Design of an anti-inflammatory diet (ITIS diet) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Marta F Bustamante; Meritxall Agustín-Perez; Francesca Cedola; Roxana Coras; Rekha Narasimhan; Shahrokh Golshan; Monica Guma

doi:10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100524

Design of an anti-inflammatory diet (ITIS diet) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2020 Jan 21:17:100524. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100524. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Authors

Marta F Bustamante¹, Meritxall Agustín-Perez¹, Francesca Cedola¹, Roxana Coras^{1

2}, Rekha Narasimhan¹, Shahrokh Golshan³, Monica Guma^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
² Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Plaça Cívica, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
³ Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that affects synovial joints, leading to inflammation, joint destruction, loss of function, and disability. Although recent pharmaceutical advances have improved treatment of RA, patients with RA often inquire about dietary interventions to improve RA symptoms, as they perceive rapid changes in their symptoms after consumption of certain foods. There is evidence that some ingredients have pro- or anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, recent literature has shown a link between diet and microbiome changes. Both diet and the gut microbiome are linked to circulating metabolites that may modulate inflammation. However, evidence of the effects of an anti-inflammatory and probiotic-rich diet in patients with RA is scarce. There is also a need for biological data to support its anti-inflammatory effects.

Methods: The main goal of this study is to delineate the design process for a diet tailored to our RA population. To achieve this goal, we collected information on diet, supplements, cooking methods, and intake of different ingredients for each patient. Different groups were interviewed, and their feedback was assessed to design a diet that incorporates suggested anti-inflammatory ingredients in a manner that was easy for patients to adopt based on their lifestyles and backgrounds.

Results: We designed a diet that includes a high intake of potential anti-inflammatory ingredients. Feedback from highly motivated patients was critical in constructing an anti-inflammatory diet (ITIS diet) with elevated adherence.

Conclusion: In order to tailor our diet, we surveyed our patients on several different parameters. We obtained important feedback on how feasible our ITIS diet is for RA patients. Using this feedback, we made minor improvements and finalized the design of the ITIS diet. This diet is being used in an on-going pilot study to determine their anti-inflammatory effect in pain and joint swelling in RA patients.

Trial registration: Not applicable.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory diet; Diet design; ITIS diet; Microbiome; Rheumatoid arthritis.

Grants and funding

T32 AR064194/AR/NIAMS NIH HHS/United States