Diets, dietary supplements, and nutritional therapies in rheumatic diseases

Rheumatoid arthritis and many other systemic rheumatic diseases remain illn esses of unknown cause for which current therapy is often inadequate. This leads patients to seek questionable remedies, prominent among which are die tary manipulations. Is there a role for dietary modifications in the routin e therapy far patients with rheumatic diseases? This article discusses the relationships between diets, fasting, elemental nutrition, vitamins, minera ls, and foods for rheumatic diseases. Known scientific-based evidence for t he use, safety, and efficacy of diets and dietary-related practices subscri bed by patients with rheumatic diseases are presented. Studies that link di et with arthritis offer the possibility of identifying new therapeutic appr oaches for selected patients and of developing new insights to disease path ogenesis. Dietary therapy for arthritis, however, is still being investigat ed.