Do you ache when you stand from a chair? Do you groan when you awake in the morning? While some pain may be caused by prior injuries or soreness, is there anything you can do that is Not taking medications that could help with back pain? The answer is Yes! And it happens in your diet.
Increasing Your Pain
Your back pain can be attributed to several factors. Simply getting older increases back pain and pain in other areas. Carrying extra weight adds stress to your muscles and limbs. Depressions can affect your posture and, thus, your back. If you are not physically active, your body can take longer to heal, thus lengthening the duration of your pain. And finally, lifestyle habits like using nicotine can add to your pain.
We discussed back pain and what can exacerbate it. Now, what can alleviate it?
Research
A healthy diet should provide antioxidants. There’s a score called CDAI that measures how rich your diet is in antioxidants. Researchers sought to determine if individuals with higher CDAI scores (indicating healthier, antioxidant-rich diets) experienced less back pain, and their findings were published in BMC Public Health.
The study examined health and dietary information from nearly 18,000 Americans over a period of several years. They grouped people by the amount of antioxidant-rich food they consumed and examined patterns between diet and back pain.
Researchers found that people who consumed more antioxidant-rich foods were less likely to report lower back pain, especially women, who saw a 20% drop in risk if they were in the top antioxidant group. Nutrients like vitamin E, zinc, and selenium stood out as potentially protective. Examples of foods containing these substances include almonds, pumpkin seeds, and oats. This suggests that while eating well is important, it’s just one part of the bigger back health picture.
Diet
So for that afternoon snack, try grabbing a handful of almonds or pumpkin seeds. They are healthy and might be what you need to get on your way to health!
