RA and gluten
Hello,
I'm having big flare up at the moment with RA and was wondering if a gluten free diet might help?
I read a few things about gluten not being good for inflammation...
Have you tried gluten free diet and does that help anyone ??
( I do not have celiac disease)
Thanks
I'm so sorry to hear about your current flare,
! And I'm glad you've reached out. We can't say for sure whether or not cutting out gluten would help with your symptoms, although I do know that many of our community members have found it helpful, others have found that going gluten free has not made a big difference in their RA symptoms.
Dietary changes can make a big difference for many people, however, just like medical treatments for RA, what works for one person won't necessarily work for the next person, so it might be some trial and error to determine what type of dietary changes (if any) help you.
Hopefully some of the community members who are gluten free or have tried a gluten free diet, will share their experiences with you here. In the meantime, I wanted to share this article with you about some pros and cons of going gluten free, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/nutrition/pros-cons-gluten-free-diet-ra. You might also be interested in this article with some general information about diet and RA, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/diet-and-nutrition.
Please keep us posted, and don't hesitate to reach out to your doctor if needed! Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)Yes, I went gluten free about 6 months ago & it has made a big difference for me! Not stiff anymore & my flares have almost gone away. I’ve really only had 2 in 6 months& they were mild compared to before. My inflation markers in my lab tests are much improved too. Hope that helps, best of luck!
Cindihello,
Did you also go sugar free and low carb or " only" gluten ?? I don't think I could give up on everything and not sure where to start?
I have had RA for over forty years and I always poo-pood diets. Until about five years ago when I did a no-sugar, low carb, high protein diet just to prove to myself it wouldn't' work. Well, lo and behold you can guess what happened. It turned out sugar is a HUGE RA trigger for me, and carbs, which are a form of sugar, is also a trigger. So now I stay away from certain foods and it actually does help with my illness. My doctor said he has heard of diets working but as every person with RA has different triggers, there is no one-size-fits-all diet that works. It all comes down to trial and error for your individual illness. Make sure to consult with your doctors, too, for any major changes. Let us know if there's anything else we can do to help. Keep on keepin' on, DPM
sugar and gluten are the worst for me. Off both, and been dairy free too. Yeah, its true, it's not exciting but I will tell you an unexpected benefit of eating mostly the same things - the stress of having to worry about what I'm going to prepare for dinner, lunch, breakfast, etc. has evaporated more or less. It is actually pretty nice not to have to worry about figuring out what to make etc. It's a silver lining but for me the stress relief of knowing what's coming and what to buy always def is a plus! Keep on keepin' on, DPM
I suspect I have RA still need to get in with Rheumatoid, but I was diagnosed recently with celiac and have gone gluten free. Although it hasn't improved any of my joint issues it did improve bloat and the stomach issues. I have heard others who have gone gluten free that it has helped with their joint inflammation.
Its worth the try and tge gluten free diet isn't bad at all at least in my opinion.thanks for sharing your experience about celiac and going gluten free. (My oldest child has celiac and cutting out gluten definitely also helped some of those digestive symptoms.) I wish that it could've also helped your joint issues, but, as you've discovered, unfortunately what works for relief for one person won't necessarily be the same for the next. It can be a lot of trial and error to find a treatment that brings relief and while some people find going gluten free eases some of their RA symptoms, it, unfortunately, doesn't work the same for everyone.
All that being said, I hope that you can get in to see a rheumatologist fairly quickly so that you can figure out what's causing your joint issues and get on the path to some treatment and relief! It sounds like you don't quite have an appointment set up yet, but I thought you might be interested in this article from one of our health leaders about what to expect at the first rheumatology appointment, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/what-to-expect-at-your-first-rheumatologist-appointment.
Please don't hesitate to reach out here, whether you have questions, need to vent, or could use some support! And, if you're comfortable, keep us posted with how you're doing and how it goes with the doctor.
Wishing you a gentle day. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
