Effects of vegetarian and vegan diets on disease activity, pain, fatigue, and physical function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Systematic review finds no significant improvement in disease activity for those on vegan or vegetarian diets, suggesting potential benefits on pain management.
Key Points
Participants following vegetarian or vegan diets showed a small significant improvement in pain levels.
The meta-analysis included seven trials spanning from 1979 to 2023, with low certainty in evidence across outcomes.
Disease activity and physical function did not improve significantly for the vegetarian and vegan diet groups compared to controls.
The findings emphasize the need for further research due to methodological limitations in studies available.