TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of the Mediterranean diet on rheumatoid arthritis prevention and treatment
T2 - a systematic review of human prospective studies
AU - Forsyth, Casuarina
AU - Kouvari, Matina
AU - D’Cunha, Nathan M.
AU - Georgousopoulou, Ekavi N.
AU - Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B.
AU - Mellor, Duane D.
AU - Kellett, Jane
AU - Naumovski, Nenad
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune disease characterised by severely swollen and painful joints. To compliment pharmacotherapy, people living with rheumatoid arthritis often turn to dietary interventions such as the Mediterranean diet. The aim of the present systematic review is to discuss the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the management and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis in human prospective studies. Four studies met the inclusion criteria, including two intervention studies reporting improvement in the pain visual analogue scale (p < 0.05) and a decrease in the health assessment questionnaire for rheumatoid arthritis score (p < 0.05) in the Mediterranean diet groups. Only one study reported a reduction in the 28 joint count disease activity score for rheumatoid arthritis for the Mediterranean diet group (p < 0.05). This review has identified beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet in reducing pain and increasing physical function in people living with rheumatoid arthritis. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to support widespread recommendation of the Mediterranean diet for prevention of rheumatoid arthritis.
AB - Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune disease characterised by severely swollen and painful joints. To compliment pharmacotherapy, people living with rheumatoid arthritis often turn to dietary interventions such as the Mediterranean diet. The aim of the present systematic review is to discuss the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the management and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis in human prospective studies. Four studies met the inclusion criteria, including two intervention studies reporting improvement in the pain visual analogue scale (p < 0.05) and a decrease in the health assessment questionnaire for rheumatoid arthritis score (p < 0.05) in the Mediterranean diet groups. Only one study reported a reduction in the 28 joint count disease activity score for rheumatoid arthritis for the Mediterranean diet group (p < 0.05). This review has identified beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet in reducing pain and increasing physical function in people living with rheumatoid arthritis. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to support widespread recommendation of the Mediterranean diet for prevention of rheumatoid arthritis.
KW - Arthritis
KW - Autoimmune
KW - Mediterranean diet
KW - Review
KW - Rheumatoid arthritis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85038374556&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/effects-mediterranean-diet-rheumatoid-arthritis-prevention-treatment-systematic-review-human-prospec
U2 - 10.1007/s00296-017-3912-1
DO - 10.1007/s00296-017-3912-1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85038374556
SN - 0172-8172
VL - 38
SP - 737
EP - 747
JO - Rheumatology International
JF - Rheumatology International
IS - 5
ER -
