I’m sure as many of us get older and feel some of the related aches and pains, we start to think more about our joint health. Who doesn’t know someone that has had a knee or hip joint replaced? I know a several people with artificial joints. Unfortunately, I know a few who need them, but suffer with the pain because they lack the health insurance or other financial resources to have the procedure done.
Most often we hear that it is wear and tear on the joints that is responsible for the reduction of cartilage that leads to the pain. However, sometimes I see apparently conflicting advice on how to keep your joints healthy. A recent article said that weight bearing exercise several times a week was the best osteoarthritis preventative there is. However, I read somewhere else that the occupations most likely to need joint replacements were farmers, nurses, and other people who spend hours every day on their feet. Maybe this is another instance of some is good, but more is not necessarily better?
A study published last year seems to indicate that this is yet another area where diet may be a big influence. People who consumed the most vitamin C, mainly from eating fruit, had the lowest likelihood of developing joint problems. Osteoarthritis is a problem that as many as 21 million people in the U.S. suffer from. The risk of the disease increases as we age, so with the aging American population, help in the form of diet would be most welcome.
Whether a supplement works or not still seems to be an open question. On the same day you can hear a so-called health expert state that supplements have no preventative effect, while another will say that they do. Consumers, whether they are correct or not, are saying that they think they work by purchasing millions of dollars in joint health supplements every year. In fact, supplements for joint health are one of the biggest sellers in the vitamin and supplement industry, and as our population ages, their use will only increase.
So what should we do as we age? The study I saw on fruit consumption did not indicate how much fruit the participants ate. Because the results were summarized as “people reporting eating the highest amounts of fruit had the most benefit”, it would seem that the more you eat the better. I would suggest caution, however. As we get older and our calorie requirements decrease, it becomes much harder to eat a varied diet. Tilting your diet too much towards any one food, healthy or not, may not be the best approach to take.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Fruit consumption is important to drive fiber within you
Troubled bodies minds and spirit can indeed benefit from Yoga Practice
K Amber
I think that as long as food is organic and as fresh as possible, it doesn’t matter so much. I do believe that, once away from the junk food, your body and your intuition will tell you what you need to eat at any age and stage of life.
As we age, practice qigong (chi kung). I usually describe it as “moving Chinese yoga” for people who have never heard of it. It’s Fantastic….and I’m not saying that just because I teach it. I’ve been doing it since 1995 and sincerely and emphatically believe it one of the best holictic practices a person can do for their health. (There are many forms of qigong (which means “energy (qi) practice (gong));” tai chi is one, too.)
Hmmm, I guess I should have some fruit for lunch.
Interestingly, an older lady that I work with said she has been craving fruit. She’ll eat 2 or 3 apples throughout a single work day. That seems like a lot for a woman of her age. Maybe it’s helping with joint pain and other things, so her body is subconsciously demanding more.
Hi Michelle! I have always been interested in the idea of yoga and the Chinese movement arts although I have never tried anything along those lines. I am a person who really does need to stretch and move or I get stiff, so they probably would be a good thing for me to do.
I really liked your latest two posts on the hidden chemical additives in food. I have written a few times on the same thing in products other than food. I even had a poll on the subject on this post. It is great of you to focus attention on this issue. There are so many reasons to reduce your consumption of processed foods and beverages. The new move to hide chemical ingredients is indeed troubling.
I suspect you might be right, Andrew. I know little about that, but I have read that our bodies often send clues to what they are needing. I have never noticed it myself. Ask her to read this post to see if she thinks that might be what is happening. Are they organic apples?
Will:
Another great article. I have a sensitive stomach so I can’t eat certain kinds of foods. Dang! In fact, I now take Prilosec two times a day. As you probably know, this has it’s own drawbacks.
Before my mother died she had terrible joint problems, and the doctors were all over the map as far as their opinions went. There just didn’t seem to be any one thing to take, or a particular exercise to do that would give realistic help.
One thing that is common among the most of the opinions, though, is more fruits and fresh vegetables. Doctors haven’t always been on this mantra, but I hear more and more of them getting away from the traditional food pyramid in favor of fruits and vegies. Of course, like you said, when it comes to your diet, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Have a great day.
Is that any kind of fruits?
The study did not specify what kinds of fruit, just fruit in general. I would eat a varied type, concentrating on what is in season and what you can get locally. Some fruit, like apples, is now available in good form year round. If you live in say, California, and you can choose between apples grown in Washington state vs. Chile, go for the Washington apples. There are other factors involved, like the energy used to store the Washington apples, but in general, I think the closer to home you buy your food, the better.
I read this article recently that stated some patients experienced partial relief from arthritic pain by drinking two glasses of black cherry juice (four ounces of juice diluted with four ounces of water) twice a day).
Foods to avoid for arthritic sufferers: potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes. These veggies contain alkaloid called solanine which apparently has negative effect on calcium balance.
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Interesting. That is another example of how health information can sometimes leave you wondering what to do. Tomatoes bad for your joints, but good at preventing certain types of cancer.
Pepper fruit and rosehips seem to have especially great effect according to some studies. Also omega-3-acids from marine sources seem to give important relief for joint pain.
One enters a confusing world when trying to nourish the body with isolated fragmented vitamins/mineral supplements. Current research is showing that not only does this type of supplementation rarely help, in some cases it can be detrimental.
What an interesting post … I have a related story, regarding “eat this, it will help prevent that”. I decided (some time ago) to focus on a diet that was considered liver friendly – cruciferous vegetables, garlic, onions, lots of fresh foods. I just recently had a kidney infection however, and in my research, learned that many of the foods I had been eating to help “improve” one system were the foods that were considered the most aggravating to the kidneys and bladder. And although they wouldn’t have caused the infection, no doubt they put an extra stress on my body trying to clear my system naturally.
Just another example of eating in moderation, and a healthy balance of all foods. There is still so much we don’t understand about nutritional healing.
Enjoying your blog!
~Irene
In all seriousness… What if I just don’t like to eat fruit? Is that why my joints hurt (they really do)? Is there a way I could do this with meat and potatoes (not a joke)?
Before I can believe any of these studies I have to hear at least 5 people say that their joints stopped hurting after eating some fruits. Otherwise I don’t like fruit very much I rather drink juice that is made from fruit than eat fruit itself.
I have been using the Dr. Max Powers “Joint Support + Vitamin B12″ Glucasamine supplements for about 4 years now.
I think it helps me a lot with my joints. I had an injury a number of years ago with my shoulder that prompted me to take it. but now I see an overall effect everywhere, specifically in the knees. I noticed it the most when I stopped taking it for about a month, and noticed stiffness.
Of course there is a negative correlation between more fruit and less pain; FRUIT IS HEALTHY
But there are correlations between good health and SO many other factors, good sleep, good exercise, good relationships, sense of community, etc… There are also astounding correlations between a healthy bio energetic system and a healthy body- in fact one is pretty much just an extension of the other. Things like zero point field energy testing with a “scalar” machine can tell you that if your energy system is down, ANY health problem could crop up, including painful joint pain. And if you have a sick energy field, no amount of fruit will do, although it will help. Going to the source of the problem is key and it all starts in the mind. healthy mind, healthy body. But don’t get me wrong, eat your fruit – It’s good for you!!! But so is improving your overall energy field through qi-gong, meditation, long walks through nature, amega amwanding yourself, swimming in the ocean or standing under a waterfall, etc… These are all things that literally raise your bio energetic frequency. This isn’t “bull” any more, this is proven science and it is the fringe of our paradigm. thanks for reading 