How to Prevent Arthritis

You can reduce your risk and delay some arthritis: Eat healthy, lose weight, and exercise. Knowing how to prevent arthritis helps you fend off the effects of aging.

Changing a few lifestyle habits can reduce your risk of arthritis. It’s really easy to learn how to prevent arthritis. If you already have arthritis, healthy lifestyle adjustments can also diminish arthritis flare ups.

Some things are out of our control. Your age, family history, and gender play a major role in your health. Some forms of arthritis are heredity. More women than men get arthritis. Age increases your risk of developing symptoms of arthritis. Yet knowing how to prevent arthritis can help you slow the aging process.

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How to prevent arthritis

Despite heredity, gender, and family history, it’s quite possible to reduce and slow your risk of getting arthritis. Your first line of action is to look at your diet. Are you eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables? Fresh fruits are loaded with antioxidants, which fight inflammation. Vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage contain a compound called sulforaphane; it may help slow cartilage damage in joints. You can cook them or eat them raw in salads.

Other ways to prevent arthritis 

• Eat nuts and seeds. They are full of inflammation-fighting monounsaturated fat. You can sprinkle them on your whole-grain cereals or salads or eat them raw.
• Enjoy salmon, tuna, trout, and mackerel. These fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation.
• Lose weight. Carrying extra body fat puts stress on joints. For every one pound of weight you lose, you reduce the load on your knees by a half pound.
• Exercise helps you drop pounds, which eliminates weight on your joints. It also strengthens your muscles. Try walking one mile a day to start and slowly increase to five or more miles, depending on how you feel. Swimming doesn’t stress your joints and can give you a good cardio workout. Stretching, yoga, and aerobic activities are also beneficial. Start slow if you’re new to exercise, and don’t forget to talk to your doctor first.
• Ditch your high heels, or wear them only once in a while. Constantly wearing high heels damages your body, altering the natural shape of your feet, which can cause joint pain.
• Take vitamin D. Vitamin D supplements can reduce your risk of osteoarthritis. Talk to you doctor about how much you should take and ask for a lab test to see if your vitamin D levels are low.
• Drink water. Cartilage acts as a cushion for your joints. It’s mostly made of water. When you’re dehydrated, the cartilage in your joints becomes dry, too. Wear and tear can damage dry cartilage. Drinking water is an excellent lubricant.
• Quit smoking. Smoking can increase the risk of some types of arthritis and worsen the level of arthritic pain.
• Wear protective gear to avoid injuries. Wear the right shoes, helmets, and other gear to avoid injuries during contact sports. Injuries can cause joint cartilage to tear. Damage from playing sports as an adolescent or young adult can cause arthritis symptoms later in life. Wearing protective gear lessens your risk of getting hurt and developing arthritis.

If you suspect you have arthritis, talk to your doctor. Arthritis is a progressive disease, and your doctor may recommend other treatments.

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