Obesity Linked to Rapid Cartilage Loss

Maintaining the integrity of your joint cartilage is vital to your quality of life, ability to stay fit, participation in physical activities, and general anti-aging.  While the extra weight from obesity places understandable stress on cartilage, a new study indicates the problem is more significant and that obesity increases the risk for rapid cartilage loss beyond the issue of the mechanical pressure of the extra weight.

This is one more study that builds evidence that the inflammation of obesity is detrimental to health for many reasons.  This study involved 3,026 people, age 50 – 79, at risk for osteoarthritis Degenerative joint disease. Most common type of arthritis that causes a chronic, progressive, breakdown in cartilage in middle-age adults and older. or with early x-ray evidence of the disease.  During a 30-month follow up period 20% of participants had slowly progressive cartilage loss, while 5.8% had rapid cartilage loss.

For each one-unit increase in BMI Body Mass Index. BMI is a statistical measurement of body weight based on the person's height and weight. It does not actually measure the body fat percentage but provides an estimation of a healthy body weight. Normal BMI for adults ranges from 18.5-24.9, the odds of rapid cartilage loss increased by 11 percent.

It is always a good idea to use nutrients like hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, and glucosamine to provide raw materials to help build joint cartilage and improve joint lubrication.  However, it is also a good idea to reduce factors that can punch cartilage in the nose.  It appears that being overweight is more than a little problem for cartilage health.