The worst climate for arthritis (surprise!)

If you suffer from arthritis, you have probably noticed how weather sometimes affects it.

But what is the worst climate for arthritis?

A new study in the journal Scientific Reports sheds some light on this and the results may surprise you.

A group of researchers used two groups of rats: some that were healthy and some that had collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). This is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in humans.

They placed both groups in high humidity chambers (80% humidity) to mimic the environment that human patients complain about.

They then examined the rats’ joints for signs of damage and inflammation and checked out their gut bacteria and body chemistries.

The researchers made some interesting discoveries:

1. High humidity worsened arthritis in the CIA rats, causing more joint damage and inflammation.

2. Humidity also had some negative effects on the joints of healthy rats, suggesting that high humidity may pose a risk even before the onset of arthritis.

3. The gut bacteria of both healthy and CIA rats changed in response to high humidity. There were more bacteria linked to inflammation present.

4. The body chemistry of the rats, as measured by metabolites, also changed significantly in both groups. These changes were linked to inflammation and oxidative stress.

These findings are a bit alarming. It suggests that high humidity might be a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis development or worsening of symptoms.

It also hints at a possible mechanism: high humidity might influence gut bacteria, which in turn affects the body’s chemistry and promotes inflammation.

The good news is that it doesn’t matter if it’s humid or not around you, because you can reverse your arthritis using the simple lifestyle changes explained here…