Two-Year Benefits Sustained From Plant-Based Lifestyle Program in Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis Patients
A 2-year follow-up of the Plants for Joints (PFJ) lifestyle intervention shows that improvements in disease activity and symptoms among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and metabolic syndrome–associated osteoarthritis (MSOA) were sustained well beyond the initial 16-week trial period. These findings published in Arthritis Care & Research bolster the long-term value of diet and lifestyle strategies in managing inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases.
“The Plants for Joints (PFJ) intervention, including a whole-food plant-based diet, exercise, and stress reduction, reduced signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or metabolic syndrome–associated hip or knee osteoarthritis (MSOA) compared to usual care,” the authors wrote. “This study aimed to examine outcomes 2 years after the PFJ intervention.”
The study followed participants from 2 separate 16-week randomized controlled trials involving individuals with either RA or MSOA. After the trials concluded, control participants also received the active PFJ intervention, and all enrollees were then observed over a 2-year extension period. Primary outcomes were assessed using the disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) for RA and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) for MSOA.
Of the original 141 participants, 48 with RA (62%) and 44 with MSOA (69%) completed the 2-year follow-up. Improvements were sustained:
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RA group: DAS28 decreased by –0.9 points (95% CI: –1.2 to –0.6)
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MSOA group: WOMAC score decreased by –8.8 points (95% CI: –12.6 to –5.1)
In the RA group, C-reactive protein levels declined, while the MSOA group experienced significant reductions in weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and diastolic blood pressure. These gains were maintained from the end of the initial intervention through the end of the 2-year study.
“2 years after the PFJ intervention, improvements in RA disease activity, MSOA symptoms and functioning, and intervention adherence were sustained,” the authors concluded.
Reference
Wagenaar CA, Walrabenstein W, van der Leeden M, Turkstra F, et al. Two-year follow-up of a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Apr 20;77(9):1141–8. doi: 10.1002/acr.25553. Epub ahead of print.
