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Eating 'clean' and the link between sugar and inflammation

Posted , 11 users are following.

FlipDover_Aust
FlipDover_Aust

Hi everyone!

I got diagnosed in October last year (2014) at age 51 (and they say this is an 'older person's' disease!) Since then I've taken a really good look at my lifestyle and really, it's no wonder I got sick.

I've battled with my weight most of my life and I had a period where I really did drink too much (not any more). I even went to the drastic measure of getting a lap band in 2008 which, of course, only helped in the short term as I really didn't change my eating habits.

So, since the beginning of this year I've committed to change. I've been doing a LOT of reading/research into processed food and the amount of sugar that has been introduced into modern diets, which not surprisingly correlates with the extreme rise in obestity since the 1970s (think High fructose corn syrup hitting the US market in 1973). The literature indicates that there is a direct link between sugar intake and inflammation (as well as a lot of the other metabolic syndrome conditions, diabetes, heart disease, obestity, high blood pressure etc)

As a result I've cut out ALL crap - no processed food, no sugar, no 'pretend' fats and oils and managed to lose 5kg whilst on pred!

WOO HOO (currently on 10mg daily but symptoms are flaring again with the latest 2.5mg reduction)

Is anyone else eating 'clean'?

Have you noticed a difference in your health, particularly in regard to your PMR?

Flip (newbie!)

2 likes, 25 replies

25 Replies

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  • EileenH
    EileenH FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    I think I forgot to say that for many people 2.5mg at a time is far too much at this level and  no wonder you feel you might be flaring. However, if the pain started immediately after your 2.5mg reduction it could just be steroid withdrawal and it could settle again. A basic rule for a reduction  is "never more than 10% of the current dose" and at this stage 2.5mg is about double that! 

    Follow this link and in the 4th and 5th posts of the thread you will find a very slow reduction scheme together with its rationale. Use that and you are much less likely to have discomfort when reducing and will be able to identify your "lowest dose that manages the symptoms" far more accurately. Half a mg can make a big difference! This scheme and another like it are already under study by doctors - and a lot of patients on all 3 forums have used it or something similar successfully. I have got to 4mg when I never managed below 9mg before.

    • Juno-Irl-Dub
      Juno-Irl-Dub EileenH

      Posted

      Hi, I'm presetly on 5mg. Pred. since Christmas( PMR diagnosed and 20mg. Pred.  started in July 2013 ) and Rheumatologist suggested the following starting in May - 

      One month of 4mg. 2 days per week ( 5mg. for remaining days). Then

      One month of 4mg. for 4 days per week ( 5mg for the other days. Then 

      One month of 4mg. for 6 days per week. ( 5mg. for the last day). Then

      One month of 4mg. for the 7days of the week.

      This will take 4 months to reduce from 5mg. to 4mg. My own preference is to keep this schedule ( or yours?) BUT reduce by half a mg. of Pred instead of 1mg. Sorry this is so boring. Any views? Have you heard of this schedule? Or anyone else???

       

    • FlipDover_Aust
      FlipDover_Aust EileenH

      Posted

      What are the symptoms of steroid withdrawal and how long does is last (ie when will I know if it's withdrawal or the reduction is too quick?)
  • FlipDover_Aust
    FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    I've definitely dropped too quickly - hitting the wall today. Blegh. The reduction program that Eileen has proposed looks really sensible and I'm going to show my Dr today when I see her (thanks Eileen!).

    It's funny that beef/meat was mentioned because I'm losing all interest in eating it.

    There's mixed opinions about wholegrains et. On the one hand people suggest getting rid of them completely while others say you need them - has anyone cut them out and then reintroduced them with any results to report?

    • EileenH
      EileenH FlipDover_Aust

      Posted

      Steroid withdrawal pain is usually similar to PMR pain but starts immediately you try the drop - it is the body's response to the pred being taken away. Returning PMR pain usually takes a bit of time for the inflammation to develop to a level you notice. Hence the concept of not more than 1 day of new dose at a time until your body gets used to it.

      Wholegrains - I don't eat them because I eat very few carbs in order to lose weight. The leaving them out side is associated with removing gluten probably - gluten-free made no difference to me because I was eating gluten-free when the PMR got really bad. My reason for omitting most whole grain products is that I am allergic to something in wheat and get a horrible rash. I think it has something to do with the autoimmune part of PMR as I think it started at the same time. I do eat a bit of bread, rye, spelt and kamut are all fine for me, but I don't eat more than a single slice of rye at a time and probably ony a few times a week. I haven't fallen apart yet after over 2 years!

    • FlipDover_Aust
      FlipDover_Aust EileenH

      Posted

      Ahhhh, right - no, it took 4 days for the pain and fatigue to resurface so it's more likely to be the PMR than withdrawal then. I went back to the previous dose of 12.5mg yesterday and today and while I had a really crappy day yesterday I already feel better today. thanks for answering all these basic questions over and over again. :-)

      I'm taking your reduction plan with me to the GP when I see her next week - until then I'll stay on 12.5mg which is working well enough.

      LOL re 'falling apart'. I'm still undecided about grains... I love them! :-)

    • tina-uk_cwall
      tina-uk_cwall FlipDover_Aust

      Posted

      Hi flipdover, it is important that when you have a flare due to a reduction in meds being too much that the level of meds that you return to, (in your case you have returned to 12.5 which I presume was the last dose that you were comfortable at) it is important that you then stay on that dose for a good 4-6 weeks before you attempt to reduce again. Look at it this way. If your body could not handle a reduction of meds 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, etc days ago the chances are it won't handle another reduction so soon after the first. The 4-6 weeks allows the meds to do their job which is to now not only control the inflamation but to bring back under control the flared inflamation too. If you attempt another reduction very soon after a flare that has only just been brought back under control there is more of a chance of another flare. All the best, christina
  • FlipDover_Aust
    FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    david14272 posted to say there is an article on patient.info's facebook page about "15 healthy foods that are actually bad for you" which relates to this discussion. Thanks David.

    (is there any way to link from post to post or tag someone?)

    • EileenH
      EileenH FlipDover_Aust

      Posted

      If you have a post on here that you want to give a link to, get the post up on sceen and copy and paste the heading at the top - the bit that starts patient.info/forums/ blah blah

      If it is within the site it will go straight through, no moderating. 

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