Study Says Low-Carb Diets Can Slow Down Rheumatoid Arthritis

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.

Updated May 13, 2018 by

Amber Bogdanowicz

Amber is a freelance writer and student based in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. She studies molecular biology at Bloomsburg University, writes for a number of companies about all sorts of cool things, and enjoys reading about new scientific developments. When she’s not in the lab culturing cells or writing, she’s normally enjoying her time with her dogs or hanging out with her family.

News, Science

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One of the key aspects of the keto diet is its emphasis on consuming “good” fats. These provide a variety of health benefits, and new research shows that a specific PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) in fatty foods from low-carb diets has anti-inflammatory effects and may be able to slow down rheumatoid arthritis.¹

IL-17 and Inflammation

Interleukin 17 is simply a molecule that your cells will produce when inflammation is necessary. Keep in mind that inflammation exists to protect your body. It’s one of your defenses. What happens during inflammation is a really complicated internal process in which cells, cytokines like IL-17, and other proteins organize at the site of an infection or cut^.2 They do their thing to help you heal; the unfortunate side effect of this process is that it generally makes you feel awful by causing swelling, pain, etc. In an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), your body induces inflammation in the absence of a real threat. This is not only uncomfortable but incredibly dangerous as prolonged inflammation may lead to destruction of tissues.

How n-3 PUFAs Can Help

N-3 PUFAs are simply a specific form of a fatty acid that functions by suppressing the creation of cytokines that cause inflammation. They are obtained through your diet and have the ability to reduce the number and production of these cells called Th17 and Treg cells. Th17 and Treg cells are part of your immune system and are responsible for promoting inflammation. Previous research suggested that the presence of n-3 PUFAs could delay development of RA and decrease the severity of it. ³

Lowering Collagen Antibody-Induced Arthritis

The researchers sought to confirm this phenomenon using mice on a diet of n-3 PUFA-supplemented food. First, they looked at joint inflammation in collagen antibody-induced arthritis. That’s a super fancy way of saying they looked at inflammation in the joints (arthritis) which was caused by an autoimmune response in the collagen there. Collagen is a kind of filler that’s responsible for a lot of the structure in your body. It’s like a pomegranate where you have the seeds (cells) contained by that thicker flesh within (collagen). They found that the joint inflammation decreased significantly over time in the mice on an n-3 PUFA-rich diet.

Inflammatory Cytokines vs n-3 PUFAs

Next, they looked at the presence of the actual inflammatory cytokines in joint tissues like IL-17. They found that in comparison to the mice that were not on an n-3 PUFA-rich diet, those that were on the diet had much lower levels of cytokines in their joints. This means that inflammation was decreasing because the stuff that causes inflammation wasn’t there as much.

Stopping it at the Root of the Cause: The Spleen

After that, the researchers looked to the spleens of the mice. The spleen contains many immune cells that produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-17. Interestingly enough, IL-17 levels decreased in the presence of n-3 PUFAs.

There’s lots of cool stuff that future researchers could study in regards to n-3 PUFAs and RA. For the time being, this evidence suggests that you may be able to protect yourself from this debilitating disorder simply by consuming foods rich in n-3 PUFAs, such as flaxseed, walnuts, and fish through low-carb diets such as the ketogenic diet.

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Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD

This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD.