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Biomedical subjects

L Sköldstam

Publications and source records attributed to L Sköldstam.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Validity of reported energy expenditure and reported intake of energy, protein, sodium and potassium in rheumatoid arthritis patients in a dietary intervention study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to validate a diet history interview (DHI) method and a 3-day activity registration (AR) with biological markers. SUBJECTS AND STUDY DESIGN: The reported dietary intake of 33 rheumatoid arthritis patients (17 patients on a Mediterranean-type diet and 16 patients on a control diet) participating in a dietary intervention study was assessed using the DHI method. The total energy expenditure (TEE), estimated by a 3-day AR, was used to validate the energy intake (EI). For nine subjects the activity registration was also validated by means of the doubly labelled water (DLW) method. The excretion of nitrogen, sodium and potassium in 24-h urine samples was used to validate the intake of protein, sodium and potassium. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the EI and the TEE estimated by the activity registration or between the intake of protein, sodium and potassium and their respective biological markers. However, in general, the AR underestimated the TEE compared to the DLW method. No significant differences were found between the subjects in the Mediterranean diet group and the control diet group regarding the relationship between the reported intakes and the biological markers. CONCLUSION: The DHI could capture the dietary intake fairly well, and the dietary assessment was not biased by the dietary intervention. The AR showed a bias towards underestimation when compared to the DLW method. This illustrates the importance of valid biological markers.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed2003

An experimental study of a Mediterranean diet intervention for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of a Mediterranean diet (MD) versus an ordinary Western diet for suppression of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Patients with well controlled, although active RA of at least two years' duration, who were receiving stable pharmacological treatment, were invited to participate. All patients were randomly allocated to the MD or the control diet (CD). To achieve good compliance with prescribed diets all patients were for the first three weeks served the MD or the CD, respectively, for lunch and dinner at the outpatient clinic's canteen. Clinical examinations were performed at baseline, and again in the 3rd, 6th, and 12th week. A composite disease activity index (DAS28), a physical function index (Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)), a health survey of quality of life (Short Form-36 (SF-36)), and the daily consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were used as primary efficacy variables. RESULTS: From baseline to the end of the study the patients in the MD group (n=26) showed a decrease in DAS28 of 0.56 (p<0.001), in HAQ of 0.15 (p=0.020), and in two dimensions of the SF-36 Health Survey: an increase in "vitality" of 11.3 (p=0.018) and a decrease in "compared with one year earlier" of 0.6 (p=0.016). For the control patients (n=25) no significant change was seen at the end of the study. This difference between the two treatment groups was notable only in the second half of the trial. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that patients with RA, by adjusting to a Mediterranean diet, did obtain a reduction in inflammatory activity, an increase in physical function, and improved vitality.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Effect of six months of fish oil supplementation in stable rheumatoid arthritis. A double-blind, controlled study.

Therapeutic effects of fish oil (10 g/day) in rheumatoid arthritis were investigated in a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Forty-three patients completing the study were evaluated at 0, 3 and 6 months. The nutrient intake in the fish oil group and in the control group was essentially similar. In the fish oil group, the percentage of n-3 fatty acids in serum phosphatidylcholine increased by 9.6 (range 2.6-16.1). Patients in the fish oil group reported a significantly decreased consumption of NSAID at 3 and 6 months, and the status of global arthritic activity improved at 3 months in physician's assessment. Control patients reported an increased global arthritic activity at 6 months. No change was found in patient assessment of pain, duration of morning stiffness or functional capacity. Essentially no change occurred in biochemical markers of inflammation. We conclude that fish oil has small anti-inflammatory effects with at most a NSAID-saving potential. The value of prolonged supplementation remains to be evaluated.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Fasting, intestinal permeability, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Otherwise healthy and well-nourished patients with rheumatoid arthritis show significant clinical improvement from practising prolonged fasting for 7 to 10 days. The improvement is reversible and lost when eating is taken up again. Although of little therapeutic value, the anti-inflammatory effect of short-term fasting is of significant interest and better understanding of the mechanisms is desirable.

Antigens↗
PubMed1989

[Vegetarian diets and rheumatoid arthritis. Is it possible that a vegetarian diet might influence the disease?].

For several decades representatives of Scandinavian health food movements have categorically recommended that victims of rheumatoid arthritis should switch to a vegetarian diet to obtain a cure for the disease. A very strict vegan diet (i.e., completely lacking in animal protein) is usually recommended, with certain features said to be particularly beneficial to rheumatic patients. These notions have been widely disseminated and have been adopted with remarkable faith by the public. Although a measure of support for the subjective palliative effects of a vegan diet has derived from certain medical studies, it should be borne in mind that, apart from exceptional cases, the inflammatory joint condition has persisted unabated; nor has the diet shown any tendency to forestall subsequent joint damage. More recent studies of the importance of various dietary factors vis-à-vis rheumatoid arthritis have to some extent improved our understanding of vegan diets, and shown there to be features of this type of diet which might contribute to the subjective improvement experienced by patients. The findings of such studies may provide a basis for speculation as to the form a more rational health food diet for rheumatic patients in the future.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1983

Impaired conA suppressor cell activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis shows normalization during fasting.

