Few conditions have the wealth of medical folklore and the number of unconfirmed theories that are encountered in the field of rheumatic diseases. High on the list is the belief that in some way diet has something to do with the causation of many forms of arthritis or may be important in the cure of these conditions. The failure to find a specific etiology for many of the common forms of chronic arthritis, together with the necessary empiricism of treatment, has made this a fertile field for speculation regarding metabolic and nutritional factors. An appraisal of the scientific merits of the postulated relationship between diet and joint disease was made by Walter Bauer in 1935. 1 Further appraisal is permitted in the light of subsequent advances in knowledge, which include an improved characterization of the clinical behavior of various forms of joint disease and closely related conditions, an increasing body