A healthy diet has been known to reduce inflammation.  Specifically, a diet low in added sugars and saturated fats, and high in produce, lean protein, and whole grains, has excellent benefits for avoiding painful arthritis.  Many have gone vegetarian in hopes of easing their pain, and going vegan will produce ever further benefits.

A study in 2015 published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine followed 600 volunteers who switched to a vegan diet for three weeks.  The outcome was a significant reduction in C-reactive proteins – a key element in chronic inflammation.  In another study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers followed arthritis patients who tried a vegetarian diet for nine weeks.  There was little difference found between the vegetarian group and a non-vegetarian control group, in terms of pain relief.  In a similar study, a group who tried a vegan diet for three and a half months were found to have significant pain relief and improvements in terms of swollen joints and morning stiffness.  A one year follow-up found the patients continued to have improvements in pain relief, even after some switched to vegetarian diets.  Do you think the improvements are related to the lack of animal products, or the increase in fruits and vegetables? Could it be both?  Could a vegan diet help reduce pain in other ways, not related to arthritis?

Going vegan for pain relief may be a daunting task for some.  A great way to start is to try going meatless one day a week, and working your way up to the full week.  Replacing milk with plant-based milks and cheese with nut cheeses also makes the transition much easier.