Gluten-Free Vegan Diet Promotes Cardiovascular Health in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

According to a new study published in Arthritis Research & Therapy, a gluten-free vegan diet may improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, which is not only a debilitating condition on its own, but also associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and cardiovascular diseases.

A research team at Karolinska Institutet has shown in a new study that a gluten-free vegan diet has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk factors in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The effect was seen when a group of patients who kept to a gluten-free vegan diet for a year were compared with a control group which had followed ordinary dietary advice.

Vegan food had a positive effect on symptoms of the disease, which were more pronounced in the control group. Blood levels of oxidised LDL-cholesterol, a risk factor for atherosclerosis, were also lower in the group which kept to the vegan diet. The vegan group also had higher levels of anti-PC, a type of antibody that the researchers believe has a protective effect against atherosclerosis.

Vegan, or thinking of going vegan/vegetarian? Be sure to check out Jul’s Veggie Chic blog.