Can the DASH Diet Help Your Arthritis Symptoms? | Everyday Health

By Ingrid Strauch
Last Updated: April 23, 2015

The DASH diet is an approach to eating that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat or nonfat dairy products. It also includes whole grains, lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts, and beans. The diet limits sodium, sweets, sugary beverages, and red meat.

The popular diet was originally developed to lower high blood pressure without medication. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Research shows that following the eating plan can help lower blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood. And it is generally considered a heart-healthy, balanced diet.

But can following the DASH diet relieve symptoms of either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? Here's what to know to help you decide.

DASH Diet's Affect on Arthritis Symptoms

According to Liz Weinandy, a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, the combination of foods promoted by the DASH diet “…along with fewer processed foods in the diet have been shown to decrease inflammation and … in turn, relieve joint pain.”

“By adding more omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel, we can naturally decrease inflammation in the body,” Weinandy says.

Kim Larson, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, notes that the antioxidants and phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables also lower inflammation in the body, as do whole grains.

“The DASH diet is a high-fiber diet that emphasizes whole grains, which are thought to lower inflammation by lowering C-reactive protein [CRP] levels in the blood," says Larson. (Elevated CRP levels are evidence of inflammation in the body.)

For people with RA, the DASH diet’s original purpose of lowering blood pressure may be particularly significant.

“Lowering blood pressure as well as cholesterol can be important, especially in RA, a disease in which the risk of developing heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure is significantly increased,” says Stacy Ardoin, MD, associate professor of immunology and rheumatology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

DASH Diet and Arthritis Medications

Certain nutrients tend to get depleted in the body with the use of some arthritis medications. In many cases, the DASH diet can help to replenish them.

For example, says Larson, “… those on methotrexate may become deficient in folate. Dark green leafy vegetables in the DASH diet help to provide [it].”

In addition, she says, “long-term steroid use can induce deficiencies in vitamin C, B12, B6, vitamin E, zinc, calcium, and selenium, [and] the DASH diet is abundant in these vitamins and minerals.”