6 Supplements for Arthritis Sufferers (page 2 of 2)

Choose Multiple Sources

3. Vitamin D. You can get vitamin D just from standing in the sun. That's because ultraviolet light converts precursors of the vitamin in the body into a usable form. Many people with arthritis are D-deficient. Studies find that getting more vitamin D protects joints from osteoarthritis damage, probably because this nutrient is vital to the health of bones that support and underlie joints. Vitamin D also appears to play a role in production of collagen in joints themselves. Some suggestions:

• Get into the sunlight. You don't need to bake on the beach to get sun-stimulated vitamin D: The skin only needs 10 to 15 minutes of exposure two to three times a week to synthesize what it needs. Your usual outdoor walks, games, or yard work should fill your vitamin D needs.



• Read your dairy labels. Milk, from skim to homogenized, is a prime source of vitamin D because it is D-fortified. Check labels on other dairy products. Though domestic cheese, cream, ice cream, butter, and yogurt often contain vitamin D, they're sometimes made with unfortified milk.



• Beware of oversupplementing. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means excess amounts are stored in the body rather than immediately excreted. Large doses from high-potency supplements or multivitamins can build up and become toxic to soft tissues such as the kidneys and heart. Getting your D from foods and sunlight poses no such problems.

4. Vitamin E. Like vitamin C, this is an antioxidant vitamin that protects the body -- including the joints -- from the ravages of free radicals. Some of the same research showing that other nutrients protect against arthritis also indicates that vitamin E can help prevent joints from becoming worse, though E's effects appear more limited than those of vitamins C and D. Some suggestions for getting vitamin E into your body:

• Try soybean oil. Up in the omega-3 section, we suggested switching to canola oil, which is widely available and no more expensive than corn oil. To go one better, though, try finding and then cooking with soybean oil. Though vitamin E can be tough to get from eating prime sources such as wheat germ and avocados, it's easy to pick up in other foods when cooked in this E-rich oil. Bonus: Soybean oil is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.



• Combine with fish oil. Taking vitamin E together with fish oil seems to boost the body's ability to fight inflammation beyond what either nutrient would do on its own, according to two recent studies in animals, at Loyola University, in Illinois, and the University of Buffalo. Be wary of heavy-duty supplements, however: Like fish oil, vitamin E thins the blood.



• Compensate for cooking. Whenever possible, eat E-rich foods raw -- cabbage in coleslaw, for example. While a number of vegetables (including asparagus, brussels sprouts, and cabbage) contain small amounts of vitamin E, boiling can deplete food of as much as a third of its E content. Another option: Save cooking water, which retains leached nutrients, and use it to moisten mashed potatoes or make soup or sauce.



• Add nuts to your cereal, salads, and snacks. Sprinkling a quarter cup of almonds on your breakfast cereal or lunchtime salad will give you your daily requirement of vitamin E. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds, eaten as a snack or added to muffins, are another good source of vitamin E. Of course, dieters should be careful. Nuts are as high in calories as they are rich in nutrients, so weigh the benefits and drawbacks.

5. B vitamins. As cousin chemicals in the B-vitamin family of nutrients, vitamin B₆ and folate are also among the nutrients most likely to be lacking in people with arthritis. Part of this is due to deficiencies common population-wide -- for example, one study found 90 percent of women don't get enough B₆ in their diet. But there's also evidence that the inflammation process eats up these B vitamins especially fast in people with rheumatoid arthritis -- bad news for a variety of bodily functions, including the manufacturing of protein, the building block for tissues such as cartilage.

• Double up. When possible, eat foods that contain both vitamin B₆ and folate, such as spinach and fortified cereal. Otherwise, look to B vitamin sources for other arthritis-fighting nutrients. For example, in addition to being a rich source of B₆, tuna and sardines contain omega-3 fatty acids, and fortified cottage cheese contains vitamin D. Bonus foods for folate include asparagus (vitamin E) and broccoli (vitamin C).



• Take a multivitamin. To ensure you get enough of these nutrients, consider taking a multivitamin that provides 100 percent of the recommended Daily Value of 2 milligrams for B₆ and 0.4 milligrams for folate. (Look also for vitamin B₁₂, which works in tandem with folate.) But steer clear of high-dosage, single-nutrient supplements, which may pose risks of nerve damage.

6. Calcium. The issue with calcium, as with vitamin D, is bone health. Calcium has obvious importance to bones -- more than 90 percent of the body's stores are contained in the skeleton and teeth. Getting too little calcium raises the risk of osteoporosis, a brittle-bone condition that accelerates if you have rheumatoid arthritis. All women (who are especially at risk) should get about 1,200 milligrams a day after age 50 -- about twice what's typical.

• Drink milk; cook with milk. You probably know that milk is a prime calcium source -- but the same is true even for cooked foods made with milk. So consider having pancakes or waffles (one large waffle may contain as much as 12 percent of your daily calcium requirement) at breakfast or lunch. For other meals, balance your diet with low-fat cheese as a topping for savory fare such as chili or spaghetti.



• Down it with D. One reason vitamin D is so important to bone health is that it boosts the body's absorption of calcium -- another reason to consume more D-fortified dairy, which contains both nutrients.



• Go beyond the dairy case. Milk and milk products aren't the only sources of calcium: It's also found in vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli, and turnip greens. These foods have less calcium than dairy products, but contain a form that's easier for the body to absorb. Other non-dairy calcium sources include omega-3-rich fish that have edible bones, such as salmon and sardines.

• Arthritis
• • Vitamins

• Super Foods for Men and Women
• Guess what? You have different nutritional needs than the opposite sex. Discover the best foods for you both.
• 
• Managing Arthritis Pain the Creative Way
• How your mind may prove the best manager of pain.
• 
• The Tension of Arthritis
• Tackling stress can help you ease pain and pressure.
• 
• Can Food Ease the Ache?
• You don't have to pop a pill for pain relief. These foods will leave you feeling fine in no time.
• 
• 9 Delicious Ways to Fight Arthritis
• Surprise! These nutrient-rich foods help to enhance your health, enrich your life, and calm the pain of arthritis.
• 
• Managing Chronic Pain Without Medication
• How to keep your aching back or trick knee from ruining your life.
• 

• Be Inspired
• 10 Celebrities Who Give Back
• 7 Amazing Stories, $700,000 to Charity
• Virginia Cervasio: Making It Matter
• PLUS:
• Quiz: What's Your Celebrity Cause IQ?