These Everyday Eating Habits May Reduce Your Risk Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

From health.yahoo.com

By Zhané Slambee

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition that causes painful, swollen, and stiff joints. Genetics, smoking, and other environmental factors have all been linked to the condition's development.

Diet isn't usually on that list, but a new mini review suggests there may be an unexpected link between the food we eat and the processes involved in RA.

The dietary pattern linked to lower RA risk

RA can begin developing years before joint pain or stiffness appears. During this time, a person's genes and environmental influences, such as smoking and potentially diet, may affect whether the condition eventually develops.

To investigate, researchers from King's College London and the University of Nicosia reviewed existing research on diet and RA risk. They found that people who followed a Mediterranean-style diet more closely tended to have a lower risk of developing RA.

The Mediterranean diet prioritizes vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish, and limits processed foods. One study in the review that followed over 117,000 participants found that greater adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet was tied to lower RA risk. The association appeared stronger for RA in people who test positive for rheumatoid factor, an antibody found in some people with the condition.

How food may influence autoimmune risk

The researchers point to two possible explanation: body fat and gut bacteria can both affect inflammation, which plays a role in RA.

Fibre-rich foods found in a Mediterranean diet feed beneficial gut bacteria, which produce compounds such as butyrate that help control inflammation and protect the gut lining.

Diets low in fibre may leave these bacteria with less to feed on, potentially disrupting these protective processes.

The Mediterranean diet has also been shown to support weight management. Excess body fat can release inflammatory chemicals, so a healthy weight by adhering adherence to a Mediterranean diet may help keep those inflammatory signals in check.

What this means for your everyday meals

A Mediterranean-style eating pattern is a practical starting point for supporting overall health. Here are a few simple ways to follow this eating pattern.

• Eat more fibre-rich plants: Vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, and whole grains nourish beneficial gut bacteria.

• Choose healthy fats: Olive oil, nuts, seeds, and omega-3-rich fish support overall health.

• Be mindful of ultra-processed foods: Limit how often foods high in added sugar and refined carbohydrates replace more nutrient-rich options.

• Look beyond diet: Avoid smoking and prioritize other healthy habits, since RA risk involves multiple factors.

The takeaway

This doesn't prove a Mediterranean-style diet prevents RA. Many of the studies identified associations rather than cause and effect. Diet is just one part of the picture, alongside genetics, smoking, hormones, and other environmental influences.

Your joints may be just one more reason to give your diet a second look. Consider a Mediterranean-style eating pattern to support a healthier gut, a more balanced inflammatory response, and potentially a lower RA risk.

https://health.yahoo.com/conditions/musculoskeletal/arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis/articles/everyday-eating-habits-may-affect-091800893.html 

‘Even my best friend didn’t know’: Usman Khawaja reveals why he kept his rheumatoid arthritis a secret

From theguardian.com

• Opener played through pain to establish himself as a Test cricketer

• ‘I didn’t want anyone to use it against me,’ he says

• 
  

Usman Khawaja has opened up on why he kept the rheumatoid arthritis that threatened his playing future a secret for his entire Test career.

The former Test star releases his autobiography, Sabr, on 10 November, which he said he wrote “for people who do love cricket and for those who don’t”.

“We are all human and go through the ups and downs of life. I go through the ups and downs of cricket and it gets accentuated because everyone gets to see it,” Khawaja said.

One key aspect of Khawaja’s career the public did not know about was the arthritis diagnosis at the age of 22 after the pain in his left knee was so great he couldn’t walk 10m to the bathroom.

Only regular injections kept him on his feet and able to play cricket. He still has them.

“It was debilitating. I took an injection last night,” Khawaja said in Brisbane on Monday. “It was part of the reason that I did my back at the end of my career, but I couldn’t tell anyone.

“I never got injured before I had my arthritic illness, but after that I got injured quite a lot and had to find a way to get my body in the right spot. Even my best friend from high school, Ardil, didn’t know until one year ago.”

The reason Khawaja didn’t open up about it? “I didn’t want anyone to use it against me,” he said. “I felt like I already had all these stereotypes I was trying to beat in Australian cricket, and I didn’t want to use that as an excuse.”

