Plant-based diets appear to decrease inflammation via a variety of mechanisms—including boosting our adrenal gland function, due to the consumption of potassium rich foods.
Potassium and Autoimmune Disease
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Potassium is best known for lowering blood pressure and stroke risk, but a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of potassium supplementation was tried in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, published in the Journal of Pain.
Rheumatoid arthritis is kind of the classic autoimmune inflammatory arthritis. Sufferers tend to have inappropriately low glucocorticoid levels, which are circulating steroid hormones (like cortisol) that suppress inflammation. And so, low levels may allow for more inflammation. Glucocorticoids also help our kidneys excrete potassium. And so, when we eat a lot of potassium, our adrenal glands secrete more glucocorticoids, so we don’t build up too much. And so, maybe if you gave people with rheumatoid arthritis some extra potassium, it would boost steroid levels, and help with the inflammation.
So, they bumped their daily intake up to 6,500 [milligrams] a day—still not reflective of our evolutionary heritage, but at least they were making the cut for adequate intake. And, indeed, higher potassium intake was associated with an improvement in rheumatoid arthritis, and a lower disease activity and pain intensity, “reflecting an anti-pain effect for potassium.”
And so, they suggest planning a successful dietary regimen, including much more use of leafy vegetables. Those placed on a plant-based diet experience a significant increase in potassium intake. Though even those eating vegan aren’t eating enough greens, on average, maybe that bump in potassium helps explain why plant-based diets are so effective at treating rheumatoid arthritis.
If this is the mechanism, though, if potassium-rich foods boost natural anti-inflammatory hormones in the body, then it should work for other inflammatory conditions, too, right? Well, that’s exactly what was suggested recently.
Some studies have shown vegetarian diets improve psoriasis symptoms, for example. Maybe this is why, speculating a “Cortisol-Potassium theory as a novel mechanism for [the] beneficial effects of vegetarian diets.”
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- Eaton SB, Konner M. Paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications. N Engl J Med. 1985 Jan 31;312(5):283-9.
- Rastmanesh R. Psoriasis and vegetarian diets: a role for cortisol and potassium? Med Hypotheses. 2009 Mar;72(3):368.
- Rastmanesh R, Abargouei AS, Shadman Z, Ebrahimi AA, Weber CE. A pilot study of potassium supplementation in the treatment of hypokalemic patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. J Pain. 2008 Aug;9(8):722-31.
- Field MJ, Giebisch GJ. Hormonal control of renal potassium excretion. Kidney Int. 1985 Feb;27(2):379-87.
- McDougall J, Bruce B, Spiller G, Westerdahl J, McDougall M. Effects of a very low-fat, vegan diet in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Feb;8(1):71-5.
- Turner-McGrievy GM, Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJ, Gloede L, Green AA. Changes in nutrient intake and dietary quality among participants with type 2 diabetes following a low-fat vegan diet or a conventional diabetes diet for 22 weeks. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Oct;108(10):1636-45.
Images thanks to James Heilman, MD via Wikimedia
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Potassium is best known for lowering blood pressure and stroke risk, but a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of potassium supplementation was tried in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, published in the Journal of Pain.
Rheumatoid arthritis is kind of the classic autoimmune inflammatory arthritis. Sufferers tend to have inappropriately low glucocorticoid levels, which are circulating steroid hormones (like cortisol) that suppress inflammation. And so, low levels may allow for more inflammation. Glucocorticoids also help our kidneys excrete potassium. And so, when we eat a lot of potassium, our adrenal glands secrete more glucocorticoids, so we don’t build up too much. And so, maybe if you gave people with rheumatoid arthritis some extra potassium, it would boost steroid levels, and help with the inflammation.
So, they bumped their daily intake up to 6,500 [milligrams] a day—still not reflective of our evolutionary heritage, but at least they were making the cut for adequate intake. And, indeed, higher potassium intake was associated with an improvement in rheumatoid arthritis, and a lower disease activity and pain intensity, “reflecting an anti-pain effect for potassium.”
And so, they suggest planning a successful dietary regimen, including much more use of leafy vegetables. Those placed on a plant-based diet experience a significant increase in potassium intake. Though even those eating vegan aren’t eating enough greens, on average, maybe that bump in potassium helps explain why plant-based diets are so effective at treating rheumatoid arthritis.
If this is the mechanism, though, if potassium-rich foods boost natural anti-inflammatory hormones in the body, then it should work for other inflammatory conditions, too, right? Well, that’s exactly what was suggested recently.
Some studies have shown vegetarian diets improve psoriasis symptoms, for example. Maybe this is why, speculating a “Cortisol-Potassium theory as a novel mechanism for [the] beneficial effects of vegetarian diets.”
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Eaton SB, Konner M. Paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications. N Engl J Med. 1985 Jan 31;312(5):283-9.
- Rastmanesh R. Psoriasis and vegetarian diets: a role for cortisol and potassium? Med Hypotheses. 2009 Mar;72(3):368.
- Rastmanesh R, Abargouei AS, Shadman Z, Ebrahimi AA, Weber CE. A pilot study of potassium supplementation in the treatment of hypokalemic patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. J Pain. 2008 Aug;9(8):722-31.
- Field MJ, Giebisch GJ. Hormonal control of renal potassium excretion. Kidney Int. 1985 Feb;27(2):379-87.
- McDougall J, Bruce B, Spiller G, Westerdahl J, McDougall M. Effects of a very low-fat, vegan diet in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Feb;8(1):71-5.
- Turner-McGrievy GM, Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJ, Gloede L, Green AA. Changes in nutrient intake and dietary quality among participants with type 2 diabetes following a low-fat vegan diet or a conventional diabetes diet for 22 weeks. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Oct;108(10):1636-45.
Images thanks to James Heilman, MD via Wikimedia
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Potassium and Autoimmune Disease
LicenciaCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
URLNota del Doctor
This is the third of my three-part video series on potassium this year. Also check out 98% of American Diets Potassium-Deficient. And I’ve got several other videos on arthritis. Eating healthy doesn’t improve everyone’s joint pain, but, as with all nontoxic treatment modalities, should always be tried first.
For additional context, check out my associated blog posts: Plant-Based Diets for Psoriasis, Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia, and Mushrooms and Immunity.
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