Arthritis for a Day

Dr Rosemary has extensive experience working on TV, radio, the National Press and in the corporate world, whilst also keeping her feet on the ground as a GP in South London. She also participates in corporate round tables and advisory meetings. Dr Rosemary was awarded an MBE for Services to Healthcare in the New Years’ Honours List 2004.

Staying healthy, flexible and mobile

It is important to stay healthy, flexible and mobile to help preserve our joint health with increasing age. There are a few factors that will increase your risk of joint conditions, but there are also ways you can combat them. Some of those factors include:

• Your Genes: Research has suggested that heredity may play a role in some joint conditions but more studies are required to clarify this further.
• Weight: joint pain from osteoarthritis occurs especially in the weight-bearing joints and any extra pounds you are carrying can increase the load on your joints, and make your symptoms worse. Every pound a person gains is equivalent to four pounds across your knees, so keeping your weight at a healthy level is a good start to taking care of your joints.
• Immobility: becoming sedentary will reduce mobility of your joints and also increase your chance of weight gain. Your muscles will also become weaker, which means they provide less support to your joints. Any movement is beneficial and you don’t have to slave away in the gym to keep active. It is possible to fit lots of activity into your life by doing things you enjoy. Dancing, riding a bike or taking the dog for a walk - it all counts. If you find you have limited time for these activities, break it down into 10 minute sessions.

Dietary advice

Taking care of your joint health should start at an early age to lessen your risk of developing a joint condition later in life. There is no special diet or miracle food that cures joint pain; however, increasing your intake of omega-3 may help keep joints supple. Below are some dietary tips and advice to help keep your joints in tip-top shape:

• Eat a low fat diet, based on fibre-containing foods, with plenty of fruit and vegetables - this will help to keep your weight under control, and will also ensure that you have a good intake of important vitamins and minerals.
• Omega-3 - oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines contain omega-3 fatty acids. These have anti-inflammatory properties, and there is good evidence they can help keep joints supple and flexible, and also help to relieve joint pain and stiffness. There is also some evidence that they can help reduce the risk of heart disease, slightly reduce blood pressure and reduce blood levels of harmful triglycerides. Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body. Other good sources of omega-3 include flaxseed oil, walnuts, spinach and broccoli.
• If you do not think that you are getting enough omega-3 in your diet, taking a high quality purified cod liver oil supplement from a trusted brand will guarantee an intake in a controlled amount.
• Glucosamine & Chondroitin - these are both building blocks of cartilage and connective tissue which help to repair damaged joints, and may prevent further breakdown. With increasing age our body finds it hard to produce enough levels of glucosamine to keep our joints flexible, so taking a joint care supplement that combines the benefits of glucosamine and essential omega-3s may be helpful.

Getting your bodyweight right

Being overweight or obese places greater stress on your joints than if you are at a healthy weight. With every step, the load on hips, knees and feet is increased by three to five times the body weight. Therefore it is important to have a nutritionally balanced diet that helps to keep your weight down and ultimately eases symptoms and slows progression of joint disease.

Tips for weight-loss

1. Use a smaller plate or bowl. This limits your portion size. Unless you are doing a very strenuous job, you are unlikely to need a dinner plate full of food - a desert plate will be quite enough.
2. Eat slowly, and savour every mouthful.
3. Try to avoid eating between meals particularly when you are watching the TV. It’s very easy not to realise just how much you have eaten.
4. If weight loss starts to slow down, don’t be tempted to cut out breakfast. Chances are you will just feel hungry mid-morning, and eat something far more fattening than a healthy breakfast.

Sample menu

BREAKFAST

• Glass of pure fruit juice
• Bowl of wholegrain cereal with low fat milk sprinkled with fresh berries (e.g. strawberries, raspberries or blueberries) or dried fruits

MID-MORNING

• Hot or cold drink, made with semi-skimmed milk
• - 2 Brazil nuts (excellent source of selenium)

LUNCH

• Chicken or lean meat sandwich ( wholemeal roll, baguette or pitta) filled with assorted salad vegetables
• Low fat yoghurt

MID-AFTERNOON

• Hot or cold drink - made with semi skimmed milk
• Snack (if necessary) e.g. fruit, nuts, seeds

EVENING MEAL

• Grilled salmon
• Couscous
• Grilled tomatoes
• Boiled or steamed broccoli spears
• Sauce of low fat yoghurt or fromage frais flavoured with a little mustard
• Grapes to finish the meal

Why it’s important to maintain healthy joints

As we get older we may start to experience pain and stiffness in our joints through general wear and tear which can become quite severe. Cartilage, which acts as a protective cushion for the ends of the bones inside our joints gradually breaks down, leaving the bony surfaces exposed to rub against each other. This can be extremely painful, and can also limit the movement. However, joint pain can often be eased with a good diet and healthy lifestyle, which should include regular exercise. It doesn’t matter what your age, you can help to look after your joints, and the earlier you start, the greater the benefits in the long-run.