Diet can relieve pain for obese knee osteoarthritis patients

Obese people suffering from knee osteoarthritis can significantly relieve their pain and gain better knee function by undergoing 18 months of intensive diet and exercise, according to new research.
The study set out to determine whether reduced inflammation around the joints could be achieved by losing at least ten per cent of the patient’s body weight through diet, with or without exercise. 
It also wanted to find out whether weight loss could improve any clinical outcomes more than physical exertion alone.
Over 450 overweight adults aged 55 years over were involved in the research – which was carried out by scientists at Wake Forest University in the US.
Subjects were split into different groups – some dieting and exercising, some just dieting and some solely taking part in exercise.
Overall, researchers found that participants in the diet and exercise groups saw the largest reductions in inflammation around the knee joints than those in the exercise group. People taking part in the diet group also saw a larger reduction in compressive force around the knee than subjects in the exercise group.