Foods to avoid with osteoarthritis
Hello again!
This is Dr. Abdul Salam, I am practicing orthopedic surgeon at the One Care Medical Center, a premier orthopedic hospital in Coimbatore and in this short blog post, we are going to discuss on 6 food items that must be avoided when you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis.
The term osteoarthritis refers to an inflammation of the joints, in general, it is important to bear in mind that there are many different types of arthritis. Some of them include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Conventional medical management of arthritis includes the use of
A. Pain medications
B. Local pain relief gels and sprays
C. And lastly joint replacement in advanced cases
In recent times though, there is new research to suggest that, intensive dietary and lifestyle modifications can play an important role in restricting the joint inflammation process.
Avoid processed and deep-fried items
For patients with diagnosed osteoarthritis, strict avoidance of deep-fried oily items, along with strict avoidance of canned and processed meat can go a long way in helping with symptoms of osteoarthritis.
These foods, more so deep-fried oily items generate AGE (advanced glycation end-products) that can significantly impair the bodies healing ability and can cause significant oxidative stress. AGE appears in food that is deep-fried, cooked in oil or pasteurized.
AGE also has the ability to damage proteins directly in the body and most of the time, the body has to put up a very difficult fight to fend off the AGE. Restricted deep fried oily items and other food items cooked at high temperatures can reduce the level of AGE in the blood.
Refined Carbs and Sugars
Refined carbs and sugars also increase the AGE present in the bloodstream, thus restricting the amount of sugars can also help restrict disease progression in case of osteoarthritis. Avoiding baked flour, sodas, chocolates, and added sugar to tea and coffee all help towards reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Restrict Diary products
Shifting to a vegan diet can work wonders in terms of reducing joint inflammation with respect to osteoarthritis. While the evidence seems conflicting with respect to milk, I would suggest you take some amount of milk while restricting other forms of dairy that are processed. Try substituting these food items, with tofu, soy, and nut butter.
Alcohol and tobacco
Smoking increases the risk of disease progression with respect to osteoarthritis. Try to avoid both smoking, alcohol, and all other forms of tobacco use to restrict osteoarthritis progression completely.
I hope you enjoyed this short article on foods to avoid with osteoarthritis. Keep watching this space for more interesting reads.
References
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/acr.22297