Normal controls and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were investigated with respect to quantitative lymphocyte proliferation (LP) after concanavalin-A (conA) activation and to conA-induced suppressor cell activity (conA-SC). Measurements and assessment of RA activity were made at the beginning and end of a 10-day fast. The controls showed depressed (p less than 0.05) LP at the end of the fast, but no change in conA-SC activity. The RA group showed subnormal (p less than 0.05) LP and conA-SC (p less than 0.01) at the beginning of the experiment. After fasting they showed clinical improvement, the LP was not further depressed, and the initially low conA-SC had become normal.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Specific plasma proteins as indices of inflammation during a modified fast in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Fourteen patients with classical rheumatoid arthritis and 7 healthy controls underwent a modified fast, containing diluted fruit and vegetable juices, for a 10-day period. To evaluate the effect of fasting on the inflammatory activity, plasma protein determinations were performed before and on the 10th day of fasting. Both patients and healthy controls developed reduced plasma levels of complement factor 3 (C3), orosomucoid and haptoglobin, although only the decrease in C3 and orosomucoid was greater in the patient group. An unchanged level in plasma of albumin, IgG, IgA, IgM and complement factor 4 was found. We conclude that determination of C3 and orosomucoid in plasma may be useful as indices of inflammation during fasting conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Influence of fasting on intestinal permeability and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

We have investigated the influence of fasting and lactovegetarian diet on intestinal and non-intestinal permeability in 5 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We used low-molecular weight polyethyleneglycols (PEG 400) as probe molecules and a deterministic mathematical model to assess the permeability characteristics. Both intestinal and non-intestinal permeability decreased after fasting, but increased again during a subsequent lactovegetarian diet regime. Concomitantly it appeared that disease activity, as shown by a clinical six-joint score, first decreased and then increased again. The results indicate that, unlike lactovegetarian diet, fasting may ameliorate the disease activity and reduce both the intestinal and the non-intestinal permeability in rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1980

Lipoproteins and cholesterol esterification rate in plasma during a 10-day modified fast in man.

The influence of a 10-day modified fast on the concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins and the rate of cholesterol esterification in plasma was studied in 12 subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. The subjects were randomized and seven patients completed the period of fasting while the others served as controls. During the withdrawal of nutrients a rich supply of fluids, at least 2.7 to 3 liter/day containing around 200 kcal was given as fruit or vegetable juices and teas. After 10 days of fasting the concentrations of cholesterol and phospholipids in plasma were reduced by a mean of 21 and 11%, respectively, based on a 27% mean reduction of these lipids in the low density lipoprotein fraction. In all fasting subjects but one there was a reduction of the triglyceride concentration in the very low density lipoprotein fraction. The high density lipoprotein fraction was unchanged. The molar and fractional cholesterol esterification rates in plasma were reduced by a mean of 27 and 8.5%, respectively, after 10 days of fasting compared to the prefasting levels. The rate of cholesterol esterification in plasma is believed to reflect the turnover of cholesteryl esters in plasma, which therefore seemed to be reduced during fasting. The present findings might be explained by deprivation of specific nutrients or by a generally reduced metabolic rate during energy deprivation.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Effect of fasting and lactovegetarian diet on rheumatoid arthritis.

16 patients with classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) selected at random underwent fasting for 7--10 days, followed by a 9-week period on a lactovegetarian diet. 10 RA patients acted as controls, taking normal diet. Pain, stiffness, medication, and clinical and biochemical findings were recorded before fasting, on the first day after the conclusion of the fasting period, and at the end of the lactovegetarian period. After fasting, 5 of 15 patients showed objective signs of improvement, compared with only one of the controls. The fasting patients showed reduced pain, stiffness, consumption of analgetics, several clinical variables, and serum concentration of orosomucoid. At the conclusion of the lactovegetarian diet period only one Diet patient showed objective improvement. No differences were found between the Diet patients and the controls concerning symptoms, drug consumption, or clinical and biochemical variables. We conclude that fasting may produce subjective and objective improvements in RA, though of short duration, but the findings of this investigation do not indicate that lactovegetarian diet has any beneficial effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Kinetics of 99MTc-pertechnetate uptake in healthy and arthritic knees.

99mPertechnetate (99TcO-4) was injected intravenously in 7 healthy subjects and 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The uptake of isotope (99Tc) in both knee joint regions was traced continuously for 30 min from the time of injection. The isotope showed more rapid accumulation with increasing arthritic involvement of the knee, and the rate of uptake of 99TcO-4 in the knee region tallied with the clinical findings before and after treatment (14 RA patients). The findings indicate that the rate of 99TcO-4 uptake could serve as a useful complement to the more commonly used quantitative uptake of isotope. The two measures may possibly reflect different features of synovial inflammation.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

B- and T-lymphocytes in toxic diffuse goitre.

Operation specimens of thyroid tissue from patients with Graves' disease were digested, with collagenase, down to a cell suspension. The lymphocytes in the suspension were concentrated by density-gradient sedimentation and the proportions of B and T lymphocytes were determined. Six patients with Graves' disease were studied. The proportions of B and T lymphocytes in the thyroid glands were similar to the proportions of B and T lymphocytes in the venous blood from healthy subjects.

Adult↗