Arthritis is reported to affect around 10 million people in the UK, according to the NHS, affecting people of all ages.
There are many different types of the condition, but almost all cause pain and inflammation in a joint.
Painkillers are often advised to help slow down the condition, but diet can also play an important part in treating arthritis.
Eating healthily will give you all the nutrients you need and help you maintain a healthy weight, which helps put less pressure on your joints.
Eating a variety of foods from all five food groups – fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, meat, fish, eggs and beans, milk and dairy foods, and foods containing fat and sugar – is the best way to do this.
But some experts also believe adding apple cider vinegar to your diet can help.
Many people have claimed apple cider vinegar’s antioxidant beta carotene and acetic acid content produces miraculous effects in easing arthritis pain.
But there has been little research carried out to support this.
Lona Sandon, a registered dietician who has rheumatoid arthritis, says apple cider vinegar should remain in the kitchen and not be moved to the medicine chest.
Speaking to Arthritis Foundation, the assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, she said: “Some people contend beta-carotene in apple cider vinegar destroys free radicals involved in ravaging the immune system, but the amount of beta-carotene in the vinegar is infinitesimal.
“Others say acid crystals cause joints to become stiff and vinegar dissolves them.
“Gout is the only form of arthritis that involves crystals – uric acid crystals, formed form an excess of uric acid in the body – and cider vinegar doesn’t relieve gout pain.”
Apple cider vinegar has been found to have a host of other benefits.
It is best consumed mixed with water as a drink, too much can be harmful and even dangerous.
This is according to Health Line, which lists the side effects for over consuming the health drink.
One of these is erosion of tooth enamel.
Acidic foods and beverages have been shown to damage tooth enamel.
One study the website sites involved enamel from wisdom teeth being immersed in different vinegars with pH levels ranging form 2.7 to 3.95.
The vinegars led to a 1 to 20 per cent loss of minerals from the teeth after four hours.
The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the UK and many people experience it in their knee.
It’s not possible to prevent osteoarthritis and there is currently no cure available. But treatment is available to help reduce symptoms – the sooner the disease is recognised, the sooner you can receive treatment.
So what are the symptoms of osteoarthritis in your knees to look out for?
There are five main symptoms, according to Arthritis Research UK. The first is pain, particularly when you’re moving your knee or at the end of the day. This usually gets better when you rest.
