UCSF Study Shows Weight Loss Protects OA Cartilage Save

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco have shown that >10% weight loss may impact the rate of cartilage loss as determined by MRI scanning.  They presented their findings yesterday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). 

They examined the issue of weight loss and osteoarthritis (OA) progression in 506 overweight and obese patients from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a nationwide study of knee osteoarthritis patients. The patients either had mild to moderate osteoarthritis or risk factors for the disease.

Patients were divided into three groups: a control group (those who did not lose weight), a second group who lost 10% weight, and a third group who lost > 10 percent of their body weight. MRI was used to quantify the amount of cartilage loss in the affected knee over a 4 year span.

They found evidence that weight loss has a protective effect against cartilage degeneration and that a larger amount of weight loss is more beneficial. Slowing of cartilage loss was greatest in the group that lost more than 10 percent of their body weight, especially in the weight-bearing regions of the knee. Surprisingingly, those with 5-10% weight loss had no protective effect.