Living with arthritis and joint pain can be difficult, but there is one thing that you probably do every day that is worsening it.
Several studies have shown that consuming coffee — yes, a highly popular beverage consumed by the masses — may worsen joint pain in arthritis.
Caffeine is known to be dangerous for those with osteoporosis and other bone diseases because it steals bones of useful calcium, causing them to become weaker.
An average cup of coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine and sodas have about one-third of this.
For this reason, it’s important that if you suffer from joint pain or want to protect your bones and joints, you should reduce your intake of caffeine. This means reducing your coffee, chocolate, soda, and energy drink consumption. You may be wondering about tea, but researchers suggest that caffeine in tea isn’t as harmful as caffeine in other sources to bones.
This is because tea contains other properties and compounds that offer protection. In fact, it’s recommended that arthritis sufferers consume green, black, oolong, and white tea, as they are rich in antioxidants.
Although joint pain can prevent movement, the Arthritis Foundation still suggests that you stay active, but find activities that don’t put added stress on your joints. Swimming, biking, and yoga are low-impact exercises that can ease pain, improve mobility, and not cause additional problems later on.
It may also help to wear supportive shoes as to not put added stress on your knees when you walk.
The takeaway here is that if you’re having trouble managing your joint pain, then you may want to review your caffeine intake and reduce it. Not only would you be helping to reduce pain, but you would be protecting your bones too.