IBM SPSS Statistics

Erik Hulander et al. (2022) · Nutrients

This randomised crossover trial with 42 adults who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) explored whether a Mediterranean-style, anti-inflammatory diet changes body composition compared with a typical Western diet. RA is a chronic autoimmune condition that inflames the joints, and many patients lose muscle while keeping or gaining fat, a pattern called rheumatoid cachexia (defined here by fat-free mass and fat mass relative to Swiss reference values). Arthritis drugs do not reverse this, so the researchers asked whether food could. At Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, outpatients with active RA ate each diet for 10 weeks, separated by a washout of about 4 months, in random order. Weekly food bags delivered to their homes provided 1,100 kcal a day on five days a week, roughly half their intake, and participants aimed to keep their weight steady. The Mediterranean-style diet included berries, walnuts, whole grains, fish three to four times a week, vegetarian meals and a probiotic fruit drink; the control diet had red meat and refined grains. Fat and lean mass were measured fasting by bioimpedance spectroscopy. Across all 42 participants the two diets did not differ in any body composition measure (all p > 0.20), and both periods saw lean mass rise and fat percentage fall. Employment status changed the picture: the 15 participants who were not working lost 1.77 kg of fat mass (p = 0.012) and 1.81 percentage points of body fat (p = 0.008) on the Mediterranean-style diet compared with the control diet, while those who worked showed no difference. Stomach discomfort was reported in 21% of diet periods, mostly during the Mediterranean-style diet. The authors suggest the diet may help address rheumatoid cachexia but note the employment finding may be chance, was not the trial's primary question, and was not powered for. Physical activity was not tracked during the trial, and measurements came from several operators using bioimpedance rather than DXA scanning. The authors call for studies on mechanisms and long-term effects.

Seyed Javad Kia et al. (2020) · BMC complementary medicine and therapies

This double-blinded randomised trial with 57 adults who have oral lichen planus (OLP) explored whether nano-curcumin, a highly absorbable form of the turmeric compound curcumin, could ease the condition as effectively as the steroid prednisolone. OLP is an autoimmune condition in which T cells attack the lining of the mouth, producing white streaks, erosions, burning and pain; steroids are the standard treatment but cause side effects when used long term. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but ordinary curcumin is poorly absorbed, so the researchers tested a nano-sized version taken by mouth. At an oral medicine department in Iran, 60 patients with erosive or atrophic OLP were randomly assigned to take either one 80 mg nano-curcumin capsule or one 10 mg prednisolone capsule each morning after breakfast for 4 weeks. An examiner who did not know the groups measured lesion size with calipers and a lesion-grading scale and asked patients to rate pain and burning from 0 to 10 at the start and at weeks 1, 2 and 4. Fifty-seven patients were analysed. Both treatments helped. Pain fell from 4.65 to 2.69 with nano-curcumin and from 4.89 to 2.33 with prednisolone (p < 0.001 over time), and lesions shrank from 3.83 to 2.34 versus 3.61 to 1.83 (p < 0.001 over time). The two groups did not differ significantly at any visit (pain p = 0.428, lesion size p = 0.568), although prednisolone was ahead on lesion size at week 4 by a margin that did not reach significance (p = 0.117). Curcumin's pain relief became significant from week 2, prednisolone's from week 1. The trial had no placebo arm, lasted only 4 weeks, and followed no one after treatment, so recurrence could not be measured. The authors suggest nano-curcumin may be an option for people who cannot take corticosteroids and that its dose may matter more than treatment length, and they call for longer studies.

Ali Tabatabaeyan et al. (2025) · Scientific reports

This triple-blind randomised trial with 59 adults who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) explored whether inulin, a fermentable plant fibre found in foods such as chicory, garlic and onions, can calm the inflammation and joint symptoms of the disease. RA is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the joints, and the researchers noted that long-term steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs carry real side effects. Because gut bacteria are altered in people with RA, they asked whether a prebiotic that feeds beneficial bacteria could help as an add-on. Researchers in Isfahan, Iran, enrolled 60 patients with active RA (59 were analysed). For 8 weeks, one group took a 10 g sachet of inulin with a main meal each day, and the other took identical-looking maltodextrin sachets, all alongside their usual medicines. Staff measured blood inflammation markers (CRP and ESR), counted tender and swollen joints out of 28, rated pain and morning stiffness on 0 to 100 scales, tested grip strength, and scored disease activity (DAS-28) and everyday function with the Health Assessment Questionnaire. Inflammation fell more with inulin: CRP dropped by 11.72 mg/L while it rose slightly with placebo (p = 0.02). Tender joints fell by 8.1 versus 2.9 (p = 0.002), swollen joints by 3.5 versus 1.8 (p = 0.04), and disease activity by 1.57 points versus 0.67 (p = 0.02). Daily function and morning stiffness improved (both p = 0.02) and grip strength rose by about 27 units versus 4 (p = 0.02). ESR improved within the inulin group, but the difference from placebo was not significant after adjustment (p = 0.13), and pain scores fell in both groups without a significant gap (p = 0.11). No side effects were reported. The authors treat the findings as promising but note they did not measure gut bacteria or gut-lining permeability, so the mechanism remains unconfirmed. The trial lasted only 8 weeks, tested one inulin dose, and did not assess how much inulin participants already ate. The authors call for larger studies with different doses and with cytokine, microbiome and permeability measures.

