Researchers from two Australian universities– Queensland University of Technology and the University of Southern Queensland – have discovered that the relation between excess weight and osteoarthritis runs a little deeper than was previously known; by uncovering a connection between dietary fat and osteoarthritis. The group was led by professors Yin Xiao and Lindsay Brown.
This discovery follows Professor Xiao’s earlier work, which found that antioxidants and anti-cholesterol drugs may impede the joint damage caused by fatty acids found in foods such as palm oil and butter.
In this research project, however, Professor Xiao looks specifically at the effects, of a diet rich in saturated fatty acids and simple carbohydrates, on osteoarthritis (these dietary components are commonly found in junk food).
The study demonstrates that osteoarthritis may have less to do with the general usage of joints and more to do with the regular diet.
Professor Xiao says: “Our findings suggest that it’s not wear and tear but diet that has a lot to do with the onset of osteoarthritis.”
The results show that a diet containing 20 percent saturated fats and simple carbohydrates “produced osteoarthritis-like changes in the knee.” Professor Yin Xiao said that “saturated fatty acid deposits in the cartilage change its metabolism and weaken the cartilage, making it more prone to damage. This would, in turn, lead to osteoarthritic pain from the loss of the cushioning effect of cartilage. We also found changes in the bone under the cartilage on a diet rich in saturated fat.”