Remember the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz? Whenever his joints stiffened up, he pulled out his trusty oil can, and after a few squirts, he was as good as new.
Unfortunately, the medical equivalent of that oil can does not yet exist for the estimated 46 million Americans who have some form of arthritis. That’s 20 percent of the adult population, or one in five adults. Nor is the condition confined to adults. Some 300,000 children are also affected. Do all of these adults and children have the same disease? Not by a long shot.
Arthritis is actually an umbrella term for more than 100 different diseases, according to the national Arthritis Foundation. Arthritis is simply the term used to describe a symptom. And that symptom is stiff, painful, inflamed joints. All kinds of diseases can make that happen.
The problem can range anywhere from the occasional twinge and morning stiffness to pain and inflammation so severe that it deforms the joints. We’ve all seen aged hands with gnarly knuckles and bent, twisted fingers. That’s arthritis at work.
The two most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoarthritis is simply “wear and tear,” damage done to joints over a lifetime of use, says Rebecca K. Kirby, MD, RD, clinical physician and senior scientist at the Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning in Wichita, Kansas. “Very often there is an inflammatory component,” she adds.
Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is a disease in which the immune system gets confused and actually attacks the joints. All that pain and inflammation happens because components of an individual’s immune system declare war on the body’s joints, zapping them with the armaments normally reserved for repelling invading diseases. Why does the immune system do that? No one is sure.
Fortunately, there are some dietary strategies that you can use to protect your joints and possibly even restore some function, notes Dr. Kirby. As a foundation for any kind of healing, eating a healthy diet is important. This means eating lots of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains, she says. In addition, there are a number of individual nutrients that can prove helpful.
In most cases the nutrients that help OA and RA are the same. So we’ll look at all of them together.
If you have either OA or RA, you need to pay special attention to keeping your bones strong, says Dr. Kirby. You need to avoid falls, because they put stress on the joints and can worsen arthritis pain. Plus, people with RA are often prescribed medications that can contribute to osteoporosis (bone-thinning disease), she says. These medications pull minerals from the bones; in order to protect your bones, you need to replace these minerals through diet and supplements, she says. Several supplements can help protect the bones, among them the trace mineral boron. Take 1 to 3 milligrams a day, recommends Dr. Kirby.
If you have arthritis, you need calcium in order to protect your bones, says Dr. Kirby. She advises getting 600 to 1,000 milligrams a day. How much you take as a supplement depends on how much you get in your diet. If you eat a lot of dairy products, take the lesser amount, she says.
If you’re taking zinc, you also need to take copper, because large amounts of zinc interfere with the body’s ability to absorb copper. You need just a tiny amount. Take 1 to 3 milligrams of copper if you’re taking the dosage of zinc recommended in this chapter. Most multivitamins have some copper in them.
GLA is an omega-6 essential fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory properties. (Most omega-6 fatty acids can cause inflammation when they’re out of balance with omega-3s in the body.) You can get GLA in the form of evening primrose oil or borage oil. You may benefit from 500 milligrams two or three times a day, says Dr. Kirby.
Whenever you take calcium, you also need to take magnesium, says Dr. Kirby. You should be taking at least half the amount of magnesium. In other words, if you take 600 milligrams of calcium, you should take 300 milligrams of magnesium. These two minerals work well together, she explains.
Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may help relieve the painful inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. In 1991, Harvard Medical School’s Richard Sperling, MD, published an extensive review of studies on the effects of fish oil, documenting the effectiveness of the supplement.
Fish oil is beneficial for anyone with either OA or RA, says Dr. Kirby. She advises taking at least enough fish oil to get 1,000 milligrams each of the two essential fatty acids EPA and DHA. As the amounts vary in different fish oil products, you’ll need to read labels to make sure you’re getting enough. One good option, she says, is to take cod liver oil, which contains 900 milligrams of EPA and DHA per teaspoon. Cod liver oil now comes in cherry, orange, or mint flavors, so it’s a lot easier to take than it used to be.
“I always make sure people are taking vitamin C,” says Dr. Kirby. “Vitamin C is so important in connective tissue.” How much you take, she says, depends on how low you are in this vitamin. “Most people benefit from taking 500 to 1,000 milligrams two or three times a day.” Your doctor may want you to go even higher, she notes.
This amount is way beyond the RDA for this vitamin. The main side effect from taking large doses of vitamin C is diarrhea. If you get diarrhea, back off on the amount you take until you’re comfortable, advises Dr. Kirby.
A number of scientific studies have suggested that vitamin D may be helpful for decreasing the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers who analyzed data from the ongoing Iowa Women’s Health Study, for example, found that “greater intake of vitamin D may be associated with a lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis in older women.” The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and published in 2004, followed more than 29,000 women for more than 10 years and found that both dietary intake of vitamin D and vitamin D supplements seemed to offer some protection.
“Most cells in the body have receptors for vitamin D,” says Dr. Kirby, so it’s clear that the body needs a good supply. Taking this vitamin as a supplement is helpful whether you have RA or OA.
People with rheumatoid arthritis have an immune system that’s misbehaving, inappropriately attacking joints. Vitamin D functions as an immune regulator, helping the immune system work better, says Dr. Kirby. It also helps keep down inflammation.
Vitamin D is also important for both muscles and balance, says Dr. Kirby. If you have either RA or OA, you need to do whatever you can to avoid falls. Falling is hard on the joints and can exacerbate an already painful condition.
It’s a good idea to take at least 800 to 1,000 IU of Viatamin D a day, she says, adding that your doctor may advise taking a great deal more if you’re deficient.
Zinc may be helpful for people with RA, says Dr. Kirby. She advises taking about 30 milligrams once or twice a day. There are a number of companies that make a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement. This is a good option, she says. And if you take this much zinc, she adds, you need to take copper as well—1 to 3 milligrams.
If you have any form of arthritis, you should discuss any supplements you want to take with your doctor. Interactions between supplements and medications are possible.
Boron |
1 to 3 milligrams a day |
Calcium |
600 to 1,000 milligrams (the lesser amount if you eat a lot of dairy products) |
Copper |
1 to 3 milligrams |
GLA |
500 milligrams, two or three times a day |
Magnesium |
300 to 500 milligrams (take at least half the amount you take of calcium) |
Omega-3 fatty acids |
Take enough fish oil* to get 1,000 milligrams of EPA and DHA. (Read product labels, as the amounts vary.) |
Vitamin C† |
500 to 1,000 milligrams, two or three times a day |
Vitamin D‡ |
800 to 1,000 IU |
Zinc |
30 milligrams, once or twice a day |
*Fish oil has a blood-thinning effect. If you’re taking any kind of blood-thinning drug, talk to your doctor before taking fish oil supplements.
† This large amount of vitamin C may cause diarrhea as a side effect. If it does, reduce the dosage until you are comfortable.
‡ Although this is well over the RDA, your doctor may advise taking a great deal more if you are deficient.