Experts agree: weight loss should be a first choice therapy for knee osteoarthritis.
If you suffer from chronic pain due to knee osteoarthritis, a study in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage offers hope. The study shows that for obese people who already have knee osteoarthritis, a rapid loss of 10% of their weight can quickly and dramatically improve their physical function.
Eighty people with knee osteoarthritis (average age 62) who were overweight or obese (body mass index 28–35 or more) participated in an eight-week dietary weight loss program. Half of the participants had six meals a day of nutrition powder dissolved in water that met all requirements for daily intake of protein, fat, and fiber. The other participants (control group) followed an eight-week regular, high-energy, high-protein diet of regular food. Both groups received nutrition recommendations from the same dietitian, and the low-energy diet group attended motivational sessions with the dietitian each week.
People in the low-energy diet group lost an average of 11% of their body weight and 2% of their body fat vs. a 4% weight loss in the control group. For people in both groups, a weight loss of 10% produced an average 28% decrease in functional disability related to knee osteoarthritis.
The study shows that a brief eight-week diet program can produce a 10% weight loss that significantly improves physical function in overweight and obese patients with knee osteoarthritis. The authors suggest that weight loss should be a first choice therapy for knee osteoarthritis.
This finding is confirmed by a study from The Arthritis, Diet, and Activity Promotion Trial (ADAPT), which focused on osteoarthritis patients over age 60 who were overweight. It also found that a combination of “modest” weight loss plus moderate exercise provided the greatest improvement in knee pain and mobility.
Other research has shown that people who have osteoarthritis in one knee can reduce the chance of it occurring in the other knee if they lose weight. So if you haven’t been successful in your weight-loss efforts, consult a nutritionist for help in changing your eating habits.
