A leading professor has unveiled the 'best' anti-inflammatory diet that, according to research, can 'reverse arthritis symptoms in just eight weeks'. In a podcast episode with ZOE Health co-founder Jonathan Wolf, Dr Tamiko Katsumoto MD, an expert in rheumatology and immunology, warned about the dangers of diets high in inflammatory foods like processed goods, which increase your risk of developing arthritis.

This painful health condition now afflicts one in five people, causing discomfort and stiffness that can impact any joint. However, it is most common in the hands, knees, hips, feet, and lower back.

While smoking was once the main cause of chronic disease, today, poor nutrition is the biggest culprit, warns Dr Katsumoto. She also emphasised that inflammation plays a significant role, as excessive amounts in your body can trigger various health issues, reports the Express.

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Dr Katsumoto, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford University, specialises in the benefits of plant-rich diets on individual health and has been studying the impact of diet on the immune system.

In her chat with Jonathan about the science behind arthritis, she revealed a diet that can reduce inflammation, enhance mobility, and "shield you from the threat of this disease." The health expert also explored the differences between osteoarthritis, wear and tear, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that worsens over time, often leading to chronic pain. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system mistakenly targets healthy joint tissue.

It's important to recognise that arthritis has no cure. However, specific treatments - including changes to diet, lifestyle adjustments and medication - can help slow its development and manage symptoms whilst lowering the chances of arthritis occurring. As excessive inflammation in the body can trigger this health issue, tackling inflammation is vital.

Research titled A multidisciplinary lifestyle program for rheumatoid arthritis: the 'Plants for Joints' randomised controlled trial' found that scientists declared: "Reversing and preventing adverse lifestyle factors could potentially reduce the incidence and burden of RA, as well as alleviate its comorbidities."

Dr Katsumoto believes modern diets make the issue worse, though choosing healthier options might lower your chances of the condition. The bone, joint and muscle expert also highlights the best foods, lifestyle changes and supplements for maintaining joint health.

When Jonathan asked if "full-blown arthritis" was inevitable once symptoms start appearing, the Stanford professor replied: "Not necessarily." He then asked: "Could you reverse arthritis with the right foods?" To which the doctor replied: "Yes".

Dr Katsumoto, a specialist in arthritis, dismissed a widespread misconception about the ailment, explaining: "I think the biggest myth is that there's nothing you can do to change your arthritis course. I think there are actually a lot of things that we are all capable of doing through diet, lifestyle, etc, that can make a difference."

In research that allegedly 'reduced arthritis inflammation in eight weeks', Jonathan delivered some uplifting findings: "Within eight weeks of changing your diet, [you can have] have a profound impact on your arthritis because it's having this profound impact on inflammation."

He subsequently put a question to Dr Katsumoto: "You're saying if you are living with arthritis and you were to make that sort of change in your diet, you think it can really change not only your symptoms but even potentially get you to a point where you say, 'I don't even need to take all the medication I'm taking today'."

Jonathan went on: "I understand that you're also really interested in food as playing an important protective role. And that in particular [you're] excited about a breakthrough new clinical trial that the team was telling me about actually earlier this week, which I think is called plants for joints. Could you tell me about that?" The professor revealed: "This was a very exciting trial. I'm a huge fan of randomised controlled trials. I think this is our highest level of evidence. This is a group, our Dutch colleagues, they actually did two studies in parallel. They did one in rheumatoid arthritis and they did one in osteoarthritis.

"To clarify, it was a metabolic-associated osteoarthritis. So patients that tended to have metabolic syndrome were maybe overweight. So those patients with OA." Jonathan responded: "So randomised controlled trials are basically the gold standard of scientific testing?".

Dr Katsumoto confirmed: "Yes, they are helpful in that they minimise any confounding bias in terms of the fact that people are put into two different groups, there's an equal chance of whatever intervention working or not, and comparing to a placebo provides a robust comparator.

"Basically what they did was they put them through a lifestyle intervention, and this is absolutely really thrilling to me because I'm a huge fan of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Just to quickly provide their six pillars of lifestyle medicine; diet is number one, in addition; exercise, stress reduction, social connections, sleep, and then finally avoidance of risky substances. So those are the six pillars of lifestyle medicine.

"Essentially what this randomised controlled trial did was put these patients through either the active arm. They called it the plants for joints arm that underwent these six lifestyle interventions versus the placebo, which was essentially the standard of care. They ran them through this program for 16 weeks and what they found at the end of the study and even at eight weeks at the midpoint, they saw dramatic improvements in the patient's joint disease."

She went on: "So for the rheumatoid arthritis patient, the endpoint they looked at is called DAS28. This is a disease activity score based on 28 different joints. So you measure swollen and tender joints. You measure the CRP inflammatory marker. You measure how the patient is feeling.

