I am taking liberty to post this excellent article written by Leslie Beck for the Globe and Mail. A link to the original source is provided. The article explains the contribution of excess weight to degenerative arthritis of the weight bearing joints, and some methods to ease the situation.
Take a load off your waist to spare your knees.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080917.wlbeck17/EmailBNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Weight control tops the list of ways to thwart ‘wear and tear’ arthritis, but these foods and supplements may also help your joints
It’s no surprise that getting older and being overweight boosts your risk for heart attack, Type 2 diabetes and a number of cancers. Now, researchers say, this combination of risk factors will cause one in two people to develop painful knee osteoarthritis in their lifetime, with those who are obese at greatest risk. Among the more than 100 different forms of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common, affecting more than three million Canadians - a number that’s expected to increase with our aging population and expanding waistlines.
Also known as “wear and tear arthritis,” osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that progresses slowly over a period of months to years. Warning signs include joint stiffness after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time, swelling in one or more joints and a creaking sound of bone rubbing against bone. It’s caused by the breakdown of cartilage in one or more joints including the knees, hips, fingers, spine and feet. (Cartilage is a tough but flexible connective tissue that covers the surface of joints, allowing bones to slide over one another, reducing friction and preventing damage.)
In a landmark study published in this month’s issue of Arthritis Care & Research, scientists from the University of North Carolina monitored the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis in 3,086 adults. While there were no differences in risk by gender or race, the study revealed that, over all, nearly one in two people (45 per cent) will develop the disease. What’s more, lifetime risk of osteoarthritis rose with increasing body mass index. The results indicated that two in three people (65 per cent) who are obese will develop the condition over their lifetime.
Those with a prior knee injury had a lifetime risk of 57 per cent.
Next to getting older, obesity is the most powerful risk factor for knee osteoarthritis. Carrying excess weight increases the stress on cartilage in the knees, hips and feet. Studies have consistently shown that overweight women have four times the risk and overweight men have five times the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis than their peers of normal weight. Although the connection is not as strong, excess weight also increases the likelihood of hip osteoarthritis.
While weight control tops the list of strategies to prevent osteoarthritis - and ease joint pain and stiffness if you already have the disease - the following foods and supplements may also benefit your joints.
VITAMIN C
Studies suggest this nutrient can reduce the progression of osteoarthritis. It’s needed for the formation of collagen and also helps combat the effects of free radicals in the body, which can damage collagen. (Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules, which can harm cells and lead to chronic disease.) Women need 75 milligrams and men 90 milligrams a day. (If you are a smoker, you need an additional 35 milligrams.) However, research suggests a daily intake of 200 milligrams is required to benefit joints. The best food sources of vitamin C include citrus fruit, strawberries, kiwi fruit, red and green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and tomato juice.
VITAMIN D
In people with osteoarthritis, a deficiency of vitamin D has been shown to cause cartilage loss, greater knee pain and difficulty walking, and increase disease progression. Adequate vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption and bone structure, which are essential for proper joint function.
While you get some vitamin D from milk, oily fish and egg yolks, it’s not enough to protect your bones. For bone health - and cancer prevention - adults should supplement with 1,000 international units of vitamin D a day in the fall and winter, when the sun’s UVB rays are not strong enough to produce vitamin D in the skin. (If you’re older than 50 or do not get much sun exposure in the summer months, take a vitamin D supplement year-round.)
SELENIUM
In a U.S. study of 4,400 adults, those with higher selenium levels in their body had a 40 per cent lower risk of knee osteoarthritis than those in the lowest selenium group. People in the highest selenium group also faced half the risk of severe osteoarthritis in both knees. This antioxidant mineral is thought to protect the joints by fighting free-radical damage. Adults need 55 micrograms of selenium daily. Good food sources include seafood, red meat, wheat bran, whole grains, Brazil nuts, onions, garlic, mushrooms and leafy green vegetables.
GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN
These natural substances are found in and around cartilage cells. Some, but not all, studies have shown that supplements of glucosamine and chondroitin can relieve joint stiffness and pain in some people with osteoarthritis. There’s also evidence that glucosamine can slow joint degeneration and osteoarthritis progression. Most studies have used 1,500 milligrams of glucosamine sulfate daily.
Research suggests that chondroitin sulfate (1,200 milligrams daily) is effective for alleviating osteoarthritis symptoms when used with pain killers. Chondroitin is often combined with glucosamine, but the evidence that this combination works better than either ingredient alone is sparse. If you take either supplement and don’t feel any benefit after three months, it probably isn’t going to work and you should stop taking it. Discuss taking supplements with your health-care provider.
MSM
This compound, called methyl sulfonyl methane, is found in small amounts in fruit, corn, tomatoes, milk, tea and coffee. As a supplement, MSM is promoted as having anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Two randomized controlled trials lasting 12 weeks found that MSM supplements - used alone or in combination with glucosamine - significantly lessened knee pain and swelling, and improved joint function in people with osteoarthritis. Animal studies also suggest MSM may inhibit degenerative changes in joints. While preliminary research suggests MSM may help, not enough is known about its long-term safety and effectiveness.
