This quote may or may not be true, but in either case that still does not let diet off the hook as being the foundational cause of arthritis.

If the GAGs are not made from the consumption of carbohydrates they could be made during the bodies construction of cartilage or during the recycle of old cartilage molecules. The GAGs could be an intermediate molecular structures that cannot be completed into the final cartilage structure because of deficiencies in the diet. This could be similar to homocysteine that is an intermediate and harmful protein. An amino acid deficiency could leave the GAGs in this uncompleted and harmful state in the same manner as homocysteine.

Arthritis seems to have a connection with a protein deficiency in the diet that is therefore more common in high-carbohydrate diets. Elderly women commonly express a dislike for red meat and appear to eat less meat than men. These women also have a higher incident of arthritis than men. This does not prove a direct link but raises the possibility a few points.

Personally, I had a slight problem in both knees that caused pain during inactivity, such as sitting for long periods of time. This condition was completely healed by the Atkins' low-carbohydrate diet during the last three years. I am convinced that low-protein diets cause weak and troublesome connective and lubrication tissues in joints.

Kent