95 | Can Plant-Based Diets Make Inflammation and Pain Levels Better?

Inflammation and pain. I think many of us deal with this on some level. But for some, it can be especially excruciating and debilitating, impacting many activities of daily living. And inflammation and pain often seem to go together, don’t they? Maybe that’s what you’re dealing with now, and why you’re exploring plant-based eating to see if it can help. So, can making a radical lifestyle shift from meats to plants really benefit our bodies in these areas?

 

That’s what we’re going to look at today. In this episode, we’ll see what some of the recent research is finding about plant-based eating and inflammation, and whether there can be improvement in pain levels too. If this is what you’ve been struggling with or know a loved one or friend battling with it, don’t miss this episode. Let’s dive in!

 

 

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Have a question about plant-based diets that you would like answered on the Plant Based Eating Made Easy Podcast? Send it by email ([e-mail]) or submit it by a voice message here: www.speakpipe.com/plantnourished

 

 

 

 

[Plant Based, Chronic Inflammation, Plantbased Eating, Whole Foods, Less Pain, Healthy Eating, Benefits]

 

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Inflammation and pain.
I think many of us dealwith this on some level.
But for some, it can be especiallyexcruciating and debilitating, impacting
many activities of daily living.
And inflammation and pain oftenseem to go together, don't they?

(00:21):
Maybe that's what you're dealingwith now, and why you're exploring
plant-based eating to see if it can help.
So can making a radical lifestyleshift from meats to plants really
benefit our bodies in these areas?
That's what we're going to look at today.
In this episode, we'll see whatsome of the recent research is

(00:43):
finding about plant-based eating andinflammation, and whether there can
be improvement in pain levels too.
So if this is what you've been strugglingwith, or know a loved one or friend
battling with it, don't miss this episode.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the Plant BasedEating Made Easy Podcast.

(01:06):
I'm your host, Anna Tseng, plant-basedRegistered Dietitian and Transition Coach.
Hi Friend, do you want to regain yourhealth with plant-based eating but feel
overwhelmed and lost about how to do it?
Do you feel it'll be hard to changeyour meat-heavy diet and impossible
with working, running the home,or chasing after the grandkids?

(01:26):
If so, you're in the right place.
Here you'll find simple strategies,clear nutrition guidance and
practical tips to help you thriveplant-powered with more energy.
So, if you're ready to ditchthe guesswork and transform
your health the stress-free way.
Cozy up now with a hot cup of tea orlisten while you walk and let me show

(01:47):
you how doable plant-based eating can be.
Let's do this!
Many of us can identifywith pain and inflammation.
For some of us, it can even be somethingwe experience on a daily basis, and
have had to live with for many years.

(02:07):
There's acute pain and inflammation,and then there's chronic pain
and systemic inflammation.
Neither is fun, but systemicinflammation and chronic pain can
be especially hard to deal with.
I know, because I've watched mymother endure nearly 21 years of
chronic severe pain due to a spinalcord injury from a car accident.

(02:32):
If chronic pain and inflammation isa big part of your life and you're
exploring this potential lifestylechange, it's natural to want to
know if a plant-based diet can helplessen what you're experiencing
and bring healing to your body.
Others are wondering the same.
A few months ago, I saw this postfrom a member of my Free Beginners for

(02:55):
Plant Based Diet Success Community.
He asked, "Hi, do you hear muchfrom those with joint inflammation?
Do they say that this diet will ease thepain?" In another post, a lady shared,
"I am researching and checking out thewhole food plant-based lifestyle while
trying to use up the meat in the freezer.

(03:17):
My main issues are inflammation, handpain, and eye issues, which they believe
may be caused by an autoimmune disease.
Can anyone doing this lifestyletell me if it has helped you with
any of the above conditions?"
I know many others may have a similarquestion, wondering if diet and lifestyle

(03:37):
can really make a difference to painand inflammation levels without needing
to take more pain pills, undergosteroid injections, or major surgery.
That's why I'm doing this episode today.
So let's take a moment to lookinto this in more depth now.
First, what exactly does theterm systemic inflammation mean?

(04:01):
Well, in a nutshell, systemic inflammationis a condition that occurs when the
body is in a pro-inflammatory state.
It's like the immune systemis on high alert, trying to
constantly defend the body.
Stress, infection, or chronic diseasescan all contribute to this, creating

(04:22):
a prolonged inflammatory response.
This is through an increased production ofcytokines and chemokines which stimulate
inflammatory responses within the body.
So can the way we eat positively impactinflammation levels within the body?
One recent study publishedin 2023 looked into this.

