Plant diet eases arthritis symptoms
A plant‑based diet intervention improved disease activity and symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and participants rated the program highly and recommended it to others—suggesting real clinical as well as lifestyle benefits. The Rheumatology Live coverage highlights patient‑reported improvements rather than just biomarker shifts. (rheum-live.com)
The randomized, assessor‑blind Plants for Joints (PFJ) trial enrolled 83 participants and saw 77 complete the 16‑week program; participants were 92% female with a mean age of 55 years and mean baseline DAS28 of 3.8. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). (rheum‑live.com). After 16 weeks the PFJ arm showed a 0.9‑point greater improvement in DAS28 versus control (95% CI 0.4–1.3; P<0.0001). (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Between‑group secondary changes at 16 weeks included a mean weight difference of −3.9 kg, fat mass −2.8 kg, waist circumference −3 cm, HbA1c −1.3 mmol/mol and LDL cholesterol −0.32 mmol/L. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). In a 1‑year extension, 65 of 77 RA participants (84%) and 49 of 64 MSOA participants (77%) completed follow‑up; RA group DAS28 remained lower than baseline by a mean −0.9 points (p<0.001) and WOMAC scores for MSOA stayed well under baseline (−7.8 points, p<0.001). (rmdopen.bmj.com). Medication use fell: among 56 participants on disease‑modifying antirheumatic drugs at follow‑up, 27 (48%) decreased or stopped therapy, 16 were stable and 13 increased, and 45 participants (58%) improved DAS28 with stable or less medication. (acrabstracts.org). Process evaluation covered 155 PFJ participants (106 questionnaire respondents, 34 focus‑group attendees) and found high acceptability—mean recommendation score 9.2/10—and the program was delivered as 10 weekly group sessions including a cooking workshop. (link.springer.com). (rheum‑live.com). A related clinical trial listed on ClinicalTrials.gov is recruiting to test a 100% plant‑based diet over 16 weeks with DAS28 as a primary endpoint (trial record NCT07268326; last update posted December 19, 2025). (clinicaltrials.gov).
