EXCLUSIVE: Mediterranean diet EASES arthritis pain, scientists find

By Laura Milne

Eating fruit, vegetables, seeds and oily fish will also loosen stiff joints, research showed.
Scientists behind the study called their findings “exciting.”
Dr Lex Mauger, of the University of Kent, said: “The Mediterranean diet has previously been associated with a number of health benefits.

“But the exciting finding with this study is that specific guidance on adhering to this type of diet can change eating behaviour and result in a number of beneficial physiological changes, relevant to osteoarthritis, in a relatively short period of time.”
About 10 million people in the UK suffer from arthritis. Around 8.5 million of these have the most common form, osteoarthritis caused by wear and tear on joints where the cartilage that cushions movement is worn away.
The main symptoms are pain and stiffness. It most often causes problems in the knees, hips and small joints of the hands.
For some sufferers, the symptoms can be mild but in others it can be severe and make it difficult to carry out everyday activities.
Arthritis is chronic condition, which means it cannot be cured, and treatment costs the NHS around £5billion a year.
The study, commissioned by the UK charity Arthritis Action and published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, looked at the effects of a Mediterranean-type diet on 99 patients with osteoarthritis.
Traditionally people from Mediterranean countries such as Greece and Italy consume large amounts of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and olive oil, little red meat and moderate amounts of dairy, fish, poultry and wine.
Half of the participants followed the diet for 16 weeks, while the rest continued their usual eating plan.
Scientists studied how much their cartilage degraded or swelled and measured the affected joints’ movement.
The findings revealed that among the Mediterranean diet a biomarker relating to inflammation fell by 47 per cent, and another showing the cartilage’s decay fell eight per cent.
Those who followed the healthy eating plan also lost, on average, 2.2 per cent in weight and gained greater knee and hip movement.
Martin Lau of Arthritis Action, said: “This is the first study of its kind to look at the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and osteoarthritis and to examine the effect of a dietary pattern to manage osteoarthritis.
“As osteoarthritis is a chronic disease, treatment is primarily about managing the symptoms and this study shows that eating healthily may help form part of that treatment strategy.”
The research provides further proof of the health benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet.
Last month, scientists from Cambridge University found healthy people who adopted the diet were up to 16 per cent less likely to suffer damage to their hearts or arteries.

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/719255/Mediterranean-diet-help-prevent-arthritis-research