Diet, Exercise May Ward Off Arthritis

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Diet,

Exercise May Ward Off Arthritis

April 22, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As baby boomers get older

and fatter, they're also more likely to come down with one of the

consequences of age and weight -- arthritis.

Although they can't prevent aging, boomers

can reduce the risk from obesity, and diet and exercise can help them achieve

it, doctors say.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form,

develops as cartilage that cushions the joints wears away, leaving the ends

of the bones rubbing against each other. The Arthritis Foundation says X-rays

can find signs of osteoarthritis in most people over 60.

The condition commonly begins to show up

between ages 40 and 60, so most boomers are " right smack in the

target, " said Bill , an associate professor of family medicine at

the University of Minnesota and president-elect of the American College of

Sports Medicine.

Extra weight on the cartilage brings extra

risk of the joint disease. " The simple explanation is, you're putting

more biomechanical stress on the joints, " said Fontaine, an

assistant professor of rheumatology at the s Hopkins School of Medicine.

Fontaine and his colleagues looked at survey

data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and concluded that

the odds of joint pain went up as weight did. People ages 60 and older had a

12 percent likelihood of pain if they were underweight but a 60 percent

chance if they were very obese, according to the study in the October edition

of the journal Obesity Research.

Although the CDC survey did not ask whether

the pain came from arthritis, Fontaine believes it did because the people

polled were in the right age range.

Losing weight can reduce the risk of

developing arthritis, said Dr. Pisetsky,

director of the Duke University Arthritis Center and a medical adviser to the Arthritis Foundation.

" There is good evidence that people who

are close to their ideal weight are going to have fewer problems, " he

said.

Pisetsky also said overweight people ought to give special

consideration to physical activity because it offers protection beyond weight

loss. " Many tissues just perform better when they move or bear

weight, " he said.

Cartilage benefits by being well-fed. It

gets nutrients from fluids in the joint, and the nutrients can be squeezed

into the tissue by movement.

The reduced risk of arthritis by exercising

muscle comes about differently.

For instance, muscles that protect the knee,

one of the most common sites for osteoarthritis, act as shock absorbers.

Strengthening them relieves pressure on the joint, Dr. DiNubile, a clinical associate professor of orthopedic

surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

Researchers can't tell yet how much activity

is the right amount to reduce risk, Pisetsky said.

They do know that at least one half hour a day of moderate activity such as

brisk walking, as the Surgeon General advises, is good for cardiovascular

health. So Pisetsky's advice is to do at least what

the Surgeon General recommends, figuring that some protection against

osteoarthritis of the knee should get picked up as well.

If people want to do more, possibly walking

an hour and adding some weight training, they might get more benefit, but the

research can't prove it, Pisetsky said.

People who already have arthritis also can

gain from losing weight and keeping their joints active, although they have

to be more careful about their activity.

Exercises that pound joints, such as

running, are off-limits, but gliding movements are fine, DiNubile

said. He recommended water aerobics designed for people with arthritis, as

well as exercise bikes and elliptical trainers.

Activity can make arthritic joints hurt. But

people can learn the difference between a little soreness and a pain worth

worrying about, and go on to get the improvements that exercise can deliver, DiNubile said.

Copyright 2004 The

Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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