The Relationship Between Rheumatoid Arthritis, Probiotics, and the Gut

“There is an intimate relationship between [the gut microbiota] and disease,” explains Jeremy P. Burton, PhD, assistant professor at the Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics. “Whenever there is a chronic disease that impacts the intestinal tract, including [autoimmune types of] arthritis, there is the potential to treat it with probiotics.”

Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, the creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read it Before You Eat It, states, “It is better to get probiotics through real, whole foods rather than supplements. They don’t only contain probiotics; they also contain an array of other nutrients that are important for good health, like vitamins and minerals. Whole foods also boost satiety and reduce appetite because of their high fiber content.”
Natural sources of probiotics include yogurt, dark chocolate, fermented foods, such as pickles, kimchi and kefir.