Prudent Diet Reduces Risk of RA and Gout
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For those inclined to “do something” to take charge of their RA or Gout, here is food-4-thot. I get asked this a lot by patients. The answer boils down to simple things: eat less, exercise more, de-stress. Easier said than done, no? But what piques my interest in this article is the inferred possible causes of developing inflammatory diseases: high BMI (read “fat”) and gut microbiome. Fat cells are not just EasyStore, they enumerate lots of pro-inflammatory signals (adipokines). And certain diet types nurture certain gut bacteria populations (enterotypes), with the “shady sorts” inciting the neuro-immuno-endocrine network towards depression, inflammation and obesity.
I’m hearing this more and more from patients: certain foods UNEQUIVOCALLY aggravate their diseases, be it psoriasis, gout, RA, cutaneous vasculitis even. They literally do their own food/food challenge! There is increasing research, and I won’t be surprised if scientific evidence will soon follow. I suspect the Microbiome’s interplay with our mucosal immune system is key to much of our immunological diseases. I now routinely screen my SpA and refractory RA patients’ stool calprotectin for gut inflammation. My tomorrow’s posts will be on gluten!
Could Old Gout Drug Offer New CV Benefits?
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Colchicine use among Gout patients may reduce heart attack and stroke risks.
There is a Retro Renaissance going on. In the high impact journal that is The Straits Times today, Aspirin, statins and Thalidomide are gaining traction for non-traditional uses (eg anti-cancer), even as new mechanisms of action are discovered for them. I believe the stocks are rising for another old drug: Metformin. Watch this space.
How fast your heart beats predicts if you will die early
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Your resting heart rate predicts your all-cause mortality over the next 20 years.