Many people believe that nightshade foods may contribute toarthritis. In fact, sometimes people with arthritis avoid nightshade foods or eliminate them from their diet in the hopes that pain and othersymptoms of arthritismay diminish. There is no scientific evidence to back this claim, and a few small animal studies suggest that nightshade plants may counteract the inflammation that’s characteristic of arthritis.
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The Foods That Classify as Nightshades
“Nightshades” refer to more than 2,800 species of plants that are grown in the shade of night. The plants belong to the scientific order of Polemoniales and the Solanaceae family of plants.
The nightshades include numerous vegetables:potatoes,tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, tamarillos, pepitos, pimentos, paprika, and cayenne peppers. Hot sauces made from hot peppers are considered nightshades.
Also, ground cherries, garden huckleberry, naranjilla, and even tobacco are considered nightshades. Note that sweet potatoes, yams, and black pepper are not included among the nightshades.
Nightshades and Arthritis
The component of nightshades implicated in arthritis is thought to be alkaloids, such as solanine. There is not a consistent explanation for why nightshades or alkaloids have been implicated in arthritis.
One theory suggests that nightshades removecalciumfrom bone and deposit it in soft tissue. Another theory is that nightshades may have pro-inflammatory substances, provokingimmuneandinflammatoryreactions in the body.
The leaves of all nightshade plants contain nicotine but in much lower amounts than in tobacco.The amount of nicotine in nightshades is inconsequential—far too little to have a negative impact that would contribute to arthritis.
It is fair to conclude that with these competing theories, it is not fully understood how nightshade foods might or might not affect arthritis, if at all. Most information has come from surveys and patient testimonials, not human scientific studies.
How to Know if You Are Sensitive to Nightshades
While there has been no research confirming any impact of nightshade foods on arthritis, it is important that you avoid any food that worsens your symptoms, whether they are nightshades or not.
If your symptoms improve after eliminating a specific food from your diet and worsen when you start eating the food again, it could be indicative of afood allergyorintolerance. Be sure to talk to your doctor about such a pattern if you notice it.
A Word From Verywell
If you decide to eliminate any food from your diet due to your arthritis, be sure to talk to your doctor or to a nutritionist so you can ensure that you are getting enough macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals from the food you eat.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Arthritis
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alamgeer, Shanila A, Ambreen Malik U, Umme Habiba H.Alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols might be responsible for potent antiarthritic effect of Solanum nigrum.J Tradit Chin Med.2019;39(5):632-641.Cleveland Clinic: Health Essentials.Arthritis: should you avoid night shade vegetables?Arthritis Society of Canada.The truth about nightshades and arthritis.Olatunji BP, Arowosegbe S, Adeleke OC, Obawumi D, Asowata-Ayodele AM.Nicotine content and dietary composition of some cultivated species of Solanaceae family.Annals of Science and Technology. 2022;7(2):41-50. doi:10.2478/ast-2022-0008Additional ReadingHagen KB, Byfuglien MG, Falzon L, Olsen SU, Smedslund G.Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(1):CD006400. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006400.pub2.Smedslund G, Byfuglien MG, Olsen SU, Hagen KB.Effectiveness and Safety of Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(5):727-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.02.010.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alamgeer, Shanila A, Ambreen Malik U, Umme Habiba H.Alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols might be responsible for potent antiarthritic effect of Solanum nigrum.J Tradit Chin Med.2019;39(5):632-641.Cleveland Clinic: Health Essentials.Arthritis: should you avoid night shade vegetables?Arthritis Society of Canada.The truth about nightshades and arthritis.Olatunji BP, Arowosegbe S, Adeleke OC, Obawumi D, Asowata-Ayodele AM.Nicotine content and dietary composition of some cultivated species of Solanaceae family.Annals of Science and Technology. 2022;7(2):41-50. doi:10.2478/ast-2022-0008Additional ReadingHagen KB, Byfuglien MG, Falzon L, Olsen SU, Smedslund G.Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(1):CD006400. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006400.pub2.Smedslund G, Byfuglien MG, Olsen SU, Hagen KB.Effectiveness and Safety of Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(5):727-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.02.010.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Alamgeer, Shanila A, Ambreen Malik U, Umme Habiba H.Alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols might be responsible for potent antiarthritic effect of Solanum nigrum.J Tradit Chin Med.2019;39(5):632-641.Cleveland Clinic: Health Essentials.Arthritis: should you avoid night shade vegetables?Arthritis Society of Canada.The truth about nightshades and arthritis.Olatunji BP, Arowosegbe S, Adeleke OC, Obawumi D, Asowata-Ayodele AM.Nicotine content and dietary composition of some cultivated species of Solanaceae family.Annals of Science and Technology. 2022;7(2):41-50. doi:10.2478/ast-2022-0008
Alamgeer, Shanila A, Ambreen Malik U, Umme Habiba H.Alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols might be responsible for potent antiarthritic effect of Solanum nigrum.J Tradit Chin Med.2019;39(5):632-641.
Cleveland Clinic: Health Essentials.Arthritis: should you avoid night shade vegetables?
Arthritis Society of Canada.The truth about nightshades and arthritis.
Olatunji BP, Arowosegbe S, Adeleke OC, Obawumi D, Asowata-Ayodele AM.Nicotine content and dietary composition of some cultivated species of Solanaceae family.Annals of Science and Technology. 2022;7(2):41-50. doi:10.2478/ast-2022-0008
Hagen KB, Byfuglien MG, Falzon L, Olsen SU, Smedslund G.Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(1):CD006400. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006400.pub2.Smedslund G, Byfuglien MG, Olsen SU, Hagen KB.Effectiveness and Safety of Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(5):727-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.02.010.
Hagen KB, Byfuglien MG, Falzon L, Olsen SU, Smedslund G.Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(1):CD006400. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006400.pub2.
Smedslund G, Byfuglien MG, Olsen SU, Hagen KB.Effectiveness and Safety of Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(5):727-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.02.010.
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