The Causes of Osteoarthritis (Part II)
In last week’s article we discussed the theories of the cause of arthritis. It was once thought that osteoarthritis was an inevitable consequence of age, the effect of years of wear and tear on the joints, since osteoarthritis is found predominantly in people over 45. But not everybody gets arthritis as they get older. If it were due to aging, it would be universal in old age. Furthermore, it would be universal in old age in all cultures. Native Africans living on a traditional diet of fresh, natural foods never get arthritis. Arthritis is also rare in Japan and China where people still follow their traditional diet and way of life.
Primary osteoarthritis is also attributed to heredity. But this theory is again contradicted by the observation that people living a traditional life in their native countries do not get arthritis, but when living in the United States, they do. Native Africans living a traditional life in Africa do not get arthritis. African-Americans have a high incidence of the disease. Japanese eating a traditional diet in Japan do not get arthritis. Upon immigrating to the United States, they do.
The acidity theory of arthritis
An alternative theory of the cause of primary osteoarthritis is acidity in the blood. Arthritis sufferers commonly have a high level of acidity in their bodies, according to Eugene Zampieron, N. D. and Ellen Kambi, Ph. D., in their book entitled Arthritis. One of the main sources of acidity is the diet. The most acid forming substances are sugar, alcohol, cocoa, coffee, vinegar, white flour, meat and dairy. Processed foods, in general, are acid forming. The alkaline forming foods are mainly fresh fruits and vegetables. The greener the vegetable, the more it will help increase the alkalinity of the body.
Evidence of an acidic diet as the cause of primary osteoarthritis is found in epidemiological studies of other cultures. In countries where the diet is unprocessed, and people still live entirely on fresh, whole natural foods, which are largely alkaline, arthritis is rare.
Further evidence linking arthritis to diet is the well-documented effect of fasting on arthritis. A number of studies confirm that fasting can relieve arthritis symptoms. Three studies done in Japan, Sweden and Norway all showed significant improvements in arthritic symptoms as a result to fasting. Of course, the obvious problem with a fast is that it temporary, and the remission of symptoms is not permanent since symptoms return after the fast ends. Fasting is significant because it is evidence that food plays a role in the development of arthritis. Dr. Herbert Sheldon, the author of Fasting Can Save Your Life, did his work in the middle of the last century and specialized in fasting as a therapy for disease. He reported that he had seen hundreds of cases of arthritis cured or substantially relieved by fasting. However, the fast had to be followed by a fairly radical change in eating habits to maintain its beneficial results.
This change in eating habits was to a vegetarian diet. A recent study of the effect of a vegetarian diet on arthritis was reported in The Arthritis Foundation Guide to Alternative Therapies by Judith Horstman. The 1991 Norwegian study of 27 adults with rheumatoid arthritis showed significant improvement in the experimental group following a vegetarian diet. The significance of this for the theory that an acidic diet is the cause of primary osteoarthritis is that a vegetarian diet is predominately alkaline since fruits and vegetables are alkaline and animal protein is acidic. Unfortunately, most of the studies on diet and arthritis involve rheumatoid arthritis. Similar studies need to be conducted on diet and osteoarthritis.
Further evidence in support of the acid diet theory of arthritis is the observation of Dr. Ronald M. Lawrence, M. D., in his book, Preventing Arthritis, that a diet high in sugar, and particularly white sugar, can contribute to pain. The more sugar his patients ate, the more pain they had. When they cut down on sugar, they had less pain. He observed this phenomenon repeatedly, and many physicians at pain conferences told him they had also noticed this effect. He routinely advises arthritic patients to cut out sugar as much as possible, not only the sugar in their cereal, coffee or tea, but also the massive amounts hidden in food items such as soda, cake, candy and ice cream. He observed that alcoholic beverages often worsen pain as well. As pointed out previously, sugar and alcohol are extremely acid forming substances.
How excess acidity damages joints
The body strives to maintain an acid/alkaline balance in the blood. Calcium, an alkaline mineral, is one of the major buffers against acid. About 99 percent of the body’s calcium is found in the bones. The bony skeleton provides a reservoir from which calcium can be withdrawn or deposited to maintain acid/alkaline balance. When the body is exposed to excess acidity, calcium is released from the bones to neutralize the acid, thus preventing a dangerous increase in acidity. How does this process affect the joints? Extraskeletal calcium may settle in the joints, forming calcium deposits that destroy the cartilage.
Evidence in support of this hypothesis can be found in a study done by Dr. Derek A. Willoughby in England in the early 1980s. When Dr. Willoughby’s team examined, under an electron microscope, the synovial fluid (fluid within the joint that reduces friction between the cartilages) of 100 patients with osteoarthritis, three-fourths of these patients were found to have tiny crystals in their fluid. These crystals were made of hydroxyapatite, the same mineral that makes bones and teeth. These crystals roughened the smooth cartilage and irritated the rubbing bones, causing inflammation, tenderness and swelling.
In order to lower your acidity level, it is not necessary to become a vegetarian, but rather to eat a diet that is more balanced between alkaline and acidic foods: a good ratio would be two-thirds alkaline, one-third acid. This would translate into two meals a day that are predominately fresh fruits, vegetables or salads and one meal with protein.
Mary Lou Williams, M. Ed., is a lecturer and writer in the field of nutrition. She welcomes inquiries. She can be reached at 267-6480.