Positive side effect of Atkins?

[FLdoodette]

Refined carbs triggering the inflammation response sounds right to me ... my hands, feet and knees used to ache 24/7; much improved already. Not too much I can do with the back, courtesy of the degenerated discs ... my chiropractor keeps me fairly limber and I'm hoping as I tone my abdominals, there will be less lower back pain. Today, it really aches :P

[sandradeee]

This is an interesting thread.

I also have arthritis in my fingers and knee's, mostly on one side. When I did Atkins previously this improved. immensley and I'm sure this time will be no different. The knee's could be from less weight bearing, but fingers are not weight bearing so I doubt the weight loss had anything to do with it.

Funnily enough, they say gout is made worse by too much protein and seafood. Yet most people say there is a substantial improvement with the diet.

***Interesting, as isn't gout from the arthritis family?

[ssMarilyn]

I have AnkylosingSpondylitis, it's a progressive disease of the spine. The spinal cord fuses together so that eventually you can't bend your back and if it goes into your neck as well, which it quite often does, you can't turn your head. Ever see an old man out walking, stooped forward and when he turns his head, he turns his whole upper body? That's AS. The AS gene feeds on starch, so arthritis is probably the same since they're quite similar in many ways. I stop all starch and my back pain goes away. I start up eating starch and the pain comes back.

[Sunny_0ne]

My hips and knees hurt so badly before Atkins that I couldn't go without glucosamine chondroitin. If I went off it, the pain was excruciating sometimes.

I haven't taken the glucosamine since I started Atkins (due to concerns about carbs in the additives), and now I get only the mildest twinges of hip pain occasionally.

So yes, I would say that helping osteoarthritis is a definite benefit of Atkins!

[ssMarilyn]

I have to apologize for repeating myself in this thread. I get email notices when someone responds to this thread, but all I get in the email is the latest response, so I guess I forgot I had responded some time ago...and I did it again! Lawdy!