Help for the runners curse - arthritis

So many people I meet these days, especially runners it seems, are suffering from arthritis to varying degrees. Ray Collins at Goodlife sent me the following helpful suggestions this week to help deal with it. See if you find it helpful. Good nutrition can help prevent so many of the major killers today, so don't accept that its a lottery.

Research shows that changing what you eat can help relieve arthritis symptoms. You may not be able to cure your arthritis with diet, but it can mean less pain, shorter periods of stiffness, and a stronger grip. Some people who change their diet are able to reduce - or even give up - drugs. To ensure you are eating a healthy, balanced, nutritious diet, eat plenty of:

Fish and sea food. All fish are good (except for gout sufferers), especially cold water oily fish like mackerel, sardines, herring, salmon, trout and tuna. Eat at least five fish meals a week.

Chicken, turkey (with the skin removed), veal. Eat these instead of red meat.

Vegetables. Go for green, leafy, raw and fresh. Dark green vegetables contain the essential fatty acid - alpha-linolenic acid. Have a salad day. Try and eat at least one totally vegetarian meal a week.

Fruits. All fruits are fine. They also replace the sweetness when you give up white sugar.

Polyunsaturated oils. Found in seed oils like sunflower, safflower. Add linseeds, sunflower seeds and unrefined oils to your diet.

Wholefoods. Wholegrain bread and brown rice are high in fibre.

Water. Water is needed for many vital body functions. Filtered water is better than tap water.

Right, that's the basics. Now for the interesting stuff...

Gammalinolenic acid Found in evening primrose oil, borage seed )starflower) oil, blackcurrant seed oil.

GLA is another kind of essential fatty acid. It converts to a prostaglandin called E1, known to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Taking 6 grams a day can reduce morning stiffness and other symptoms. When fish oils and GLA are taken together it may sometimes by possible to reduce or even stop treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Vitamin B5
In rheumatoid arthritis there may be a deficiency of B5 (also known as pantothenic acid). It aids tissue repair. Some nutritionally oriented doctors suggest 1000mg of vitamin B5 to help with morning stiffness, general disability and pain.

Vitamin B6
Helps reduce swelling and joint stiffness.

Zinc
Zinc metabolism is altered in rheumatoid arthritis and patients are often low in zinc. Working with other nutrients, zinc also has a role to play in reducing inflammation.

New Zealand Green Lipid Mussel
This is an extract of the New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel, which may have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Selenium
There's a relationship between low levels of the trace element selenium and rheumatoid arthritis. People with the condition seem to have an abnormality in the metabolism of selenium.

Yucca tea
7 or 8 grams of the root boiled in a pint of water for 15 minutes is often drunk for symptom relief. It can be taken 3-5 times a day.

Kelp, royal jelly, ginseng, cider vinegar, garlic and honey are also thought to help arthritis sufferers.

So there you have it. I might also add that many of the fruit, vegetables and vitamins mentioned above are contained in the Juice Plus+ capsules that I take every day and doctors are now using them in the treatment and prevention of arthritis as well. See the sidebar for details.

Getting back into the groove.

Since finishing the Stockholm Marathon I've eased back on the training a good bit but not completely. I needed a good solid week off after the draining heat of Stockholm but I have started again and done about 6 runs since then including my fastest ever 'Town Route' and a good 10 miler yesterday. I chose to run a very hilly route and did it in 1hr24min. It rained almost the whole way but was, in a perverse sort of way, really enjoyable and I finished in the sunshine feeling quite strong.

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to give the Leicester Marathon a go in October so I'll begin to get my head round the serious training from mid August onwards.

Have any of you run Leicester? What's it like?

On a related subject, I went to a Juice Plus nutrition conference on Saturday. Brilliant! We were treated to a series of emminent doctors all talking about some aspect of nutrition and presenting their own research into the benefits of a diet mainly consisting of fruit and vegetables and berries. Very compelling evidence to suggest that many of the worlds major killer diseases can be prevented by a diet rich in f, v and berries. Given that less than 10% of our population even eats the basic minimum of 5 a day (which is now known to be inadequate, but at least a start) its no wonder that obesity, heart disease, strokes and cancer are all on the increase.

I try to eat my minimum but even with my heightened awareness of good nutrition I still don't always manage so I'm so grateful to Juice Plus for making it possible for me to take my daily intake in 3 capsules. Don't make the mistake of poo-pooing this until you've tried it. JP+ are the most independently researched nutritional suppliment in the world and I for one feel great taking them every day.

Check my sidebar for details.

By the way, Dr Mitra Ray made a statement on Saturday which astonished me. In her, not inconsiderable opinion, athletic achievement is 90% nutritional and 10% fitness. The implications of that statement could be enormous if this true.