Anti inflammatory diets PMR

[Hephzi]

Do most of you follow anti inflammatory diets? I am thinking of trying to make this change. Any recommendations on books or tips in general? Did it help to lower your inflammation?

Thanks

[piglette]

I am currently reading ‘Food for Life’ by Dr Tim Spector. He reckons that we are all different and food can affect us all differently. I became a nutrition nerd when I was diagnosed with PMR as I did not want to get a moon face! I have read quite a few books on nutrition since and have an app that checks vitamins etc consumed. It does seem that opinions change on what food professionals say are good and bad for us. How good is your diet now?

[Pondhopper in reply to piglette]

Were you able to avoid moonface with diet?

[piglette in reply to Pondhopper]

Amazingly enough I did. I will never know if it were good luck or my diet though! It did introduce me to a new hobby so I can bore everyone with the nutrients in what we are eating!!!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I think I would have to say "Probably not". There is no one rule for what is pro-inflammatory for someone, it varies as piglette has mentioned. And it won't replace pred.

What we do push is a low carb diet for various reasons, mostly to help reduce the risk of weight gain when on pred and also developing pred-induced diabetes. But that in itself is anti-inflammatory because sugars and simple carbs are very pro-inflammatory.

[Paulagcl in reply to PMRpro]

I've been trying to follow it, which isn't hard since it is not all that different from my usual diet before PMR. Mostly I have cut way down on red meat and I focus on more fruits and veggies. Can't hurt, anyway, to try! I think of it as trying to support the medication.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Paulagcl]

New work suggests red meat really isn't the baddy it has been made out to be - unless you are overweight.

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

Your protein intake is important so if you are cutting meat - make sure you have other proteins. Careful with fruit too - it can be a significant source of carbs, especially bananas and too many apples.

[Paulagcl in reply to PMRpro]

That's interesting about bananas. Apples I don't eat much any more -- I always bought organic, and where I am living now, food is prepared and I am sure they buy the least expensive. Apples are one of the fruits that apparently have some of the worst pesticides, at least here.

[benhemp]

Three months ago, I switched to a carnivore diet (I just eat meat, preferably ruminants, plus eggs, fish, and cultivated dairy products like sour cream and high fat Greek yogurt) to deal with the PMR pain and stiffness in my neck, shoulders, and hips. After two weeks of this diet, my pain had subsided by 80% and my stiffness was significantly less, and my range of motion improved similarly. I am continuing on this diet, though it is not my preferred way to eat; the pain/stiffness relief is worth it.

I also suffer from psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia; these have not improved as much, though my psoriasis patch on my upper left arm has shrunk by 50% and is less inflamed. I just saw a new rheumatologist (four years since I last saw one), and she is inclined to put me on otezla for the psoriatic symptoms if she can persuade my insurance to cover it. If they won't, she would like me to try methotrexate. I am waiting to hear back about that.

Hope this is helpful to you or any others.

[ShadyLady165 in reply to benhemp]

I've been carnivore for a couple of months now (red meat is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet) and have been able to reduce Pred more easily than ever. In addition a number of little niggles have improved. If you want more info on carnivore, check out Dr. Anthony Chaffee's videos. He's a neurologist, trained in the US, currently practicing in Perth and he's totally carnivore. Given his physique, it must do something!

[benhemp in reply to benhemp]

Just heard back from the rheumy. She says my blood markers and my leg cramps and foot Xrays make her more concerned about my sero-positive rheumatoid arthritis (despite no deformed joints) than about my psoriatic arthritis, so she is putting me on methotrexate (it treats both conditions) rather than otezla which would only treat the PSA.

[OldPenny]

Modern thinking, hopefully not just a fad, is that you need to consider what is best for your gut microbiome (e. g. "Food for Life" by Dr. Tim Spector as referenced by piglette and also by me).My wife and I have both bought into the ZOE nutrition study (literally) this year and, while there are many (80%+) similarities in suggested "gut booster" foods, there are also differences between us (e. g. how we process fats).

Eating what can be called a low-carbon diet is a good plan to start with. We get our protein from dairy, nuts, legumes, soy and fish. We eat many different vegetables and fruits during the week. The trick, like becoming a vegetarian, is to find tasty recipes that are enjoyed by you and your family.

Bread, pastry, potatoes etc. all have the potential to raise your blood sugar levels and produce a post-prandial slump. Just about all sweet things should be eaten rarely as treats and places like Greggs and McDonald's should largely be avoided. You get the picture 😬.

We feel much better on this type of diet; I hope that you will too. OP

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to OldPenny]

Do you mean low carbon or low carb? Low carbon is not necessarily low in carbohydrates but is based on regional eating to minimise a carbon footprint.

