Study links junk food to arthritis

A   new study has revealed that junk food worsens  arthritis and joint pain . The research published by the University of Rochester Medical Centre, suggests that bacteria in the gut appears to be the driving force behind inflammation that leads to painful ‘wear and tear’ of the bones in overweight people and not weight.  The […]

A   new study has revealed that junk food worsens  arthritis and joint pain .

The research published by the University of Rochester Medical Centre, suggests that bacteria in the gut appears to be the driving force behind inflammation that leads to painful ‘wear and tear’ of the bones in overweight people and not weight. 

The new study suggests that balancing gut bacteria with a prebiotic supplement reversed the symptoms in mice – even if their weight stayed the same. 

The disease, osteoarthritis, has long been assumed to be a consequence of undue stress on the joints, and that losing weight could prevent the condition.

Study leader, Associate Professor Michael Zuscik said: “Cartilage is both a cushion and lubricant, supporting friction-free joint movements. When you lose that, it’s bone on bone, rock on rock. It’s the end of the line and you have to replace the whole joint.

“Preventing that from happening is what we, as osteoarthritis researchers, strive to do – to keep that cartilage.”

The researchers fed mice a high fat diet akin to a Western ‘cheeseburger and milkshake’ diet. Just 12 weeks of the high fat diet made the mice obese and diabetic, nearly doubling their body fat percentage compared to mice fed a low fat, healthy diet.

Study co-author Professor Robert Mooney said: “That reinforces the idea that osteoarthritis is another secondary complication of obesity – just like diabetes, heart disease and stroke, which all have inflammation as part of their cause.”

The researchers plan to continue the research in humans. They hope to compare older people who have obesity-related osteoarthritis to those who don’t to further identify the connections between gut microbes and joints.