Have Rheumatoid Arthritis? 10 Ways To Protect Your Heart

If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you also have double the risk for heart disease and heart attack.

This may be partly because body-wide inflammation affects the blood-vessel lining too, says Eric L. Matteson, M.D., chair of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn.

Certain RA drugs such as corticosteroids and NSAIDs may also up the risk of heart disease. But here are some things you can do to reduce your risk.

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It's best if you stick with heart-healthy food and consume the right amount of calories to avoid weight gain. "There's no specific rheumatoid arthritis diet," says Guy Fiocco, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, in Temple. One 2003 study conducted in Sweden found that a Mediterranean diet -- high in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats such as olive oil -- lessened inflammation and seemed to promote better physical function in people with RA. Following a Mediterranean diet may be a win-win, since this type of diet has been shown to be good for the heart too. More from Health.com: Health Risks Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis 10 Ways to Ease RA Pain Household Tools for People in Pain

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It's best if you stick with heart-healthy food and consume the right amount of calories to avoid weight gain. "There's no specific rheumatoid arthritis diet," says Guy Fiocco, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, in Temple.

One 2003 study conducted in Sweden found that a Mediterranean diet -- high in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats such as olive oil -- lessened inflammation and seemed to promote better physical function in people with RA.

Following a Mediterranean diet may be a win-win, since this type of diet has been shown to be good for the heart too.

More from Health.com:

Health Risks Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis

10 Ways to Ease RA Pain

Household Tools for People in Pain

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[Trey Junkin]

06:50 PM on 05/23/2011

Grounding or Earthing is showing much promise for RA as well as inflammatory type conditions. Since Rheumatism is actually an immune disorder, balancing the immune system is of utmost importance. It is even thought to be a viral based cause that is affecting the immune system, much the same way HIV leads to AIDS. Natural Zeolites and Earthing (using the earth's negative ions balance the positive ions that cause inflammation) can greatly help. I've tried it myself and I sleep better, joints ache less. You can do earthing by swimming a large natural body of water or just making barefoot contact with grass or dirt, if the soil is moist even better. If you can do this for at least 45 minutes a day you should notice an improvement in pain levels. For other natural remedies like zeolites and homeopathy visit http://arthritisrelieved.com/treatment-for-rheumatoid-arthritis-symptoms/

[Joe3245]

02:58 AM on 05/06/2011

Some cannabinoids in ones system would help kick that inflammation in the butt, too bad they don't have any medical uses.

[beyonceknowles1574]

05:31 PM on 05/02/2011

The take of painkillers for example lortab and oxycodone is a good option for the treatment of the arthritis but the control in the order is necessary because this medications are adicctive.

Beyonce - Findrxonline

[frank day]

10:17 AM on 05/03/2011

painkillers, like opioids, do not treat the disease. They only manage the symptoms.

[RMankovitz]

12:25 PM on 05/02/2011

Ah, the famous Mediterranean diet - more lack of wisdom from the nutrition industry. According to them, the Mediterranean diet is low in fat, and loaded with grains (Not). This misinformation was brought to you by Ancel Keys, a researcher well known for getting everything wrong in his research.

For those of us who have visited the Mediterranean region, the traditional diets actually look something like this:

In Greece, the traditional diet is loaded with full-fat dairy. In Spain, it is loaded with raw cheeses, cured hams, butter, and whole eggs. In France they love bone broths, pates, butter and cheese. In Italy, the diet is very high in animal fats, organ meats are frequently consumed (brain, liver, spleen, tongue), along with raw seafood and red meat, cheese, cured hams, raw dairy, and pastured eggs.

Here is a typical northern Italian breakfast: sourdough bread with butter (in the summer they also put wild berries on it), grilled sausages, grilled wurstel (smoked sausage), speck (similar to bacon), eggs, raw milk, cheese, cream and yogurt. A twenty-pound piece of raw butter on a wooden board is also provided. Apart from sourdough bread and polenta, you will not find any other grain-based food—no nuts, and no legumes.

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com
A research organization

[drvittoriarepetto]

04:11 PM on 05/02/2011

As A first generation Italian American who regularly visits Italy, I'll agree that the Mediterranean diet in Italy uses whole fat dairy. http://drvittoriarepetto.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/is-low-fat-really-healthy/

However Italians eat pasta almost daily and also eat rice dishes (risotto) and other breads. On the Genovese side of my family, breakfast may include somme focciacca (bread w/ lots of olive oil on it
Other typical foods include pesto w/ pine nuts, sugo de noci, ...walnut sauce and beans in their minestone

[RMankovitz]

04:36 PM on 05/02/2011

Hi Vittoria:

As I am sure you are aware, Italy is divided into twenty-one regions with different diet characteristics. In the south or on the coast, there seems to be less dairy but more seafood, including plenty of soups made with fish bones, and of course pasta and rice. In the center of the country, you might find more legumes, meat, and a larger use of dairy, along with many farms which have grass-fed animals and provide raw dairy foods. In the north, the diet tends to be very high in fat and raw dairy.

Regarding grains in the Italian diet, research is beginning to show a high prevalence of celiac/gluten sensitivity in the population. Restaurants serving gluten-free meals are becoming plentiful. See:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11478502

http://www.celiachia.it/home/HomePage.aspx#

[Carlos Monteiro]

09:07 AM on 05/02/2011

Dr, Eric L. Matteson may be right when he says that body-wide inflammation affects the blood-vessel lining too. It is interesting to note that in 1858 Richardson published the results of extensive experiments on dogs in which the injection of large quantities of lactic acid, intraperitoneally, was followed by severe joint involvement. The condition of the joints was similar to that seen in acute arthritis, and Richardson suggested that the arthritic syndrome was due to an accumulation of lactic acid in the body. This theory found further support in 1877, when Foster reported that the administration of lactic acid by mouth to two diabetic patients resulted in painful and swollen joints. The pain and swelling persisted as long as the lactic acid administration was continued and disappeared promptly after the acid was discontinued. These early experiments were apparently never repeated or extended but they have exerted some influence in the formation of hypotheses regarding the disease. (The alleged role of lactic acid in arthritis and rheumatoid conditions, F . A Cajori et al., Arch Intern Med. 1924;34(4):566-572.)
This paper strengthen my thoughts placed in the article “Old experiments with rabbits and dogs provide powerful evidence for the Acidity Theory of Atherosclerosis” where was shown that acid-fed rabbits and dogs may develop atherosclerotic lesions, published in July 13, 2010 at http://aciditytheory.blogspot.com/2010/07/old-experiments-with-rabbits-and-dogs.html
Carlos Monteiro