Episode 88: The First AIP Pilot Trial in Rheumatoid Arthritis with Julianne Taylor

Can dietary change meaningfully improve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms?

A recently published pilot study investigating the Autoimmune Protocol diet in adults with rheumatoid arthritis found improvements in patient-reported disease activity, pain, fatigue, sleep, and quality of life measures—with several participants reaching remission-level scores by the end of the intervention.

In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by registered nutritionist, AIP Certified Coach, and PhD candidate Julianne Taylor to discuss the first clinical trial investigating the Autoimmune Protocol in rheumatoid arthritis.

Julianne shares her personal journey into autoimmune nutrition research, explains how the study was designed, and walks through the results of the pilot trial—including improvements in fatigue, sleep, pain, and disease activity.

Together, they also explore the nuances and limitations of dietary research, discuss why individual responses vary, and dive into Julianne’s broader scoping review of elimination and reintroduction diets in rheumatoid arthritis spanning decades of research.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Julianne’s personal health experience led her into autoimmune nutrition research
• What a pilot feasibility study is and why it matters
• How the AIP rheumatoid arthritis study was designed
• Why patient-reported outcomes like fatigue and sleep are important in RA research
• What improvements participants experienced during the intervention
• Why some participants experienced challenges or adverse effects
• How nutrient density and food eliminations may both influence outcomes
• What historical elimination diet research in RA reveals about common trigger foods
• Why nightshades continue to be an important area of interest in autoimmune nutrition
• What future research on AIP and rheumatoid arthritis may explore next

Resources:

• Paleo Zone Nutrition (blog)
• Julianne Taylor Nutrition (website)
• Julianne Taylor on Instagram
• The First AIP Pilot Trial in Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Elimination, Reintroduction Diets, and Oral Food Challenge in Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Scoping Review

Episode Timeline:

00:00 – Introduction to the first AIP rheumatoid arthritis pilot study

01:56 – Introducing Julianne Taylor

03:54 – Julianne’s personal health journey and early paleo research

11:34 – What a pilot feasibility study is

13:05 – The questionnaires used in the AIP RA pilot trial

17:07 – The AIP intervention and elimination phase

19:32 – Results of the rheumatoid arthritis pilot study

24:56 – Discussing adverse effects and individual variability

30:57 – Diet quality versus food eliminations

33:54 – Reviewing decades of elimination diet research in RA

38:48 – Common trigger foods identified in the literature

42:31 – Nightshades and rheumatoid arthritis

44:31 – Upcoming AIP and RA research

51:20 – What Julianne hopes clinicians and patients take away from the research

53:23 – Where to follow Julianne’s work online