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 Diets rich in fiber from plant-based foods have clear health
benefits, such as lower cholesterol, better-controlled blood sugar,
and a healthier weight, but most people in the U.S. don’t eat enough
fiber, lead author Dr. Zhaoli Dai of Boston University School of
Medicine told Reuters Health.
The current average fiber intake among U.S. adults is about 15
grams, she noted. “This is far below the recommended level, which is
22.4 grams for women and 28 grams per day for men 51 years and
above,” Dai said.
OA, which occurs when wear and tear on the joints degrades cartilage
and leads to bone abnormalities, is extremely common in people 60
and older. It can be painful, and is also a leading cause of
disability. There is no treatment for OA, aside from joint
replacement, and therapies to address symptoms, such as anti-inflammatories
for pain and swelling.
Given that dietary fiber is known to help prevent obesity and reduce
inflammation, both of which are associated with arthritis, Dai’s
team looked at diet and arthritis risk over time in two study
groups. In the Osteoarthritis Initiative, which included 4,796 men
and women with OA or at risk for OA, people who consumed the most
dietary fiber at the start of the study were 30 percent less likely
than those who ate the least fiber to develop knee pain, stiffness
or swelling due to OA, or to worsening of OA, during four years of
follow-up.
In the Framingham Offspring Study, which included 1,268 adults in
their early 50s, on average, the top quarter of fiber consumers had
a 61 percent lower risk of knee OA symptoms nine years later than
the bottom quarter.
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There are many mechanisms through which increased fiber intake could
help ease knee arthritis symptoms, Dai said, for example by reducing
inflammation and helping people to maintain a healthy weight. Fiber
can also act as a pre-biotic, she added, meaning that it can help
fuel the growth of beneficial microbes in the gut, which in turn
also reduces inflammation.
“This is the first study to show that consuming more dietary fiber
is related to lower risk of painful knee osteoarthritis,” Dai said.
“Changing diets by increasing intake of dietary fiber seems to be
one of the most economic ways to reduce the risk of knee
osteoarthritis.”
Older adults, especially those who are overweight or obese, should
consider increasing their fiber intake, she added.
(This version of the story in second paragraph, corrects affiliation
to Boston University School of Medicine)
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2rVN8xU Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, May 4,
2017.
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