Osteoarthritis 'can be prevented by improving diet and exercise'

Improving dietary intake and getting moreexercise can make a difference to a person's risk of developingosteoarthritis, according to new research. Scientists from the University of Surrey have conducted an expert review that has identified a crucial link between metabolism and osteoarthritis, suggesting that basic lifestyle changes can be effective in delaying or preventing the onset of the condition. The link between osteoarthritis and metabolism The study examined existing research evidence to assess the role that metabolic changes caused by a poordiet and a sedentary lifestyle have on triggering the genetic reprogramming of cells in the body and joints. It was shown that these changes impair the cells' ability to produce energy, resulting in an overproduction of glucose to compensate. This, in turn, leads to an accumulation of lactic acid that causes inflammation in the joint cartilage, impeding movement and causing pain - the early signs of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis'is not an inevitability of age' Currently, there is no effective treatment for this disease, with therapeutic approaches only treating the symptoms, rather than offering a cure. However, this study offers hope that it may be possible to control or significantly slow down the symptoms of osteoarthritis through simple lifestyle changes. Lead author Ali Mobasheri, professor of musculoskeletal physiology at the University of Surrey, said:"For too long, osteoarthritis has been known as the...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news