In a recent study, researchers found that overweight or obese people who lose body weight can reduce symptoms of knee arthritis.
The finding suggests that weight loss can be an effective way to reduce pain and improve the health of people with knee arthritis.
The study was funded by NIH.
Many old people suffer from stiff, painful knees caused by arthritis.
The condition can lead to a breakdown of the cushion of tissue inside the knee joint. Without the cushion, bone can rub against bone, which leads to pain and swelling of knees.
In obese and overweight people, the symptoms are even more serious.
In the current study, the team examined if weight loss could help change the situation.
They tested 240 overweight and obese adults over 55. All of the people had painful knee arthritis.
They took part in a program which used exercise and a healthy diet to help them lose weight.
The researchers found that people who lost 20% or more body weight reported less pain and could walk longer compared with those who lost 5%.
These people could walk farther in a 6-minute test. In addition, they had a much lower level of a substance related to pain and swelling in their body.
The researchers suggest that losing at least 20% of their weight could effectively reduce symptoms of knee arthritis.
The current guidelines suggest patients who are overweight or obese lose at least 10% of their weight to improve their outcome.
The team suggests that the new finding shows that double the standard could result in better health outcome without using surgery or medications.
In their future work, the team plans to test more people in their study of pain reduction from diet and exercise.
The lead author of the study is Stephen P. Messier at Wake Forest University.
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