Usman Khawaja has said he played through pain for most of his career after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images for Cricket Australia

Keeping the illness secret was a feat in itself. He said he was thankful the people who did know initially at Cricket NSW, Cricket Australia and various medical staff “kept to their ethical code and didn’t say anything”.

Khawaja, who made 6,229 Test runs with 16 centuries, did not engage a ghost writer for his book for one simple reason.

“I didn’t think anyone could encapsulate my story like I could because no one has been through the same journey in Australian cricket like I have,” he said.

“The immigrant, brown, Pakistani Muslim kid coming from overseas to play our national game is something I didn’t feel comfortable someone else writing about.”

Khawaja met with Australia captain Pat Cummins to tell him about the aspect of his book that deals with the infamous Sandpapergate ball-tampering episode in South Africa in 2018.

“I didn’t come out in my book to shock and awe,” Khawaja grinned. “It is my story. People have learned over time that I am pretty open and honest about most things. My goal for my story was to relate to everyone.

“I love autobiographies, and cricket ones in particular. I found that people talked a lot about the cricket but not a lot about themself a lot of the time.”

Khawaja writes about his subcontinent life and then his life as a cricketer in Australia. He said there were “funny stories” and “great learnings”.

“There are also some tough times with racial vilification, but amalgamated together it is a different story to anything you would have read in a cricket autobiography,” he said.

Khawaja has proven to be a trailblazer in Australian cricket who opened a door for others to follow.

“There hadn’t been another me before me, but now there are plenty of players with a subcontinent background coming in,” he said. “You’ve got Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha and Gurinder Sandhu.”

Tanveer Sangha and Sandhu have both played white-ball cricket for Australia.

“They haven’t cracked the Tests, which is the hardest,” Khawaja said. “That is always the goal. When we start seeing the Test team represented by the multicultural community, that is when you know you have started to make headway.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/26/usman-khawaja-reveals-why-he-kept-rheumatoid-arthritis-secret

7 Common Myths and Facts About Rheumatoid Arthritis

From everydayhealth.com

By Matt McMillen

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes pain, stiffness, and swelling in your joints. While those are the most common and obvious symptoms, did you know the impact of RA on your body is much broader?

“RA is a systemic disease that not only affects the joints, but can also affect several other organs, such as the lungs, the eyes, the nerves, the heart, and the skin,” says Nilasha Ghosh, MD, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

RA is the most common type of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis, and it affects about 1.5 million people in the United States. RA is a chronic disease, and though there’s no cure, treatments can quell its inflammation and limit the damage it does.

To help you better understand the disease and how serious it is, our experts dispel some of the most common myths and misconceptions you may have heard about RA.

1. Myth: RA Is the Same as Osteoarthritis (OA)

While both cause joint pain, they’re not the same. “Rheumatoid arthritis is a disorder of the immune system affecting the joints, whereas most cases of osteoarthritis are the result of degenerative disease at the joint,” says Dr. Ghosh.

OA typically develops from wear and tear on your joints as you age. This causes the breakdown of cartilage at the ends of your bones where they attach to your joints. The result: Your bones begin to rub together, causing pain, stiffness, and swelling. Some research shows that people with RA are at a higher risk for OA. But because the diseases are different, their treatments differ as well, says Ghosh. RA treatments suppress or modify the immune system. These are not effective for OA.

2. Myth: RA Only Affects Older People

RA most often starts between ages 30 to 60, though it can occur at any age. Ghosh says the incidence of RA in young adults has been rising, though that increase, she adds, might be because doctors are better able to recognize and diagnose it.

Your age can make a difference in how RA presents. “In young and middle-aged people, let’s say 30 to 50 years old, RA most often develops insidiously and gradually, whereas in older people its onset is acute and sudden most of the time,” says Kezia Daniel, MD, a rheumatologist at Northwell Health’s Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Another difference she points to: In young people, RA typically affects small joints, like those in your fingers and toes. Older adults, on the other hand, frequently have pain and swelling in large joints like the shoulders, hips, knees, and neck.

