Relationship between diet and ankylosing spondylitis: A systematic review

Abstract

The question of whether diet plays a role in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or can affect the course of the disease is animportant one for many patients and healthcare providers. The aims of this study were to investigate whether: 1) patients with ASreport different diets to those without AS; 2) amongst patients with AS, diet is related to severity; 3) persons with particular dietsare less likely to develop AS; 4) specific dietary interventions improve the AS symptoms. The review was conducted according tothe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library,and reference lists of relevant articles were searched. Two authors independently selected eligible studies, assessed the quality ofincluded trials, and extracted the data. Sixteen studies (nine observational and seven interventions) were included in the review. Dueto the heterogeneity of the study designs and analyses, the results could not be aggregated. Evidence on a possible relationshipbetween AS and diet is extremely limited and inconclusive due to the majority of included studies being small, single studies withmoderate-to-high risk of bias, and insufficient reporting of results.