Weight loss protects knees – MRI study results

Losing a substantial amount of weight can slow the degeneration of knee cartilage in obese people, says a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Obesity is a major risk factor for osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that affects over one-third of adults over the age of 60 years. The knee joint is a common site of osteoarthritis, and in many people the condition progresses until total knee replacement becomes necessary.

So experts looked at the association between different degrees of weight loss and the progression of knee cartilage degeneration in 506 overweight and obese people. The volunteers either had mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis or risk factors for the disease. They were divided into three groups: a control group who did not lose weight; those who lost a little weight; and people who lost over 10% of their body weight. The researchers used MRI scans to quantify knee osteoarthritis.

The four-year study showed that weight loss has a protective effect against cartilage degeneration and that a larger amount of weight loss is more beneficial.

“Cartilage degenerated a lot slower in the group that lost more than 10% of their body weight, especially in the weight-bearing regions of the knee,” explains Dr Alexandra Gersing, who is involved in the work. “However, those with 5% to 10% weight loss had almost no difference in cartilage degeneration compared to those who didn’t lose weight.

“Degenerative joint disease is a major cause of pain and disability in our population, and obesity is a significant risk factor. Once cartilage is lost in osteoarthritis, the disease cannot be reversed.”

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Image credit: Dan Zen