High potassium intake, based on a suitable vegetarian diet and food supplements, reduced joint pain and improved rheumatoid arthritis, says a new study published in British Medical Journal Nutrition, Prevention and Health.
Pune based rheumatologist Dr Arvind Chopra, senior and corresponding author of this study told The Indian Express that a predominantly vegetarian diet with sufficient potassium intake should be advocated in the management of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). “However pending further validation, some patients with difficult RA may also benefit from a judicious use of potassium-enriched food supplement,” Dr Chopra told The Indian Express.
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most painful crippling arthritis that leads to poor quality of life and reduces productivity. Despite several newer potent drugs that control the immunological abnormalities, rheumatoid arthritis is a difficult to treat disorder, the Director of Centre for Rheumatic Diseases said.
“Our study found that there was a substantial and significant improvement in joint pain and function in patients with chronic rheumatoid arthritis when a planned vegetarian diet enriched with increased oral potassium intake was added to ongoing standard of care management with modern medicines,” Dr Chopra said.
About the study
The randomised assessor blind active controlled drug trial of 16 weeks duration was carried out in the Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Pune by a PhD student (Pune University) Dr Toktam Kianifard from Iran under Dr Chopra’s guidance.
The study was carried out in 172 patients at the community-based rheumatology centre (CRD). There were three treatment arms—arm A (potassium-rich vegetarian diet), arm B (arm-A diet plus potassium-enriched food supplement) and arm C (control routine diet). The investigators used natural foods and oral rehydration salts to show a good tolerability and safety profile of oral potassium intervention.
Why potassium
Potassium plays a pivotal role in control of blood pressure and nervous system function. It is an essential micronutrient for health and predominantly obtained from vegetables and fruits. “As part of a balanced diet, adequate potassium consumption can have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving benefits,” Dr Kianifard said adding that the aim was to look into using potassium supplements orally in addition to conventional RA treatment.
“Potassium use in medicine carries a risk of medication toxicity. In the current study, we administered potassium as per recommendations using diet and a dietary supplement,” Dr Kianifard added.
Need for more research
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder. “Global guidelines of the treatment of some of these disorders are heavily inclined towards drugs. Hence the Pune study also highlights the need to research the role of potassium in health and disease which otherwise is grossly limited,” Dr Chopra said.