R. Peltonen et al., FECAL MICROBIAL-FLORA AND DISEASE-ACTIVITY IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS DURING A VEGAN DIET, British journal of rheumatology, 36(1), 1997, pp. 64-68
To clarify the role of the faecal flora in the diet-induced decrease o
f rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity, 43 RA patients were randomized i
nto two groups: the test group to receive living food, a form of uncoo
ked vegan diet rich in lactobacilli, and the control group to continue
their ordinary omnivorous diets. Based on clinical assessments before
, during and after the intervention period, a disease improvement inde
x was constructed for each patient. According to the index, patients w
ere assigned either to a group with a high improvement index (HI) or t
o a group with a low improvement index (LO). Stool samples collected f
rom each patient before the intervention and at 1 month were analysed
by direct stool sample gas-liquid chromatography of bacterial cellular
fatty acids. This method has proved to be a simple and sensitive way
to detect changes and differences in the faecal microbial flora betwee
n individual stool samples or groups of them. A significant, diet-indu
ced change in the faecal flora (P = 0.001) was observed in the test gr
oup, but not in the control group. Further, in the test group, a signi
ficant (P = 0.001) difference was detected between the HI and LO categ
ories at 1 month, but not in the pre-test samples. We conclude that a
vegan diet changes the faecal microbial flora in RA patients, and chan
ges in the faecal flora are associated with improvement in RA activity
.