It may help, as an add-on to treatment. In a 2026 randomized trial of 82 adults with rheumatoid arthritis, 12 weeks of DASH eating lowered a standard disease score and pain more than usual eating did. But CRP, a common blood marker of inflammation, did not improve more, and only 49 people finished.
A blood pressure diet, tested on joints
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It was built to lower blood pressure, and it does. Across 31 controlled trials with 4,414 people, it lowered the top blood pressure number by 5.2 points (mmHg).
You eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans and low-fat dairy. You eat less red and processed meat, sweets, added sugar, salt and sugary drinks.
So why try it for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? The trial's authors think diet may help RA by calming inflammation and helping metabolism.
What the 12-week trial did
Researchers randomly assigned 82 adults with RA to one of two groups. Forty followed the DASH diet. Forty-two kept eating as they normally did. All of them had the seropositive type of RA, which means blood tests found antibodies linked to the disease. The team checked everyone at the start and again at weeks 4, 8 and 12.
People who stuck to the DASH diet more closely tended to have bigger drops in their disease scores.From a 2026 randomized trial in Clin Nutr
The main measure was a score doctors use to track RA, called DAS-28. It counts tender and swollen joints, adds a blood test, and asks how the person rates their overall health. This trial used the version built on ESR, a blood test that rises with inflammation.
Does the DASH diet help rheumatoid arthritis?
In this trial, it helped on several measures. From the start to week 12, the DAS-28 score fell by 0.92 points in the DASH group and by 0.17 points in the usual-diet group. That is a 0.75-point bigger drop with DASH.
Other measures moved the same way. ESR fell 3.90 points more with DASH. Pain fell 2.19 points more on a rating scale, and people's own rating of their general health improved by 2.12 points more. A questionnaire about everyday tasks improved too.
Quality of life scores rose as well. The DASH group gained 10.15 points more in physical functioning, 18.52 points more in energy, and 12.06 points more in mental health.
In the DASH group, people who stuck to the diet more closely tended to have bigger drops in their disease scores. The authors say DASH "may provide clinically meaningful improvements."
The marker that didn't move
Here's the catch. CRP, short for C-reactive protein, is one of the most common blood tests for inflammation. In this trial, CRP did not improve more in the DASH group than in the usual-diet group. Neither did the counts of tender and swollen joints.
That fits a wider pattern. A 2018 meta-analysis, which pools many studies, combined six trials with 451 people. DASH lowered a sensitive version of CRP compared with usual diets, but not compared with other healthy diets. A 2019 review of DASH research found no effect on CRP at all.
Then there is the dropout problem. Only 49 of the 82 people finished the 12 weeks, and the authors say this should be kept in mind when reading the results. When many people leave a trial, the ones who stay may not be typical.
How it fits with other diet research in RA
In a crossover trial called ADIRA, 50 people with RA tried an anti-inflammatory diet and a typical diet for 10 weeks each. The main analysis found no clear difference in DAS-28. Among the 44 who finished both, the score was lower after the anti-inflammatory diet.
In an Irish trial of 44 adults, a Mediterranean diet and the national healthy eating guide both improved function over 12 weeks, and the Mediterranean group did better. The authors credit eating better overall, whatever the diet's name.
Pooled results point the same way, with weak evidence. A 2021 meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials with 326 people found less pain on anti-inflammatory diets than on ordinary diets. Every study had a high risk of bias. A 2025 review of 14 reviews rated the evidence for diets and supplements in RA low to very low.
The American College of Rheumatology's 2022 guideline makes 3 diet recommendations, all conditional, for use alongside RA drugs.
What this means for you
Tick what you'll try this week. Your picks stay on this device.
you take blood pressure medicine; you have kidney disease or follow a diet your care team set for you; you have diabetes and take medicine that lowers blood sugar; you have lost weight without trying; or you are thinking about changing any RA medicine.
One tap. Results appear once 50 readers have voted, and the count is always real.
The bottom line
A diet made for blood pressure was handed to 40 people with RA. Twelve weeks later, the DASH group reported less pain and more energy, and its disease score fell more than the usual-diet group's. CRP showed no added drop, and about 4 in 10 people did not finish. So this is a promising early trial, not proof. Still, DASH asks little and has a well-tested blood pressure benefit. That makes it a fair thing to try alongside your treatment, and to raise at your next visit.
Common questions
What foods are on the DASH diet?
DASH leans on fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans and fat-free or low-fat dairy. It limits saturated fat, red and processed meats, sweets, added sugar, salt and sugary drinks. It is a pattern of everyday groceries, so you can build it from what you already eat, one meal at a time.
Does the DASH diet lower CRP?
The results are mixed. A 2018 meta-analysis of six trials with 451 people found DASH lowered a sensitive CRP test compared with usual diets, but not compared with other healthy diets. A 2019 review found no effect on CRP. In the 2026 RA trial, CRP did not improve more with DASH than with usual eating.
Can a healthy diet lower the risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis?
It may. A 2025 meta-analysis of 12 case-control and cohort studies found that a healthy eating pattern was linked to a lower risk of developing RA. These are observational studies. They show a link, not that diet made the difference, and the authors rated their certainty moderate for that reason.
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How this article was made
Researched and written from 9 peer-reviewed papers. Our automated check matched every claim against the exact words of its source, confirmed every paper exists in PubMed, and found none retracted. Checked October 30, 2026. Not individually reviewed by a doctor. Photos are illustrative; the people in them are not patients or readers.
Grades run Strong, Moderate, Emerging, Early and Not supported, and the grade decides the words we may use. How we grade evidence · Medical disclaimer
Sources
- Randomized trialA 12-week randomized controlled trial of the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet in seropositive rheumatoid arthritis: Effects on disease activity and outcomes.Özüpek G, Altay İS, Kalyoncu Atasoy ZB et al. Clin Nutr, 2026.PubMedFull paper
- Randomized trialAnti-inflammatory Diet In Rheumatoid Arthritis (ADIRA)-a randomized, controlled crossover trial indicating effects on disease activity.Vadell AKE, Bärebring L, Hulander E et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2020.PubMedFull paper
- Randomized trialEffects of a telehealth-delivered Mediterranean diet intervention in adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis (MEDRA): a randomised controlled trial.Raad T, George E, Griffin A et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2024.PubMedFull paper
- Meta-analysisEffect of Anti-Inflammatory Diets on Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Schönenberger KA, Schüpfer AC, Gloy VL et al. Nutrients, 2021.PubMedFull paper
- Umbrella reviewEffects of nutritional supplements and dietary interventions on rheumatoid arthritis: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.Cheng XE, Hu X, Tang J et al. Autoimmun Rev, 2025.PubMedFull paper
- Guideline2022 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for Exercise, Rehabilitation, Diet, and Additional Integrative Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis.England BR, Smith BJ, Baker NA et al. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2023.PubMedFull paper
- Meta-analysisThe effect of dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) on serum inflammatory markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.Soltani S, Chitsazi MJ, Salehi-Abargouei A Clin Nutr, 2018.PubMedFull paper
- Umbrella reviewDASH Dietary Pattern and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.Chiavaroli L, Viguiliouk E, Nishi SK et al. Nutrients, 2019.PubMedFull paper
- Meta-analysisHealthy dietary pattern and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Joerns EK, Sparks JA, Chelf CJ et al. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 2025.PubMedFull paper