3. Myth: RA Is Just Minor Joint Pain in the Hands or Knees

When you have RA, your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. These attacks lead to ongoing, damaging inflammation. This can result in much more than joint pain. “Chronic inflammation will erode the cartilage and bone, which can lead to joint damage and deformity,” says Dr. Daniel. And RA inflammation does not only affect your joints. It can harm your skin, eyes, and lungs, says Ghosh. RA, she adds, also contributes to heart disease and, without treatment, boosts the risk of cancer.

Daniel points out that RA also increases your risk of the following:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Interstitial lung disease
• Osteoporosis
• Blindness
• Vasculitis
• Infections
• Carpal tunnel syndrome

4. Myth: If You Have RA, You Should Avoid Exercise to Protect Your Joints

Actually, the opposite is true. “Exercise does not make joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis worse,” says Ghosh. “In fact, it is recommended.” Why? Ghosh says that inflammation in your joints can weaken the muscles and tendons that surround it. Exercise, she points out, may help prevent this weakening. Exercise also reduces RA disease activity and lowers inflammation. In other words, you’ll feel better if you exercise. “Many [RA patients] feel less stiff and sometimes have less pain after exercise given that mobility tends to help inflammatory joint pain and swelling,” says Ghosh.

Daniel recommends 15 to 30 minutes of exercise a day at least five days a week. “It will lessen pain and stiffness in your joints and will help keep them lubricated,” she says. She recommends asking your rheumatologist to refer you to a physical therapist who can design a safe and effective exercise routine that meets your specific needs.

If any exercise does cause significant joint pain, says Ghosh, don’t ignore it. “Discuss it with your rheumatologist or a sports medicine doctor to assess if the joint has excess inflammation and what can be done to mitigate that,” she says.

5. Myth: Joint Damage From RA Is Inevitable

“Joint damage can be prevented if caught early enough and if treatment regimens can be adhered to,” says Ghosh. That’s because the medications your doctor prescribes will keep RA’s joint-damaging inflammation under control. Daniel stresses the importance of regular follow-up appointments. Your rheumatologist will assess whether your current treatment is adequately managing your RA and preventing its complications. If it’s not, don’t worry. A change in dosage or a switch to another of the many available treatment options should get your disease in check. Your rheumatologist will determine your follow-up schedule, but Daniel says to expect appointments at least every three months.

6. Myth: You Don’t Need Medication Until Your RA Becomes Severe

If you have been diagnosed with RA and have begun to develop symptoms like joint pain, “early treatment is definitely recommended to help prevent joint damage and subsequent worsening of joint damage as time goes on,” says Ghosh. “It may also help prevent systemic complications that can accompany RA, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer risk.” In fact, with treatment, your RA may never become severe, she says.

7. Myth: Medication Is Not Necessary if You No Longer Have RA Symptoms

Right now, RA has no cure. The best that your doctor can do, says Daniel, is get your disease into remission, in which you have little or no active inflammation. “Remission means your medication is successfully doing its job right to suppress the disease,” says Daniel.

Once in remission, your symptoms should ease up significantly. But you likely won’t remain in remission if you stop following your treatment plan. “The majority of patients with rheumatoid arthritis will have a flare or relapse of disease if their medications are stopped, even if they were in clinical remission beforehand,” says Ghosh.

Most of Daniel’s RA patients ask her if they can at least reduce the amount of medication they take when they feel better. Her answer is no. Here’s what she tells them: Many of the medications used for RA require steady, consistent levels in your body to keep your immune system from attacking your joints. “If you take it randomly, the drug levels in your body drop rapidly between doses,” says Daniel. “That puts you at a higher risk for flares.”

The Takeaway

• Misconceptions about rheumatoid arthritis can delay diagnosis and treatment as well as discourage you from making helpful lifestyle changes, such as increasing how much you exercise.
• Following your treatment plan even when you feel better will increase the likelihood that your RA remains under control or in remission. Skipping doses of medications or stopping altogether puts you at risk of a flare, in which your symptoms return.
• RA can develop at any age. If you have symptoms, see a doctor. While the disease can’t be cured, treatments can prevent it from causing serious harm to your joints and other parts of your body.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/common-myths-and-facts-about-ra/