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Arthritis sufferers who adhere
to a gluten-free vegan diet could be better protected
against heart attacks and stroke, according to a
randomized study published yesterday.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered to be a major risk
factor for cardiovascular diseases.
However, according to findings published in the open
access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy, adapting the
diet of RA patients could go some way to protecting
against these heart conditions.
Researchers led by Johan Frostegard of the Rheumatology
Unit at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm
found that a gluten-free vegan diet was shown to lower
cholesterol - both low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and
oxidizedLDL (OxLDL) - in RA sufferers.
In addition, the diet also raised the levels of natural
antibodies against the damaging compounds in the body that
cause symptoms of the chronic inflammatory disease
rheumatoid arthritis, such as phosphorylcholine.
The gluten-free vegan diet was also found to lower the
body mass index (BMI) of patients.
Diets
The researchers divided sixty-six RA patients randomly
into two groups. Thirty-eight of the volunteers were asked
to eat a gluten-free vegan diet for one year, while the
other 28 consumed a well-balanced but non-vegan diet
during the period.
The vegan diet group started with one-day low-energy
fasting, with vegetable broth and berry juices, followed
by the gluten-free vegan diet for one year. In the vegan
diet, protein energy level was 10 per cent of the total
energy intake, carbohydrate was 60 per cent, and fat was
30 per cent.
The vegan diet contained vegetables, root vegetables,
nuts, and fruits. As gluten was not permitted, the diet
contained buckwheat, millet, corn, rice, and sunflower
seeds. Unshelled sesame seeds in the form of sesame milk
were a daily source of calcium.
The control diet contained10-15 per cent protein, 55-60
per cent carbohydrate, and no more than 30 per cent fat.
Five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables were
recommended, as well as increasing intakes of starch and
other complex carbohydrates by eating potatoes, bread, and
cereals and selecting whole-grain products as often as
possible.
Analysis
Frostegard and his team analysed the levels of fatty,
lipid molecules in blood samples using routine analytical
methods at regular periods.
They also measured oxLDL and anti-phosphorylcholine (antiPC)
factor at the beginning of the experiment, at 3 months and
again at 12 months.
The researchers found that the gluten-free vegan diet
reduced "significantly" LDL and oxLDL levels and raised
antiPC antibodies, while also lowering the body-mass index
(BMI) of the volunteers in that group.
Levels of other fatty molecules, including triglycerides
and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) stayed the same. In
contrast, none of the indicators differed significantly
for the control groups on the conventional healthy diet.
Results
"There is now a large body of evidence indicating that
this change of lipid profile is favorable in relation to
atherosclerosis and CVD, and this diet therefore is likely
to be antiatherogenic also in RA," wrote the researchers.
"We also report that both BMI and weight decreased
significantly in the vegan diet group, which was not the
case in the control group. Cholesterol, LDL, and BMI also
differed significantly between groups and not only within
the vegan group."
According to Frostegard, the findings of the study could
be used to improve the long-term health of people with
rheumatoid arthritis.
However, he added that a larger study group will be needed
to discern which particular aspects of the diet are the
most beneficial.
Source
Arthritis Research & Therapy, 2007
"Gluten-free vegan diet induces decreased LDL and oxidized
LDL levels and raised atheroprotective natural antibodies
against phosphorylcholine in patients with rheumatoid
arthritis: a randomized study."
Authors: Ann-Charlotte Elkan, Beatrice Sjöberg, Björn
Kolsrud, Bo Ringertz, Ingiäld Hafström and Johan
Frostegård.
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