Efficacy of mediterranean diet on pain and knee range of motion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: To investigate the combined effect of the Mediterranean diet and designed exercise program on pain, knee Range of motion, and body weight in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Forty females with rheumatoid arthritis were allocated randomly to experimental and control group. The experimental group (A) received a Mediterranean diet plane plus exercises while the control group (B) received exercises only. The treatment protocol continued for three months. All patients were examined by numerical pain rating scale (NRS) for pain intensity, Digital weighing scales (DWS) for weight measuring, and Universal goniometers (UG) for knee Range of motion (ROM). All outcomes were measured at two levels: pre-treatment and after three months of intervention. Results: un-paired t-test reported statistically significant difference between both groups after three months of intervention at all outcome measures (P< 0.05) with more favor to experimental group (A). Conclusion: Mediterranean Diet combined with exercise improved pain, knee ROM, and weight reduction than exercise alone in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis