Today’s article won’t be a long one, but in the spirit of my upcoming Low Sodium Cookbook I have been extra keen for eye catching headlines as it relates to sodium intake and general health.

Speaking of my latest book, it’s actually now on sale on Kindle for those of you who enjoy a digital read.

The paperback copy ships in two weeks, but I have plenty of educating to do before then.

That’s where arthritis, and specifically Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) comes into the picture.

According to data from the Canadian Institute Of Health Information, pharmaceutical spending on drugs to treat RA represents the largest % of public drug program spending in this country.

That obviously caught my attention and led me to explore a little bit of the evidence connecting dietary intake and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

There is, for example, evidence that plant-based diets may play a role in reducing inflammation in RA through positively influencing the gut microbiota.

Certain components of plant-based foods, such as polyphenols, may exert a dual anti-inflammatory + prebiotic role which could theoretically help people living with RA.

This 2017 paper published in the Frontiers Of Nutrition discusses this topic at greater length, what intrigued me even more was the connection between high sodium intakes and self-reported arthritis.

Further to that observation, a 2017 study out of the PLoS One journal found that a lower sodium diet reduced the inflammatory response in patients with RA.

While more research into low sodium interventions as a potential treatment modality will be required, as someone in the process of promoting a low sodium cookbook I was undoubtedly intrigued by these findings.

That’s about it for today’s article, I’ve kept it brief as promised.

If you are concerned about your sodium intake and don’t know how to proceed, rest assured my latest book will help.

It’s available for pre-order by clicking on the image below and ships during the first week of August.

Andy De Santis RD MPH