Carotenoids In Fruits & Vegetables May Cut Arthritis Risk

Fruits and vegetables that are rich in certain carotenoids may reduce an individuals chances of developing arthritis according to recent evidence.

One such study was conducted by researchers at the University of Manchester and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2005, and involved following 25,000 participants from the EPIC study between 1993 and 2001. During the study, 88 people developed inflammatory polyarthritis, which was defined as arthritis in 2 or more joint groups.

On average, those who developed arthritis had a 20 percent lower daily intake of the carotenoid zeaxanthin and a 40 percent lower daily intake of beta-cryptoxanthin. Furthermore, those individuals in the top-third of zeaxanthin intake had a 52 percent reduced risk of arthritis compared to those in the bottom-third of zeaxanthin intake. Those in the top-third for beta-cryptoxanthin intake were at a 48 percent reduced risk of developing arthritis.

The study failed however to find an association between high intakes of two other carotenoids, lutein and lycopene, and reduced arthritis risk.

The researchers believe that carotenoids may help prevent arthritis by reducing inflammatory processes involved in the disease. Studies have found that individuals with high carotenoid consumption have lower levels of C-reactive protein, a measure of systemic inflammation. C-reactive protein levels are often elevated in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

The researchers did however note that while the overall number of people in the study was large, the number of inflammatory polyarthritis cases identified was relatively small, making it difficult to accurately determine the link between specific carotenoids and arthritis risk without further trials. The authors write: “there is perhaps sufficient evidence to suggest a trial to test whether an increase in the consumption of foods that are high in dietary carotenoids and other antioxidant nutrients during early inflammatory joint disease decreases the risk of persistent disease and possibly joint damage.”

The amount of beta-cryptoxanthin required to put an individual in the highest third of beta-cryptoxanthin intake in this study is the equivalent of just a glass of orange juice a day. Foods high in beta-cryptoxanthin include red peppers, pumpkin, tangerines, peaches, oranges, pineapples, papayas, lemons, other yellow and orange fruits, and herbs such as paprika. Studies have also shown that beta-cryptoxanthin can improve lung function and reduce the risk of lung cancer.

Foods high in zeaxanthin include corn, egg yolk, oranges, honeydew melons, orange peppers, and mangoes. Zeaxanthin also plays an essential role in eye health and may reduce the affects of macular degeneration.

This study backs up the findings of previous studies that have found diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables may reduce arthritis risk. For example, this study found frequent consumption of cooked vegetables could reduce the odds of developing rheumatoid arthritis by as much as 61%.