According to a new research , it was observed that carbohydrates that originate in the body, called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), may cause arthritis. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital have linked GAGs to the defense system in the body that causes inflammation. While the cause of arthritis has been a mystery, this new finding may shed light on the origin of the crippling disease.
GAGs are found in joint cartilage, joint fluid, connective tissue, and skin. Julia Ying Wang, Ph. D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital examined GAG in mice with arthritic symptoms. She says, "This study shows that rheumatoid arthritis may result from the body's mishandling of its own carbohydrates that, under normal circumstances, would not be interpreted as a threat."Wang found that inflammatory cells that accumulate in arthritic joints attach themselves directly to the glycosaminoglycans. This accumulation of cells leads to painful inflammation and swelling in the affected tissue. By examining human tissue taken from arthritic sufferers, the researchers were able to find the same glycosaminoglycans hindering cells in humans.
