Diet Can Relieve Chronic Pain

A typical Western diet increases the risk of chronic pain, especially in overweight people with type 2 diabetes, according to a University of Texas study published in Nature Metabolism in June 2021. Conversely, making the appropriate changes in diet can relieve or even eliminate chronic pain.

The average Western diet, with abundant presence of baked goods and pasta, meats and sausages, precooked and unhealthy snacks, is characterized by a high content of fats, proteins and carbohydrates of rapid assimilation, and few servings of fruits, vegetables, seeds and other natural foods.

Chronic pain is also related to diet

Chronic pain is often the result of chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, which is associated with chronic joint pain, other autoimmune diseases, or diabetes, which can lead to polyneuropathy that causes chronic pain.

The University of Texas study, which was carried out by a team of 17 scientists, concludes that a low-fat diet is recommended in case of chronic disease .

However, the reality is that doctors rarely make dietary recommendations for their pain patients. Adding some menu-making tips to treatment could be a great relief for the patient, according to the authors of the research.

Omega-6 fatty acids are a risk factor for pain

The research team was able to show, in mice, but also in humans, that the typical Western diet, which is rich in polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids, is a significant risk factor for inflammatory pain and nerve pain.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, for example, scientists found that the higher the omega-6 content in their skin, the greater their neuropathic pain and the more pain relievers they had to take.

The explanation is that omega-6s accumulate in cell membranes, where they oxidize and become oxylipines, which increase the tissue’s sensitivity to pain. In mice, a diet rich in omega-6s caused painful hypersensitivity, highly reactive nerve cells , and nerve damage that resembled neuropathy.

The two omega-6 fatty acids, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid, also accumulate in the spinal ganglion, a nerve nodule in the spinal canal, and lead to increased activity of PLA2 (PLA2 is an enzyme called phospholipase A2, which contributes to the formation of inflammatory messenger substances, prostaglandins).

If PLA2 is inhibited, either with medications or through the diet described below, pain sensitivity can be reversed.

Omega-6 fatty acids are not inherently harmful. They are essential fatty acids for life, but their proportion in the Western diet is too high, while the other group of polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, are consumed in too small amounts.

Less omega-6, more omega-3

Foods rich in omega-6 to avoid are:

• French fries and snacks
• Fast food and pastries
• Meat products and sausages rich in fat
• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil
• Corn oil
• Soy oil
• Margarines

Instead, increase your intake of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in:

• Fatty sea fish
• Flax
• Hemp
• Walnuts
• Chia seeds

In case of chronic pain, it is advisable to consume omega-3 doses above those necessary (1.5 g of alpha-linolenic acid per day), which can be obtained with food and with seaweed oil supplements.

Scientific references:

• Jacob T. Boyd et al. Elevated dietary ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids induces reversible peripheral nerve dysfunction that exacerbates comorbid pain conditions. Nature Metabolism.
• University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Western high-fat diet can cause chronic pain, according to research team. MedicalXpress