Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025
Preliminary Study on Acupuncture Combined with Grain-sized Moxibustion for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Finger Joint Pain
Published on: May 16, 2025
A randomised controlled trial of a Mediterranean Dietary Intervention for Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis (MEDRA):
Tala Raad1, Elena George2, Anne Griffin1
1Discipline of Dietetics, School of Allied Health, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences and Health Implementation Science and Technology Cluster, Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX, Ireland.
Background:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis affecting 0.5-1% of the adult population worldwide. While the primary line of treatment of RA includes pharmacological therapies, people living with the condition often seek non-pharmacological therapies such as diet and exercise in an attempt to attenuate their symptoms. Established, evidence-based dietary guidelines for RA are currently lacking. The MEDRA study aims to explore the effectiveness of implementing, via telehealth, a Mediterranean type diet (MedDiet) compared to a standard healthy diet as per the Healthy Eating Guidelines (HEG) in Ireland in terms of differences in physical function and quality of life in adults with RA living in Ireland.
Methods:
The MEDRA study is a parallel, randomised controlled trial delivered through telehealth methods. Forty-four eligible participants who have RA will be randomly allocated to either a MedDiet or HEG group for a 12 weeks intervention period. Primary outcome measures include changes in physical function and quality of life, both of which will be measured using validated questionnaires at baseline, six and twelve weeks. Both intervention arms will attend a total five teleconsultations with a Registered Dietitian (RD). The MedDiet intervention arm focuses on recommendations from the traditional Mediterranean diet and HEG intervention arm will use the dietary recommendations as currently advised in Ireland.
Discussion:
This study will provide evidence as to whether dietary treatment of RA can improve physical function and quality of life in a small cohort of participants with RA. The results of the study will be disseminated at national scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Ethics:
This protocol has been approved by the Education and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University of Limerick (2020_09_05_EHS) and by the Health Service Executive Mid-Western Regional Hospital Research Ethics Committee (REC Ref 103/19).
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04262505. Trial registration date: April 2, 2020.
More Related Videos
07:44Author Spotlight: Implementation of BIVA for Analyzing Disease Risk Factors in Patients with Low Body Cell Mass
Published on: July 14, 2023
04:53A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
Published on: September 20, 2019
Related Concept Videos
01:21Rheumatic Heart Disease III: Medical Management
01:23Rheumatic Heart Disease I: Introduction
01:22Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the...
01:26Atherosclerosis III: Management
01:20Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...