With stiff backs and sore knees, many of the 80 million baby boomers are starting to follow in
their parents' footsteps - in ways they never wanted to.
As the generation born between 1946 and 1963 hits the half-century mark, they are discovering what it's like to feel the age-related aches and pains of their mothers and fathers.
More than 21 million Americans - of all ages - have some degree of osteoarthritis, caused by a breakdown of the cartilage pads in joints, such as knees and elbows. Without this "articular cartilage," bones grind against each other, causing inflammation and pain.
The next most common form is rheumatoid arthritis, affecting some 2.5 million people. It is primarily an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body's immune cells attack connective tissue, particularly around the joints, as if it were a bacterial infection. The result is inflammation, stiffness, pain, and often disfigured hands and fingers.
Why Are People Primed for Inflammation?
Despite the differences between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, both diseases share some common characteristics. Chief among them is an immune system primed to over-react to inflammatory triggers, such as injuries and infections. Normally, inflammation plays a central role in healing and fighting infections.
What turns on the immune system with such a pro-inflammatory fury? A big part of the reason is a diet containing too many of the nutritional building blocks for the body's pro-inflammatory compounds and not enough anti-inflammatory substances.
Two groups of essential dietary fats form the foundation of the body's pro- and anti inflammatory compounds, called eicosanoids. The omega-6 fats, abundant in most vegetable oils, are converted into arachidonic acid, which in turn is converted to prostaglandin E2, one of the most potent inflammation-causing eicosanoids.
But it wasn't always that way. Historically, the diet contained almost equal amounts of omega-6 fats and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, found in leafy green vegetables and coldwater fish, such as salmon. Extensive food processing has shifted the balance, and experts now estimate that trace amounts of omega-3 fats are smothered by 20 or 30 times more omega-6 fats.
In addition, large amounts of trans fats, found in hydrogenated vegetable oils, further interfere with the body's use of omega-3 fats. Large amounts of trans fats are now found in many foods, including cookies, cakes, chocolate bars, salad dressings, and margarine. For example, half of the fat in many supermarket brands of "breakfast bars" consists of trans fats.
Adding to the problem, only 9 to 32 percent of Americans (depending on the cited study) eat many vegetables and fruits, rich sources of antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamin C, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Antioxidants block the activity of "adhesion molecules," which maintain and promote inflammatory reactions.
With the nutritional deck stacked in favor of inflammation, it becomes difficult for the body to turn off a strong inflammatory response to an injury, infection, or allergy-causing substance. Instead, the body ramps up various types of white blood cells, cytokines, and prostaglandins to sustain inflammation. The inevitable consequence is a breakdown of normal tissues.
All of the over-the-counter and prescription medications for arthritis relieve symptoms, but do not treat the underlying causes. For example, some of the most popular nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), including ibuprofen and aspirin, accelerate the breakdown of joint cartilage. The highly touted prescription "Cox-2 inhibitor" drugs can cause severe gastrointestinal pain, and some appear to increase the risk of heart disease. And, except for aspirin, NSAIDS also increase the risk of heart failure, and one-fifth of the 5 million American cases of heart failure may be related to NSAID use.
Give Your Body an Oil Change
To settle down an overactive immune system, start by avoiding pro-inflammatory foods and increasing your intake of foods that enhance the building blocks of your body's anti inflammatory compounds.
For example, do your best to eliminate as many "convenience" packaged foods as possible, including microwave foods. Many of these foods are high in calorie-dense carbohydrates, sugars, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and trans fats. Meanwhile, boost your intake of nutrient-dense coldwater fish, such as salmon, which are rich in two powerful anti-inflammatory compounds, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Also, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, which provide a diverse selection of antioxidants.
It's essential to avoid foods prepared with corn, safflower, soybean and other vegetable oils, which are high in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats. Instead, use olive oil, high in anti inflammatory omega-9 fats, as your primary cooking oil. In addition, replace salt with various culinary herbs, such as oregano, basil, and garlic - all high in anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
It also helps to recognize and eliminate allergy-like food sensitivities, which can aggravate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Dairy products and gluten-containing grains (such as wheat, rye, and barley) are among the most common food allergens, and studies have found that avoid them often eases arthritic symptoms, including morning stiffness and the number of swollen joints in many people.
In addition, an estimated 20 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis, react to one or all nightshade foods, which include tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tobacco (which is chewed or smoked rather than eaten). The reaction appears to be related to small amounts of toxins in these foods.