Fatemeh Bourbour et al. (2026) · Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism

This double-blind randomised trial with 57 adults who have Hashimoto's thyroiditis explored whether curcumin, the yellow polyphenol in turmeric (Curcuma longa), adds benefit to an anti-inflammatory diet. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, shown in blood tests by anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO) and treated in many patients with lifelong levothyroxine. Because many people with the condition carry extra weight and chronic inflammation, the researchers asked whether an anti-inflammatory eating pattern plus curcumin could shift thyroid markers, body measurements and cholesterol. Researchers in Tehran, Iran, enrolled adults aged 20 to 70 with a confirmed diagnosis. Every participant ate the same structured anti-inflammatory diet of whole grains, olive oil, berries, nuts, legumes, vegetables and fatty fish. For 12 weeks, half also took 1,320 mg of curcumin daily as three capsules with meals, and half took look-alike rice-flour placebo capsules. Blood tests measured anti-TPO, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), T3, T4 and lipids, and tape measures tracked waist and hips. Anti-TPO antibodies fell significantly more with curcumin than with placebo (p = 0.006), where antibodies rose numerically (within-group change not significant), which points to a possible effect on thyroid autoimmunity. Within the curcumin group waist circumference dropped 4.2 cm (p = 0.042) and TSH dropped 2.38 mIU/L (p = 0.014), but neither difference was significant against placebo after adjustment, so these changes may come partly from the diet. T3 fell in both groups, which supports that interpretation. Cholesterol, triglycerides and T4 did not differ between groups, and HDL-C moved only toward significance (p = 0.053). The curcumin group's gains held when men were excluded (anti-TPO p = 0.010). The authors call the results preliminary and note the small sample, the short 12-week window, and reliance on self-reported food recalls. Because both groups changed their diets, the trial cannot fully separate curcumin from the diet itself. Lower antibody levels may also fluctuate over time and do not prove long-term disease change. Larger, longer studies with designs that separate diet from supplement are needed before any treatment role for curcumin in Hashimoto's thyroiditis can be judged.

Sandra Utz et al. (2025) · Biomedicines

This prospective observational study followed 101 adults with long-standing fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) through a two-week integrative inpatient stay in Bamberg, Germany, with no control group. FMS is a chronic condition marked by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety and depression, and the authors describe it as the third most common rheumatic disease. The program was built on classical European naturopathy: water-based therapies and heat, exercise, plant-based nutrition or medical fasting, herbal remedies and mind-body practices such as relaxation. The question was whether such a combined approach would ease symptoms at discharge and six months later. Of 134 patients who joined (127 women, ages 22 to 80), 101 returned questionnaires on admission, at discharge and after six months. During the stay they took part in meditative movement, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, lectures and cooking classes, and some had whole-body heat sessions or a 5-day fast on under 300 kcal a day. Pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life were measured with standard questionnaires (such as the HADS for anxiety and depression and the MFI-20 for fatigue) and compared over time with repeated-measures statistics. Overall pain intensity dropped from 71.5 to 63.0 on a 0-100 scale at discharge (a moderate effect, dz = 0.62) and was still lower at six months (64.4). Current pain fell sharply during the stay (6.56 to 4.37 out of 10) but crept back to 5.96 at six months. Fatigue improved from 71.1 to 63.3 and then partly returned (68.0). Anxiety and depression scores each fell by roughly 2.5 points at discharge and were still lower than baseline at six months. Stress and feelings of helplessness improved mainly after discharge, and mental quality of life rose between discharge and follow-up. Patients who fasted kept their pain gains at six months (p = 0.006), whereas non-fasters did not (p = 0.062), although this difference was borderline (interaction p = 0.050) and not randomised. The results come from an uncontrolled, single-centre sample in which a quarter of the participants did not complete the six-month questionnaire, so the changes cannot be attributed to the program alone. More than half the patients reported obstacles to continuing the methods at home, such as lack of time and exhaustion. The authors call for randomised trials with long-term follow-up and propose a follow-up day-clinic programme to help consolidate the learned self-management skills and everyday routines.