Want to Find Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief? Eat Fish, Studies Say

Looking for a way to manage rheumatoid arthritis? Well, it might not have been the solution that first comes to mind - but have some fish! Scientists have found that there are a variety of advantages to eating fish, and they just might help rheumatoid arthritis

Reduce aches and pains

A recent study that has been published in Arthritis Care & Research states that having seafood at mealtimes may be able to reduce aches and pains associated with rheumatoid arthritis. In the study, researchers found that those with the condition who ate fish at least twice per week exhibited lower amounts of swelling and tenderness compared to those who either rarely or never ate fish. The findings even imply that the disease would become less active with the more fish they consumed.

The study was the first of its kind

176 participants joined the study, all with rheumatoid arthritis. They were asked to respond to various questions regarding their diet over the past year. The authors specifically analyzed responses that referenced tuna, sardines, salmon, and various other fish when prepared raw, steamed, baked, or broiled. They did not evaluate the frequency with which fried fish, shellfish, or fish involved in mixed dishes due to the fact that these were lower in omega-3 fatty acids, which is a property they were particularly interested in due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Previous studies had been able to portray that consuming supplements of fish oil can act to ease the symptoms of those with RA, due to their richness of omega-3s. However, this study was one of the first to look into actual fish instead of just supplements.

The researchers also wanted to see how disease-activity scores would be impacted, which analyzes how many joints are either swollen or tender. This score also acts as a blood marker of inflammation.

Very positive results

When looking at results, the researchers found that the disease-activity scores were about a half a point lower in those who consumed the highest levels of fish (at least twice per week) in comparison to those who consumed the lowest (never or once per month). This data was found after the researchers had adjusted for various factors that might have had an ability to impact their findings such as sex, age, body mass index, marital status, depression, fish oil consumption, and medications.

The authors of the study concede that to an outsider this information might not seem too significant, but the scale that was utilized shows that a score of under 2.6 denotes remission while scores over 5.1 show active diseases. Given that information, a half-point reduction could actually indicate a massive change - certainly making it clinically significant. The researchers reference that this is approximately a third of the reported improvement associated with clinical trials for what is accepted as the standard of care for rheumatoid arthritis, methotrexate drugs.

Dr. Sara Tedeschi is an associate physician in rheumatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as the lead author of the study. She voiced the potential of their findings: "With that type of improvement, we would generally expect that a patient would feel noticeably better."

Read on to learn more about this discovery and why it's so important for people living with RA.