[OldPenny in reply to PMRpro]

Good spot! Not sure where carbon came from. Carbohydrates, of course.Thanks, Pro 👍

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to OldPenny]

Autocorrect has a lot to answer for!! And SusyTe noticed I'd put it in the wrong place at first!

[SusyTe]

Is this a reply to OldPenny rather than to benhemp? 🤔

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SusyTe]

You're right - how did that happen!!!! And sorted ...

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to PMRpro]

HU gremlins natch!

[agingfeminist]

I had been on an almost completely anti-inflammatory diet for years before I got PMR/GCA!

The pred really hammers the inflammation. I have continued with my usual diet and further cut all white carbs to prevent diabetes and weight gain. Moonface came and went.

A good diet (a la Tim Spector) is a good habit, esp loads of different veggies.

Happy eating!

[Gimme]

I did not get a diagnosis of PMR until Nov 2022 and started pred Feb 2023, though I have had the pain and stiffness and fatigue symptoms of PMR for a very long time. I was told that I was pre-diabetic at the beginning of 2022 and there was a noticeable improvement in my PMR symptoms when I was on the diabetes prevention diet. When I went on pred, I started following the diet again to avoid weight gain and it worked for that. It is basically low Glycaemic Index, so I limit carbs, but did not cut out completely. Added sugar as sucrose and savoury high carb snacks seem to be big triggers for my pain and stiffness and I suffer when I lapse.

So I would say that I loosely follow an anti inflammatory diet. No added sugar, no alcohol, Low GI carbs, minimal processed foods, no cured or processed meats, avoid seed oils and use olive oil instead. My diet has plenty of oily fish and green leafy veg, which are said to be anti inflammatory. I don't eat grains either because of an intolerance. I didn't give up carbs completely, I just try to limit them to when I need the energy. I also limit saturated fats to avoid unwanted extra calories. Overall, I would say it is a healthy balanced diet with plenty of variety and I find it easy to follow. I also take B complex, to compensate for the lack of grains, and I take the all important Vitamin D as a supplement. I do allow occasional treats, so I don't feel too deprived.

[Leafsong66]

Thanks for sharing. I am trying to do a similar approach. Can’t afford to continue to put on weight whilst on Prednisolone, and to add strain to my scoliosis. Hopefully the anti inflammatory effects will reduce the length of the GCA disease process. I have found cutting the carbs helpful for reducing the hunger pangs Pred seems to give you. It took a week of determination to make the switch. I am not perfect at it, but generally try to stay on the Waggon , and allow myself grace for the times Carbs are unavoidable. Interestingly I was sort of obligated to have an egg and bacon muffin for breakfast this morning at a social event. 20 minutes later I felt exhausted and keen to go home. Has reminded me that I prefer to keep to this eating plan.

[DogAgilityObsessed]

I think food is such an interesting topic and I think I will read Tim Spector's book (as recommended above).

Like PMRPro and others have said, I suspect the one thing we can all usefully do is reduce our carb intake - especially refined carbs. After I started on pred for PMR in 2020 I put on a lot of weight (but so did my husband and he wasn't on pred!). Last year I felt I wasn't in control and decided the one thing I could do was control what I ate. So I invested in the Fast800 app (you can just use the book and general principles but the app made it all so much easier) and I lost over 3 stone (my husband lost over five!). The other thing I do is restrict my eating to generally less than 10 hours a day (so fasting for 14+ hours each day).

We have been vegetarian for nearly 40 years and husband does most of the cooking nowadays. We have hundreds of cook books but as well as the Fast800 app we also use The Doctor's Kitchen app which can help if you are looking for anti-imfamatory (or other) recipes.

I think I would sum up our philosophy as:

1. Eat a plant based diet but don't shy away from healthy fats

2. Reduce carbs (especially refined)

3. Don't eat processed foods - cook from scratch and check the nutrition information on anything you do buy

4. Eat lots of coloured vegetables but be careful how much fruit you eat (berries are probably better than tropical fruits)

and the one I don't follow but possibly should:

5. Cut down on alcohol

I think everyone needs to identify what works for them though and there probably isn't a single right answer.

[herdysheep]

'5. Cut down on alcohol' ah, yes, that one! But it is fermented fruit and the highly recommended water.

[whitefishbay]

I am going to start to cut out the inflammatory foods but I love tomatos.....

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to whitefishbay]

There is no real evidence they contribute to inflammation. Like the effect of various foods on blood sugar, everyone is different. I eliminated various nightshade fruits and veggies - no effect at all except my diet was less interesting.