cross the gastrointestinal barrier rapidly and enter circulation intact, they may be able to interact directly with synovial tissue that is impacted during RA.
Many lectins derived from bean species negatively affect intestinal structure and function. Lectins from peanuts produce
similar results. Lectin activity has also been found in wheat, rye, barley, oats, maize and rice.
Collectively, these studies indicate that eliminating lectins may help alleviate RA symptoms. Because the Paleo Diet focuses
on foods that our Paleolithic ancestors were likely to eat, cereal grains, beans and legumes are all replaced with healthier
choices. Those following the Paleo Diet have shared their success stories about alleviating joint pain."
-This is the definition Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary gives: a usually chronic disease that is considered an autoimmune disease and is characterized especially by pain, stiffness,inflammation, swelling, and sometimes destruction of joints —abbreviation RA; called also atrophic arthritis; —compare OSTEOARTHRITIS
