Arthritis
The name “arthritis” means the place where two bones meet (athro-), and pain and swelling (-itis). Approximately 30% of New Zealanders have some form of arthritis, and the most common type is osteoarthritis, affecting load bearing joints such as knees, vertebrae, and hips.
Arthritis can result from various factors, most notably age, joint trauma, chronic inflammation. Getting enough of the right nutrients can help minimise inflammation and ensure your tissues receive the nutrients needed for constant repair. Diet and lifestyle changes could significantly improve your condition.
Improving symptoms with nutrition
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterised by the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage in a joint. While age, genetics, and gender are non-modifiable factors influencing its progression, modifiable factors like diet and physical movement play a large role.
Research has identified inflammation as a key driver in osteoarthritis progression, either resulting from joint trauma with ongoing chronic inflammation or from chronic inflammation driven by both non-modifiable and modifiable factors.
Behaviors that can contribute to chronic inflammation include inactivity, high consumption of processed foods, and imbalanced nutrient intake. Body composition is another modifiable factor, as fatty tissue increases inflammatory signals, potentially contributing to joint destruction.
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common autoimmune arthritis, characterised by the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissues. This immune response leads to chronic inflammation, causing pain, swelling, and potential joint deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis involves systemic inflammation that can affect other parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, and nervous system.
Inflammatory arthritis
In the 21st century, our lifestyles have changed significantly, providing easy access to processed foods. The modern diet, often high in refined sugars, unbalanced fats, and alcohol, combined with a lack of physical activity, increased stress levels, and inadequate sleep, feeds inflammation.
Adopting anti-inflammatory dietary choices can help reduce inflammation and symptoms of arthritis. Embracing the Mediterranean diet and consciously including foods rich in anti-inflammatory properties, like brightly colored fruits and vegetables, fatty fish, healthy fats, and herbs and spices, is beneficial. Additionally, regular physical activity, managing stress, and getting enough sleep can significantly reduce chronic inflammation and its impact on the body.
Diet, lifestyle and arthritis
Working with a nutritionist can ensure you’re getting the right nutrients to support joint health, improve mobility, reduce pain, and improve quality of life.
A nutritionist can help identify pro-inflammatory lifestyle behaviours and guide you towards inflammation-reducing habits. Through personalised nutrition plans and ongoing support, you can adopt anti-inflammatory habits that will help slow joint destruction and improve your symptoms. Whatever your goal, a nutritionist can help improve your energy levels, mental well-being, weight management, chronic disease symptoms, digestive health, and overall quality of life.
How working with a Nutritional Therapist can help
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