Weight and Diet Strain Knees and Hips

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How many thousands of knee and hip replacements, and how much pain, could be avoided by the right diet?

Arthritis has been called the chronic-care challenge of the 21st century. It is no small problem in economic terms either. A few months ago, The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, published startling statistics. Over the last 30 years, the global incidence of osteoarthritis has risen by132% to 595 million people. There is no sign of the disease slowing down and there’s no cure.

What does this mean? For public healthcare systems like Canada’s, it means ever more costs to the taxbase for higher and higher numbers of expensive knee and hip replacements.

Osteoarthritis is the “wear and tear” form of arthritis. Like aging car brakes that wear down with use, human joints begin to grate and scrape with age. It’s a fact that heavier vehicles need especially careful maintenance. People carrying excess weight should shed it to avoid unnecessary wear. But arthritis is caused by more than just heavy use and aging. Inadequate nutrition also sets the stage for arthritis.

The famous Framingham Health Study followed thousands of people for 40 years assessing risk factors for osteoarthritis.