Rheumatism: more fish, less pain

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.

People with rheumatoid arthritis should eat fish more often. Consumption can apparently relieve symptoms such as pain and swelling of the joints.

Fish consumption could slow down the inflammatory processes associated with rheumatoid arthritis, ”says Sara Tedeschi, who studied the relationship between diet and joint disease.

Fish on the table twice a week

The researcher and her team from Harvard Medical School in Boston examined a group of 176 rheumatoid patients. Participants who had fish on their plate at least twice a week suffered significantly fewer joint problems than participants who consumed fish a maximum of once a month.

The basis of the evaluation was the so-called Disease Activity Score 28, a system for assessing the disease activity in rheumatoid patients. Its scale ranges from one to ten. On average, the value of all patients examined was 3.5 points. For the fish lovers, the value was 0.5 points lower.

Blueberries and spinach

Other studies also suggest that diet influences the course of rheumatoid arthritis.In a previous study, the scientists had already determined on the basis of patient surveys that blueberries and spinach were mentioned particularly often when it came to improving joint complaints. Sugary lemonades and desserts, on the other hand, seem to worsen the clinical picture.

Immune system attacks

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease that occurs in phases. Around 800,000 people are affected in Germany, around one percent of the population. The inflammation of the joints is caused by an autoimmune reaction in the body in which the immune system attacks the structures of the joints.

Tags:  dental care prevention menopause