Altering the diet may ease fibromyalgia

By Keith Mulvihill

NEW YORK, Oct 25 (Reuters Health) - The results of a small,
preliminary study suggest that people with fibromyalgia may
experience reductions in their symptoms if they eliminate one or
more
foods from their diet.

Lead investigator Dr. Joel S. Edman of the Center for Integrative
Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, presented the findings at the annual meeting of the
American College of Nutrition in Orlando, Florida, earlier this
month.

"People don't need to completely change their life, but food may be
a
contributing factor to their condition," Edman told Reuters Health.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition, often accompanied by
depression
and fatigue, in which a person feels pain in the muscles and
tissues
surrounding the joints. Nine in 10 fibromyalgia patients are
female.
While the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, researchers have found
pain-processing abnormalities in the spines and brain stems of some

people with fibromyalgia.

In the study, Edman and colleagues reviewed medical charts of 17
fibromyalgia patients who agreed to eliminate common foods from
their
diet such as corn, wheat, dairy, citrus, soy and nuts.

After 2 weeks without eating any of the potential food allergens,
nearly half of the patients reported "significant reduction of
pain,"
and 76% reported a reduction in other symptoms such as headache,
fatigue, bloating, heartburn, and breathing difficulties, according

to Edman. Two patients had an increase in symptoms.

After the food elimination phase of the study, the patients were
then
instructed to reintroduce a particular food every 2 or 3 days and
monitor their reaction to the food.

Some of the reactions to foods were pain, headache, and
gastrointestinal distress, Edman noted. The most common
problem-causing foods or ingredients for the patients in this study

were corn, wheat, dairy, citrus and sugar.

"It's a preliminary study...but (the findings) do support the idea
that food may play a role in fibromyalgia and more research in this

area should be conducted," he said.

Such a test offers "no real harm to the patients other than the
time
and effort it takes to try it," Edman emphasized.

"There is no real downside and it has a potential upside," he
added.

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