OMG RA GETS A MENTION!

[alibromo]

Watching daybreak, news came on & RA was in the news. Apparently eating oily fish once a week can help prevent the risk of getting Rheumatoid Arthritis. Well i really dont like these type of fish , but before being diagnosed with RA 4 years ago i did for a number of years take daily cod liver oil every day I have always wondered if having a hysterectomy quite youngish & not having enough support about hrt so didnt carry on with it if that may have been 1 of the reasons i ended up with health problems. Xx Alison

[helixhelix]

Well I eat oily fish at least twice a week as well as other fish a couple of times a week, and have done so for 30+ years as my OH doesn't eat meat. And I still got RA!

That's the problem with things that just change your susceptibility, as isn't a sure fire guarantee but just alters the probabilities a bit. So I guess that I must have been at a very high risk of getting RA, so even eating a mountain of fish didn't help..... But hopefully research like this will help others as one day researchers may finally identify a way to stop it. Polly

[cathie]

theguardian.com/society/201...

And Ailsa comments!

[Hidden in reply to cathie]

Sorry I couldn't read it earlier because I was using my iphone only. Now read it and I have to say I'm like Polly - I've eaten fish all my life and at least once a week I have eaten either tuna, salmon or mackeral - sometimes all three at once if I'm having fish pie as I was tonight! Salmon is lovely and not too fishy compared to others I would say. It goes really well with mayonaise and new potatoes and is delicious in fish pie. For myself I do believe the shift in diet to a very med diet low fat of all types of fish and meat, no gluten with plenty of leafy veg and salad and olive oil has helped keep my RA pretty well behaved to date. But maybe this is just good luck? I can't say for certain. x

[cathie in reply to Hidden]

I should try it. But the problem with these 'scientific' studies is that they apply to the average rather than the individual. If you're anything like me you could eat as much salmon as you could and you'd still get whatever... We have fish tonight too (sea bass) - or in French sea wolf. Yum

[Hidden in reply to cathie]

Yum indeed - although I was told to stop eating the fish pie up when I helped myself to seconds because it was full calorie. What a cheek - I felt very chastened. If I had only read the article first my angle could have changed! X

[Hidden]

My GP was reported on some BBC health blog as saying that he prescribes oily fish to patients with vitamin D absorption issues and when I asked to have my bit D tested a few weeks ago he lectured me about getting enough sunlight and asked if I eat sardines. I eat mackerel once a week and sometimes sardines now (yiuck!) but he was meaning eat everyday as the small bones help far more with vitamin D and calcium than supplements he felt. I should have asked for it on prescription but didn't want to antagonise him further!

And given that vitamin D and calcium are both linked with autoimmunity and with the muscoskelital health I can see that eating them often would be a bonus but I don't think they should be presenting this as some kind of cure or deterrent because, like Polly, I've always eaten oily fish and been outside as much as possible and I still have RA! X

[cathie]

I dont think they are presenting this as a cure. If you read the Guardian article about the research (they give the full reference too) they're talking about prevention rather than anything else. And Aylsa's comments are very wise. Sadly I dont really like salmon but should find a tasty sauce to have with it as I'm sure its good and cheap too.

[Hidden]

I always buy a couple of tins of mackerel each week and have it on toast for lunch as I love it In fact I've just had some today. Sadly I still have RA but I tell myself it could be worse if I didn't bother. Next thing they'll be calling it a superfood and hiking the price up!

[Dogrose]

I've never eaten any type of fish as I was brought up veggie, even the slightest smell of fish makes me gip so anything fish related is no good to me. It is sort of a shame as I probably would have had no problem eating it if I had been brought up to. xxx

[francherry]

I've eaten oily fish several times a week since I was a child and for the past few years have eaten it every day. I'm going to carry on doing this even though I have RA because I think it's doing me some good. It's great to see RA mentioned in the media again though.

[DavidT]

Unfortunately since being diagnosed with RA I have been unable to eat any type of fish as it makes me nauseous.

Not sure if it is due to the medications or the RA.so afraid not a lot of help to me. shame.

[Hidden]

They are running a similar article in the Daily Express today regarding this issue, what was interesting about the findings were that you had not take any supplements other than eating the fish. But as said earlier it was about people who had eaten if before RA. They spoke to someone at Arthritis Research UK and they said that is was interesting that food can have an effect, which they had known about for ages but it can help one person and another may not have the same result. But that they were looking at peoples diets to see if there was a way forward.

For myself I only like Salmon, Cod and Prawns, otherwise the smell puts me off. I have found that since the onset of this disease that I am unable to eat Peaches as my throat starts to close up, it also happens with Nectarines some times. Apples which I used to love and ate tremendous amounts, causes real problems with my gums now as well.

I think food does have a part to play.

[cathie in reply to Hidden]

Yes and the NRAS comment was spot on wasnt it.

[Hidden in reply to cathie]

Very true Cathy.

[dtech in reply to Hidden]

Why do apples affect your gums? They can attack enamel of teeth as many mums are finding out now sadly. They think they are doing right by their kids giving them 'healthy' fruit juice, only to find the acidity is causing caries in milk teeth.

[Hidden in reply to dtech]

As you mention the acidity, it happens each time I eat an apple, I get similar results from Strawberries as well, the gums become very inflamed all over and very sore. If I don't eat these or in very moderation, (one every couple of months), then I am ok.

[dtech in reply to Hidden]

Have you been allergy tested for these and other fruits? My wife gets a rash on the inside of her arms if she eats too many strawberrys. But apples as well? That's odd?

[allanah]

My dad had oily fish and cod liver oil capsules, he still got RA ....and bad breath xxxx

[dtech]

It was a survey they carried out in Sweden. Eating oily fish reduced the odds of getting RA by 52% apparently.