8 Foods and Beverages to Avoid with Arthritis – Healthline

Arthritis is a common health condition involving chronic inflammation in your joints. It causes pain and damage to joints, bones, and other body parts depending on the type (1).

Osteoarthritis, which is noninflammatory, is the most common — though over 100 types exist. In fact, up to 40% of men and 47% of women may be diagnosed with osteoarthritis during their lifetime (1).

Meanwhile, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis are inflammatory conditions that are considered autoimmune diseases. Gout is another common type of inflammatory arthritis (1).

Research shows that dietary interventions, such as eliminating certain foods and beverages, may reduce symptom severity in people with inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis, as well as improve their overall quality of life.

Here are 8 foods and beverages to avoid if you have arthritis.

You should limit your sugar intake no matter what, but especially if you have arthritis. Added sugars are found in candy, soda, ice cream, and numerous other foods, including less obvious items like barbecue sauce.

A study in 217 people with rheumatoid arthritis noted that among 20 foods, sugar-sweetened soda and desserts were the most frequently reported to worsen RA symptoms (2).

What’s more, sugary beverages like soda may significantly increase your risk of arthritis.

For example, in a study in 1,209 adults ages 20–30, those who drank fructose-sweetened beverages 5 times per week or more were 3 times likelier to have arthritis than those who consumed few to no fructose-sweetened drinks (3).

Furthermore, a large study in nearly 200,000 women associated a regular intake of sugar-sweetened soda with an increased risk of RA (4).

Some research links red and processed meat to inflammation, which may increase arthritis symptoms.

For example, diets heavy in processed and red meats demonstrate high levels of inflammatory markers like interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and homocysteine (5, 6).

The study in 217 people with RA mentioned above also found that red meat commonly worsened RA symptoms. Additionally, a study in 25,630 people determined that high red meat intake may be a risk factor …….

Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-to-avoid-arthritis