Baking soda may relieve arthritis

THE kitchen staple baking soda may reduce the severity of autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, where the immune system attacks healthy tissue, reports the Journal of Immunology.

In studies on rats and humans, scientists at Augusta University in the U.S. found drinking a solution of water with baking soda (also called sodium bicarbonate) for two weeks resulted in fewer inflammatory cells that can aggravate these conditions.

The researchers say the antacid signals to the cells sitting on the spleen — part of the immune system — that there’s no need to mount a protective immune response.