(04:44):
This large-scale study, conducted byYoko Wang and colleagues, examined the
association between plant-based diets,systemic inflammation, and mortality
risk in participants of the NHANES, orNational Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey, between 1999 and 2018.
A total of 27,915 participantswere included in cross sectional

(05:10):
analysis, while 11,939 were usedin the longitudinal analysis.
During this study, the diet quality ofindividuals was examined, along with
the grade of inflammation using measuressuch as C-reactive protein values.
The researchers found thatplant-based diets were associated

(05:31):
with lower inflammation levels.
But it was a specific kind.
It was an increased intake of a healthyplant-based diet, a high-quality
plant-based diet centered aroundwhole plant-based foods like fruits,
vegetables, beans, and whole grains, thatwas associated with lower inflammation.

(05:52):
In fact, it was found that adherenceto a healthy plant-based diet index,
or PDI, was associated with a 15-21percent reduction in HSCRP, or High
Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein.
On the other hand, an unhealthyplant-based diet was associated
with greater inflammation.

(06:14):
This would be one consisting ofmore highly processed, low nutritive
value commercial foods high inrefined sugars, salts, and oils.
So the food one eats on aplant-based diet does matter.
In 2021, a systematic review of 29studies was also published, conducted by

(06:35):
researchers Aleksandrova and colleagues.
These researchers looked at theassociations between dietary patterns
and biomarkers of oxidative stressand inflammation in 16 observational
studies and 13 intervention studies.
These study authors found an inverseassociation between plant-based

(06:56):
diets and oxidative stress andpro-inflammatory biomarkers.
Perhaps this is not all that surprising.
One contributing reason why a wholefood plant-based diet may bring
down inflammation levels may includethe fact that this way of eating is
generally very low in saturated fatcompared to a regular meat-based diet.

(07:19):
In addition, polyphenols, such asflavonoids, in plant-based foods like
fruits, vegetables, and legumes canhave anti-inflammatory properties.
Now what about pain?
Could plant-based eatingpossibly improve pain levels?
Current research does seemto show an association.

(07:40):
In 2021, a study was published byresearcher Schoenberger and Colleagues.
This was a combined systematicreview of 12 shortlisted studies
and a meta-analysis of 7 studies.
The researchers' goal was to look at theimpact of potentially anti-inflammatory
diets such as Mediterranean, vegetarian,and vegan diets on pain levels.

(08:05):
The paper's main conclusion wasthat anti-inflammatory diets
resulted in significantly lowerpain levels than ordinary diets.
The results of a small but welldesigned 6-week prospective randomized
open label study, published in2015, are also worth mentioning here.
Researchers wanted to see theeffectiveness of a whole food plant-based

(08:27):
diet on symptoms of osteoarthritis.
So 40 adults with osteoarthritiswere randomized into either an
intervention whole food plant-baseddiet group or a control group.
Those in the control groupcontinued on their current diet.
Pertinent measures were tracked alongwith weekly pain assessment levels.

(08:50):
A total of 37 participantscompleted the study.
At the end of the 6 weeks, it was foundthat those in the whole food plant-based
diet group had significant improvementsin terms of pain, compared to the
control group, from week 2 onwards.
In the research paper, the studyauthors concluded that a whole food

(09:11):
plant-based diet significantly improvesself-assessed measures of functional
status among osteoarthritis patients.
So today we looked at just some of therecent research conducted to examine
whether plant-based diets can have animpact on pain and inflammation levels.
What I've shared today is reallyjust a small snapshot of what's been

(09:33):
looked at so far in the researchworld in regards to this topic.
Although I feel more well conductedlarge scale prospective studies are
definitely needed, so far the researchseems to be pointing in the direction
that plant-based diets are associatedwith lower pain and inflammation levels.
That's really encouraging to see.

(09:55):
But the type of plant-basedfoods you eat do matter.
And the best ones to focus on in yourplant-based diet transition are those
minimally processed and unprocessedwhole plant-based foods, such as intact
whole grains, fruits, leafy greens,vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

(10:16):
Friend, if you've been dealing withpain and inflammation and are struggling
in your plant-based diet transition,I want to help you overcome the
transition challenges you are facing.
I want to give you the support andguidance you need to make a smooth,
stress-free transition and helpyou improve your health by changing
to a plant-powered lifestyle.

(10:37):
Reach out to me by email [e-mail] or apply
for a free rapid health transformationcall using the links in the show notes.
Let's connect so I can show you thatplant-based eating can be simple,
doable, and enjoyable, even if youhave physical or health limitations
affecting your ability to cook or be inthe kitchen for long periods of time.

(11:03):
Let's journey towardsoptimal health together.
Thank you for listening to the PlantBased Eating Made Easy Podcast.
If this podcast has helped you,please rate and leave a written
review on the Apple PodcastApp or iTunes to let me know.
Nothing will lift me up more than toread your review and see how this podcast

(11:25):
has made a difference in your life.
I also pick reviews to read on this showso your review could be one of them.
Come connect with me in my freeFacebook community group, Beginners
for Plant Based Diet Success.
Just go to bit.ly/pbdietsuccess.
That's B I T dot L Y forwardslash pb diet success.

(11:47):
You can also subscribe and followthis podcast to get notified
when a new episode goes live.
Signing off now, this is Anna, andI wish you the best health always.