Knee Osteoarthritis Is Worse with Pro-Inflammatory Diet
A study published in Arthritis Care & Research (January 2024) found that knee pain was worse in people who ate a highly pro-inflammatory diet. The study used data from a population-based study that enrolled people ages 50 to 80. They completed questionnaires about their diet and were given a score on the dietary inflammation index (DII®), which evaluates a person’s dietary pattern for its potential effect on inflammation. High scores are associated with greater intake of fats, sweets, sodas, meat, and eggs, and lower intake of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Of 944 participants, 566 were followed for close to 11 years. Participants with higher DII scores had greater pain scores than those with low DII scores. They were more likely to have moderate as opposed to minimal pain. DII scores were not found to correlate with structural changes in the knee, as measured by MRI.
