Dr. Lakshminarayanan

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disorder in which the small joints of the hands and feet of the affected person get inflamed. It affects the lining of the joints and causes pain and swelling that may lead to joint deformity and erosion if left untreated.

This disorder of the autoimmunological system occurs when the body's immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

Although this medical condition usually causes joint problems only, sometimes it may go on to affect other body organs like skin, lungs, eyes and blood vessels as well.

Some of the signs and symptoms that are indicative of rheumatoid arthritis are:

1. Problems in the joints

One of the most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis is swelling of the joints that become tender and painful. During the early days, only the smaller joints are affected, especially the finger and toe joints. However as the disease worsens, the symptoms spread to other body parts like knees, wrists, elbows, ankles etc. Joint redness and warmth are also characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis. It is also recognized by joint deformity and stiff joints.

Arthritis is a painful joint condition that leads to pain and stiffness as well as lack of proper mobility due to inflammation and swelling. Usually, an orthopaedic specialist will prescribe anti-inflammatory and pain relieving medication for this condition, but there are various things that you can do to ensure that this condition does not become a debilitating one in the long run. One of the best ways of doing this is by limiting your diet in certain ways when it comes to inflammation producing food.

Here are a few types of food to avoid if you are suffering from arthritis.

1. Fried food: Fried and processed food is packed with too much of salt in order to better preserve it so that it has longer shelf life. Also, the use of oil in order to deep fry can have a detrimental effect on the inflammation that is already causing problems for your joints. Therefore, it is best to avoid fried, fatty and processed or packaged food that has been frozen for too long.
2. AGEs: When we speak of AGEs, we are not talking about the number of birthdays that you have celebrated. AGEs are actually Advanced Glycation End products that are a toxin released by food when it is heated, grilled, fried or pasteurised. These toxins can render damage to the proteins in your body. Once this process starts, the body retaliates by sending forth cytokines which are basically inflammatory messengers. This can lead to inflammation and arthritis.
3. Sugar: Sugar and other refined carbs also have a large amount of AGEs as discussed above. These types of food should also be avoided by patients suffering from arthritis. Also, artificially sweetened drinks and too many baked goodies should be avoided by these patients.
4. Dairy products: Owing to a certain kind of protein that most dairy products contain, these kinds of food are considered harmful for patients of arthritis. These proteins can encourage inflammation and irritation of the tissue that surrounds your joints. Switching to a vegan diet is considered helpful for arthritis patients.
5. Alcohol: Excessive drinking is a major problem that can aggravate your arthritis situation. Smoking and drug abuse also leads to such problems. Drinking excessively can lead to the development of gout.
6. Corn oil: This kind of oil is a part of most packaged, processed and fried food. It also leads to inflammation. Arthritis patients should switch to omega fatty three oils which can be found in fish.

Taking care of your body is a matter of maintaining a good diet with lots of activity that will be congenial for your condition. This will also help in keeping the painful symptoms of arthritis away. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!