"Based on that endpoint, which is a very robust endpoint, there was a very statistically highly significant difference in terms of the RA patients that underwent this lifestyle program. They looked more deeply to see what was the most likely thing driving this difference, and it was most likely diet. Of course, you can't separate out, it was a full holistic intervention of multiple different domains."

In the end, Dr Katsumoto reckons nutrition "played a huge role" in the remarkable results - especially anti-inflammatory foods. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) recommends the Mediterranean diet (MD) as an anti-inflammatory eating plan for those battling arthritis.

When it comes to the most powerful anti-inflammatory diet for slashing arthritis risk, she backed the Blue Zone approach. This nutritional strategy takes cues from the eating habits and way of life found in the globe's most long-lived communities. The plan focuses on plant-based fare, seafood, cereals, seeds, nuts, legumes, beans and lentils whilst cutting out most dairy and meat intake.

Speaking about the 'top' vegetables for battling inflammation, the Stanford professor said: "Cruciferous vegetables. These are things like broccoli, and kale, and cauliflower, and these really kind of the deep leafy greens... And they're so important. I really think food is medicine. And these are incredibly important in terms of helping our liver detoxify.

"We're living in a very polluted world. I think that these are super helpful foods that can help us clear our body of a lot of these toxins, these endocrine disruptors, which we haven't talked about. But there's a lot of these things that we need to be thinking about that are super helpful for my patients."

When it comes to meat eating, researchers indicate that those who live the longest severely restrict their consumption of animal products. Dr Katsumoto has advised that meat should be eaten in moderation, saying: "If you look at the blue zones, they say that the majority of blue zones end up eating meat less than five times a month. So really that comes down to maybe once a week. Meat should be considered a treat."

She went on to say: "Another food type that I love a lot are things like chia seeds and flax seeds. I think chia seeds are the perfect food. They're high in fibre, high in omega-3, and high in protein. They've just got so many great components that I add them to my smoothies. I just try to incorporate them wherever I can. I get a big bottle of them and add them wherever I can." When it comes to fish, she highlighted that oily types are especially good for reducing inflammation.

She elaborated: "So we know omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly anti-inflammatory. That being said, I also encourage my patients to not go too heavy on fish, to eat the smaller fish, so not so much the tuna and the swordfish, you know, things that are much larger and can end up bio accumulating things like heavy metals and toxins.

"Try to go for the wild-caught instead of the farmed... I tend to also recommend my patients to check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's resource called seafoodwatch.org. Seafood Watch has a lot of examples where what's sustainably caught and which ones are thought to be healthier. We have to be thinking about pollutants. Our oceans are not the cleanest, so we have to be thinking about that as well."

Spilling the beans on what the perfect plate of food should include, she said: "So half of the plate focuses on high-quality vegetables and some fruits. Then, a quarter of the plate is proteins, preferably plant proteins or lean proteins, but things like beans and lentils. I'm a big fan of tofu."

Another grub the medic raves about is refined grains, which she reckons should fill the remaining quarter of the plate. "So, whole wheat and whole things like quinoa. And some of these ancient grains are really good, like farro and bulgur and millet."

Inflammation is the body's natural way of fighting off injury or infection, showing up as swelling, redness, and pain. When this happens in the joints because of an overactive immune system, it can turn into something called inflammatory arthritis. When this occurs, the body wrongly targets its own joint tissues, leading to pain and damage.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences explains: "Acute inflammation combats infection and stimulates tissue repair and regeneration. When it fails to improve quickly, it can turn chronic and lead to disease. Inflammation resolution failure is increasingly recognised as leading to cancer development."

Examples of how inflammation can spark disease include cancer, as inflammatory processes may damage DNA and encourage cell growth, potentially increasing cancer risk. With arthritis, when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own cells or tissues, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus can emerge.

The NHS says: "Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in a joint. In the UK, millions of people have arthritis or other, similar conditions that affect the joints. Arthritis affects people of all ages, including children."

Symptoms:

• Pain, swelling, and stiffness in joints


• Redness and inflammation of joints


• Limited movement


• Tiredness and fever

Causes:

• Ageing


• Injuries that damage a joint


• Certain health conditions


• Genetic factors


• Environmental factors, such as infection with certain viruses and bacteria

Arthritis has no cure, but many treatment options are available to help manage the condition and slow its progression. Options include medication, physiotherapy, surgery, and lifestyle changes.

The NHS states: "Osteoarthritis treatments include lifestyle changes, medicines and surgery. Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis aims to slow the condition's progress and minimise joint inflammation. This helps prevent joint damage. Treatments include medicine, physiotherapy and surgery."

Millions of people with arthritis lead active, fulfilling lives. By learning about the condition and finding ways to manage symptoms, you can maintain an active lifestyle.

If you're worrying about your bones, muscles, or joints, it's time to speak with your GP. To stay in peak condition and reduce the risk of long-term ailments, experts suggest regular workouts, reducing alcohol intake, binning the fags, maintaining a healthy weight, steering clear of processed grub, consuming a balanced diet, getting enough sleep and keeping well hydrated.