Supplements for Osteoarthritis
Glucosamine and chondroitin. Supplements of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate were controversial when they became popular several years ago. Considerable clinical research now shows that glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate reduce pain in osteoarthritis. In a recent scientifically controlled study, Jean Yves Reginster, M.D., of the University of Liege, Belgium, found that glucosamine supplements helped increase the thickness of joint cartilage. Daily dose: 1,500 mg glucosamine sulfate and 1,000 mg chondroitin sulfate.
Sulfur. A recent study by John Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., of Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, suggests that the sulfate (sulfur) molecule, not the glucosamine, might be responsible for the supplement's benefits. Sulfate is essential for the body's production of new cartilage. According to Hoffer, blood levels of glucosamine do not increase after supplementation, whereas sulfate levels in the blood and joints do.
His finding might also explain why some people report methylsulfonyl methane (MSM) to be beneficial in osteoarthritis. Hoffer also found that acetaminophen lowered sulfur levels, indicating that the popular drug might aggravate osteoarthritis.
Omega-3 fats. In addition to their general anti-inflammatory properties, omega-3 fish oils inhibit the activity of aggrecanases, a family of enzymes known to break down cartilage. Omega 3 fats also reduce the activity of pro-inflammatory compounds, including interleukin-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2). Daily dose: 3-10 grams.
Botanicals. Herbs and spices contain scores of antioxidant polyphenols and flavonoids. They are also rich in naturally occurring salicylates, substances related to aspirin. All of these substances help reduce inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, such as by inhibiting adhesion molecules, quenching free radicals (which stimulate inflammation), and inhibiting Cox-2, key enzyme involved in producing pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2.
Many other plant remedies are helpful as well. A study conducted at the University of Miami recently found that extracts of ginger reduced pain in people with knee osteoarthritis. Pcynogenol®, a complex of antioxidant extracted from the bark of French maritime pine trees, is a powerful anti-inflammatory, although it has not been used specifically in arthritis.
One promising new botanical extract is Nexrutine™, derived from the Chinese herb Phellodendron amurense. Its constituents, like those in many herbs, has been shown to inhibit activity of the gene controlling the Cox-2 enzyme. In an unpublished clinical trial, 500 mg of Nexrutine reduced joint pain in almost three-fourths of 53 subjects. Daily dosage: follow label instructions on botanical products.
Supplements for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Omega-3 fats. To quickly restore a balance of dietary fats, it helps to "unbalance" the diet in favor of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. Still, it may take several months to notice an improvement. A Scottish study of 64 men and women found that supplements containing about three grams of omega-3 fish oils daily resulted in a significant reduction of arthritic symptoms and less need to take conventional medications. Other research has shown that omega-3 fish oils reduce levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Daily dose: 3-10 grams.
Gamma-linolenic acid. GLA is an omega-6 fatty acid that resembles omega-3s in its anti inflammatory properties. It boosts levels of anti-inflammatory prostaglandin E1, which suppresses pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2. Human trials with GLA (approximately 1.4 grams daily) have shown consistent benefits over several months, reducing symptoms by roughly one-third to one-half.
Studies by Robert Zurier, M.D., of the University of Massachusetts, Worcester, used 1.4 grams of GLA daily to treat 37 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inflamed joints. After 24 weeks, both physicians and patients noted significant reductions in symptoms. In another study, Zurier doubled the dosage of GLA, which resulted in significant improvements. Daily dosage: 1.4 to 2.8 grams.
Vitamin E. Several years ago, British and German researchers reported treating 42 patients with either 1,800 IU of vitamin E or placebos daily for 12 weeks. The subjects kept a daily diary describing their early morning stiffness, evening pain, and pain after routine daily activities. On average, arthritis pain decreased by about one-half among patients taking vitamin E supplements. Furthermore, more patients taking vitamin E improved compared with those taking placebos - 60 percent versus 32 percent.
In a more recent study, Egyptian researchers found that supplements of either vitamin E or a multi-antioxidant supplement greatly enhanced the effect of medications for rheumatoid arthritis. People taking the vitamins had substantial improvements in the first month of treatment. Those not taking vitamins did not start to improve until a month later. Daily dosage: 400 IU in combination with other supplements.
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The information provided by Jack Challem is strictly educational and not intended as medical
advice. For diagnosis and treatment, consult your physician.