A small study in Sweden of 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis found that a vegan, gluten-free (no animal products or wheat) diet offered some relief from the pain and restricted joint movement. Although the researchers could not explain why the diet helped, they found the patients experienced less inflammation and swelling in their joints, and blood tests showed lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. The diet is presumed to have stimulated some function of the patients’ immune systems to help combat the disease. It is one approach that patients can try without financial strain or risk of side effects.