Artificial Sweetener & Joint Pain. If you have arthritis, you're well aware of the pain, inflammation and swelling it causes in your joints. Pain- reducing medication is the primary method of treating arthritis. In addition, making changes to your diet to avoid inflammatory foods in favor of foods that reduce inflammation may help ease your symptoms. In some people with arthritis, artificial sweeteners may be a culprit that requires avoiding. No reports exist of artificial sweeteners causing joint pain in healthy individuals. Because a diet rich in sugar can aggravate arthritis, experts often advise people who have this condition to reduce their sugar intake. This may lead you to consume foods with artificial sweeteners used as sugar substitutes. Like many people with arthritis joint pain, you may have considered taking vitamins and supplements that promise to ease joint pain. And it's true -- the right ones. If you're sensitive to these substances, your immune system may react, triggering an inflammatory response, according to the Arthritis Foundation. The resulting inflammatory response may aggravate arthritis symptoms like joint pain and swelling. If you suspect artificial sweeteners are triggering pain in your joints, try eliminating them for a few weeks to see if your symptoms ease up. Read food labels carefully, because artificial sweeteners occur in many foods - - even in items that you may least expect. You're likely familiar with the brand names for the typical artificial sweeteners, but manufacturers often list them under a generic name on labels. Saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame- K, also listed as ace- K, sucralose and neotame are common artificial sweeteners you may find in the ingredient list. People with arthritis should try to reduce their sugar intake. If you're sensitive to artificial sweeteners, try other alternatives. Stevia is a natural sweetener made from the stevia plant. It gets its sweetness from substances called steviol glycosides, contains zero calories and doesn't raise blood sugar. Yacon syrup is a low- calorie natural sweetener that comes from the yacon tuber. It doesn't raise blood sugar and may actually help manage weight. Researchers found daily yacon syrup consumption resulted in a significant decrease in weight and BMI, according to a study published in the April 2. These are typically foods that help fight inflammation. Tart cherries contain a phytochemical called anthocyanin that may help ease arthritis symptoms. Fish oil also has anti- inflammatory properties, so incorporate fatty fish like mackerel and salmon into your meal plan a couple of times a week. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts are packed with phytochemicals and may also support joint health. Learn how to live without this debilitating disease! People in non-western cultures who eat diets low in animal fat and protein have much lower incidences of all.Gluten- Free Diets and Joint Pain . But what if you have arthritis? Will a gluten- free diet help? Doctors are still debating this point, but some experts say it might. Like many types of arthritis, celiac disease is an autoimmune disease. With these disorders, the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue instead of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. In people who have CD, gluten – a complex of proteins found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye – triggers a powerful autoimmune response that damages the small intestine and affects its ability to absorb nutrients. This can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. This is partly due to inflammation and partly due to poor absorption of vital nutrients. Getting a CD Diagnosis. Celiac disease is diagnosed with a blood test that looks for antibodies to gluten. Antibodies are protein produced by the body's immune system when it detects harmful substances. If the test is positive, it's followed by an endoscopic biopsy to check for small intestine damage. Murray, MD, who directs the Celiac Disease Program at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota. CD damages villi – finger- like protrusions that aid in the absorption of nutrients from the small intestine – and prevents them from doing their job. Although awareness of CD has never been greater, it remains underdiagnosed. One reason is that CD symptoms are subtle and can look like many other things, from irritable bowel syndrome and migraines to arthritis. Another is that a growing number of people with CD don't experience classic gut problems, and a few with severe intestinal damage have no clinical symptoms at all. These days, it can take five to seven years for some patients with celiac disease to be diagnosed – down from an average of 1. Dr. Murray says rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune disorders are red flags that should alert doctors to test for CD because having one autoimmune disease increases the likelihood of having another. A few studies have shown that people with Sjogrens syndrome, psoriatic arthritis and lupus may also have an increased likelihood of having celiac disease. Murray encourages people with autoimmune conditions to talk to their doctor about being screened for celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Gluten Sensitivity: Fact or Fad? Less is known about gluten sensitivity. According to Rochelle Rosian, MD, a rheumatologist at Cleveland Clinic, people who are gluten sensitive have a different type of immune response to grain proteins. They don't develop antibodies to gluten or have small intestine damage, but they do have CD symptoms, especially outside the gut. There is no test for gluten sensitivity, which has created skepticism among some doctors. Rosian, inflammation outside the gut is especially likely to affect the joints. She adds that many of her RA patients who are sensitive to gluten notice less joint pain when they don't eat it. When some, but not all, people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity eliminate these from their diet, they find their arthritis improves. No Pain? Medical experts caution that it's important not to try a gluten- free diet for arthritis before testing for celiac disease because the test won't be accurate.
And sometimes the problem isn't gluten. These can be pro- inflammatory and irritate the gut lining. Rosian says. For people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, however, a gluten- free diet isn't a fad – it's medicine. Going Gluten- free. The only treatment for diagnosed CD and gluten sensitivity is a gluten- free diet. Many people, including those with gluten- related joint pain, may notice improved symptoms within weeks. For others, it may take longer, and some may never find relief. But experts say it's definitely worth talking to your doctor about being screened for CD if you have RA, type 1 diabetes or any other autoimmune disorder. Dr. Murray, coauthor of the American College of Gastroenterology’s guidelines on the diagnosis of celiac disease, encourages people with autoimmune conditions to talk to their doctor about being screened for celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Patients must be heeding Dr. Murray’s advice and physicians must be heeding the advice in the guidelines, because experts at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in New York City say most of their referrals come from rheumatologists and endocrinologists. Updated July 2. 01. Want to read more? Subscribe Now to Arthritis Today!
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