Credit to: Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV’s Canada AM every Wednesday. Her website is lesliebeck.com.
Take a load off your waist to spare your knees.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080917.wlbeck17/EmailBNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Weight control tops the list of ways to thwart ‘wear and tear’ arthritis, but these foods and supplements may also help your joints
It’s no surprise that getting older and being overweight boosts your risk for heart attack, Type 2 diabetes and a number of cancers. Now, researchers say, this combination of risk factors will cause one in two people to develop painful knee osteoarthritis in their lifetime, with those who are obese at greatest risk. Among the more than 100 different forms of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common, affecting more than three million Canadians - a number that’s expected to increase with our aging population and expanding waistlines.
Also known as “wear and tear arthritis,” osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that progresses slowly over a period of months to years. Warning signs include joint stiffness after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time, swelling in one or more joints and a creaking sound of bone rubbing against bone. It’s caused by the breakdown of cartilage in one or more joints including the knees, hips, fingers, spine and feet. (Cartilage is a tough but flexible connective tissue that covers the surface of joints, allowing bones to slide over one another, reducing friction and preventing damage.)
In a landmark study published in this month’s issue of Arthritis Care & Research, scientists from the University of North Carolina monitored the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis in 3,086 adults. While there were no differences in risk by gender or race, the study revealed that, over all, nearly one in two people (45 per cent) will develop the disease. What’s more, lifetime risk of osteoarthritis rose with increasing body mass index. The results indicated that two in three people (65 per cent) who are obese will develop the condition over their lifetime.
Those with a prior knee injury had a lifetime risk of 57 per cent.
Next to getting older, obesity is the most powerful risk factor for knee osteoarthritis. Carrying excess weight increases the stress on cartilage in the knees, hips and feet. Studies have consistently shown that overweight women have four times the risk and overweight men have five times the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis than their peers of normal weight. Although the connection is not as strong, excess weight also increases the likelihood of hip osteoarthritis.
While weight control tops the list of strategies to prevent osteoarthritis - and ease joint pain and stiffness if you already have the disease - the following foods and supplements may also benefit your joints.
VITAMIN C
Studies suggest this nutrient can reduce the progression of osteoarthritis. It’s needed for the formation of collagen and also helps combat the effects of free radicals in the body, which can damage collagen. (Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules, which can harm cells and lead to chronic disease.) Women need 75 milligrams and men 90 milligrams a day. (If you are a smoker, you need an additional 35 milligrams.) However, research suggests a daily intake of 200 milligrams is required to benefit joints. The best food sources of vitamin C include citrus fruit, strawberries, kiwi fruit, red and green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and tomato juice.
VITAMIN D
In people with osteoarthritis, a deficiency of vitamin D has been shown to cause cartilage loss, greater knee pain and difficulty walking, and increase disease progression. Adequate vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption and bone structure, which are essential for proper joint function.
While you get some vitamin D from milk, oily fish and egg yolks, it’s not enough to protect your bones. For bone health - and cancer prevention - adults should supplement with 1,000 international units of vitamin D a day in the fall and winter, when the sun’s UVB rays are not strong enough to produce vitamin D in the skin. (If you’re older than 50 or do not get much sun exposure in the summer months, take a vitamin D supplement year-round.)
SELENIUM
In a U.S. study of 4,400 adults, those with higher selenium levels in their body had a 40 per cent lower risk of knee osteoarthritis than those in the lowest selenium group. People in the highest selenium group also faced half the risk of severe osteoarthritis in both knees. This antioxidant mineral is thought to protect the joints by fighting free-radical damage. Adults need 55 micrograms of selenium daily. Good food sources include seafood, red meat, wheat bran, whole grains, Brazil nuts, onions, garlic, mushrooms and leafy green vegetables.
GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN
These natural substances are found in and around cartilage cells. Some, but not all, studies have shown that supplements of glucosamine and chondroitin can relieve joint stiffness and pain in some people with osteoarthritis. There’s also evidence that glucosamine can slow joint degeneration and osteoarthritis progression. Most studies have used 1,500 milligrams of glucosamine sulfate daily.
Research suggests that chondroitin sulfate (1,200 milligrams daily) is effective for alleviating osteoarthritis symptoms when used with pain killers. Chondroitin is often combined with glucosamine, but the evidence that this combination works better than either ingredient alone is sparse. If you take either supplement and don’t feel any benefit after three months, it probably isn’t going to work and you should stop taking it. Discuss taking supplements with your health-care provider.
MSM
This compound, called methyl sulfonyl methane, is found in small amounts in fruit, corn, tomatoes, milk, tea and coffee. As a supplement, MSM is promoted as having anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Two randomized controlled trials lasting 12 weeks found that MSM supplements - used alone or in combination with glucosamine - significantly lessened knee pain and swelling, and improved joint function in people with osteoarthritis. Animal studies also suggest MSM may inhibit degenerative changes in joints. While preliminary research suggests MSM may help, not enough is known about its long-term safety and effectiveness.
Credit to: Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV’s Canada AM every Wednesday. Her website is lesliebeck.com.