My Unpopular RA Opinion. Exercise is more likely to improve pain, fatigue, sleep, and mood than any other lifestyle intervention, including diet!
And this isn’t just my opinion. I’ve got evidence-based research to back it up. Let’s break it down. There’s no one size fits all approach to RA. This applies to both meds and lifestyle changes.
BUT… when you look at high quality studies and randomized controlled trials, the data consistently shows that regular exercise has the strongest impact compared to any other lifestyle factor (yep, even diet!)
In fact, in the American College of Rheumatology’s 2022 Guideline for Integrative Approaches to RA, exercise was the only strongly recommended intervention.
Does this mean that things like diet and nutrition don’t matter? No way! A Mediterranean eating pattern is still conditionally recommended by the ACP & top research centers.
What do you think? Have you noticed a difference in your RA symptoms with exercise? Drop your thoughts below!
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