OverSixty July 2023 Digital

OVERSIXTY.COM.AU | ISSUE 5 | JULY 2023 13 LIVEWELL 7 foods most likely to trigger arthritis !ares LIVE WELL White !our based products, gluten and dairy are some of the foods that trigger arthritis symptoms Photo: Getty Images JUSTINE FIGUEROA LIVE WELL W hile there is no list of “arthritis-trig- gering foods” that all people with arthritis should avoid regardless of their health circumstances and speci!c con- dition (there are many di"erent kinds of arthritis), there are certain foods that may promote in#ammation and possi- bly aggravate symptoms. Whether or not a speci!c food is problematic can vary from person to person. If you have arthri- tis, consider experimenting with limiting certain foods to see if you get some relief. Dairy One of the food types to consider avoid- ing if you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is full-fat dairy products, according to 2018 research published in Clinical Rheu- matolog y. RA, an autoimmune condition, may #are up in response to the proteins found in dairy. Some people with RAmay be intolerant to proteins found in milk. But not everyone with arthritis reacts the same way to milk – or to other types of dairy. In a 2015 study of women with osteoarthritis published in Arthritis Care & Researc h, milk improved knee pain but cheese made it worse. Experiment to see how foods a"ect your type of arthritis. Fried foods Fried foods contain a lot of saturated fat, which can worsen in#ammation, says dietitian Lona Sandon, who suggests switching to unsaturated fats. For exam- ple, try olive oil rather than butter to see if your symptoms improve. Sugar According to a study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , processed sugars found in many packaged snack foods can trigger the release of in#ammatory mole- cules called cytokines into the body. $is may exacerbate arthritis symptoms. Meat Meat is higher in fat and kilojoules than other foods, which are more easily me- tabolised into chemicals that cause in- #ammation in the body. It’s worse if you grill, sear, or fry meats at high tempera- tures because that charred #avour comes from toxins called AGEs (advanced gly- cation end products) that may damage proteins in the body. AGEs are broken apart by cytokines, which can then cause Certain foods may aggravate arthritis. Here’s what to consider avoiding to reduce pain and in#ammation in#ammation. “We expect that increased levels of AGEs increase in#ammation, although a direct link to arthritis is not !rmly established,” says nephrologist Dr Jaime Uribarri, who has conducted many studies on the topic. :KLWH ȵRXU EDVHG SURGXFWV White foods, for example, white rice, breads, and crackers – all of which con- tain re!ned carbohydrates – can also hike production of AGEs and cause in- #ammation. $e molecular structure of re!ned grains is fairly simple: “$e body turns them into sugar more quickly, and sugar is highly in#ammatory,” says dieti- tian Barbara Olendzki. Opt for whole or multi-grain carbohydrates instead. Gluten Gluten, a sticky protein found in wheat and related grains, such as barley and rye, can promote in#ammation in some people. $ose who have coeliac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which glu- ten prompts the body to literally attack and injure the digestive tract, should go 100 per cent gluten free. People with ar- thritis who have gluten intolerance, a less serious condition that can still trigger in#ammation and other symptoms, may also want to cut out gluten. Dietitian Joy Bauer suggests people with certain types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, get tested for coeliac disease, as they of- ten occur together, she says. $OFRKRO Alcohol doesn’t just impact liver func- tion, it also disrupts interactions between other organs, potentially causing in#am- mation. Although some research sug- gests red wine can help keep the heart, muscles, and joints healthy, a study pub- lished in Alcoholism, Experimental and Clinical Research found excessive alcohol use increases the production of in#am- matory cytokines in the body.