Efficacy of gluten-free diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Recent research has increasingly shown that depending on the foods we eat, gut flora may be affected by an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response, thus playing an important role in inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gastroenterological disorders. Gluten seems to be a glycoprotein with a clinically relevant inflammatory effect. Several observational studies and anecdotal cases reported a correlation between gluten and various diseases, including autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. This study aimed to evaluate whether gluten-free diet could be effective in controlling inflammation and ongoing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. We report 4 cases of patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis with no response to several conventional and biotechnological drugs, treated with a gluten-free diet concurrently with the drug therapy. Our patients presented different degrees of response to the diet, in terms of disease remission and improvement of symptoms. Our cases confirm that a gluten-free diet may improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, even in patients resistant to conventional drug therapies.

Antientzündliche Ernährung und Lebensmittel für das Immunsystem

“…Hinzu kommen Empfehlungen aus neuen Studien, bei Rheumatoider Arthritis (RA) auch glutenfreie Pseudogetreide, wie z. B. Quinoa, braunen Reis und Buchweizen mit einzusetzen 19 , 20 . Die löslichen Ballaststoffe in Randschichten der Getreideprodukte, in Schalen, Strünken, Stielen, Häutchen und Fasern von Gemüse und Obst (z.…”

Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…This was done with my physician's knowledge and caution that if I wanted it to work, it had to be “all the way.” There is some literature available that does speak to the effect of gluten for people with autoimmune diseases. From an article in Reumatismo, Bruzzese, Scolieri, and Pepe (2021) reported that a GFD may improve the symptoms of RA. Another article in JAMA (Binder, O'Brien, Spiro, & Hollingsworth, 1966) spoke patients to a report that patients with RA saw improvement within 2 weeks after beginning this diet.…”

Whether a Gluten-Free Diet Should Be Recommended in Chronic Autoimmune Thyroiditis or Not?—A 12-Month Follow-Up

“…According to some reports, a GFD can be beneficial in other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, where it can have an anti-inflammatory effect and improve symptoms in case of resistance to conventional drug therapies [ 20 ].…”