Dietary Interventions for Treatment of Chronic Pain: Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Abstract

Chronic pain is highly prevalent in the United States, impacting 28.4% of the adult population, or 69.6 million people, as of 2016. Chronic pain is often associated with anxiety, depression, and restrictions in mobility and daily activities, substantially reducing quality of life. Analgesics, especially opioids, are one of the primary pharmaceutical treatment methods for chronic pain. However, prescription opioid misuse and abuse has become increasingly prevalent and concerning, prompting the need for research into alternative treatment methods which avoid the side effects of traditional treatments. Chronic pain is, in part, thought to be the result of oxidative stress and inflammation, and clinical research has indicated links between these conditions and diet. Thus, dietary interventions are a particularly promising therapeutic treatment for chronic pain, with numerous studies suggesting that diet has a noticeable effect on pain as far down as the cellular level. In this review article, data from a number of clinical trials assessing the effect of three diets-antioxidant-rich, low-carbohydrate, and Mediterranean-on oxidative stress and inflammation is compiled and discussed in the context of chronic pain. Clinical data suggests that low-carbohydrate diets and Mediterranean diets both are especially promising dietary interventions.

Dietary Habits and Musculoskeletal Pain in Statin and Red Yeast Rice Users: A Pilot Study

“…However, the consumption of fruits and vegetables [52,53], rich in antioxidant flavonoids, as well as Med-D and physical activity [53], can reduce musculoskeletal pain. Med-D can reduce chronic pain [54], and a high adherence to the Med-D was associated with pain improvement in older adults recruited in the Seniors-ENRICA-1 and Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohorts [55]. Furthermore, the health effects of Med-D are well documented [1][2][3][4] and relationships between adherence to Med-D and ON [18] have been reported.…”

The Hydroethanolic Stem Bark Extract of Tieghemella heckelii (A.Chev.) Pierre ex Dubard (Sapotaceae) Produced N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) Receptor-Dependent Analgesia and Attenuates Acute Inflammatory Pain via Disruption of Oxidative Stress

“…Excess ROS in the body leads to oxidative stress which occurs when the body's inborn antioxidant defense grid is overpowered by excess ROS. Oxidative stress has been reported to be the basic mechanism for diverse pain-related symptoms [ 27 ]. ROS production was also reported in the carrageenan-induced paw oedema assay [ 28 ].…”

Diet and Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: The State of the Art and Future Directions

“…Three other reviews, collectively including 218 studies (evidence level 2b) have also explored the role of nutrition in CNCP. However, these studies include a large number of mechanism-based studies, and have summarised the literature, rather than provided a synthesis of results [ 35 , 87 , 88 ]. When comparing the summaries provided in these reviews to the results from the systematic reviews outlined above, it is still evident that the literature points towards optimising diet quality, increasing consumption of core foods such as fruit, vegetables, breads and cereals, meat, dairy, and their alternatives and reducing energy-dense nutrient-poor foods such as confectionary, sugar sweetened beverages, and processed meats.…”

“…The specific mechanisms and predominant sites of inflammation, along with the genetic and epigenetic vulnerabilities of the person, influence disease expression. For example, oxidative stress may exacerbate neuropathy [ 35 ]. Changes in the vascular endothelium are correlated with cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome [ 36 , 37 ].…”