An American study observed the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the risk of knee osteoarthritis due to the presence of fat accumulated in the thigh muscles.
A diet rich in ultra-processed foods is associated with greater quantities of fat stored within the thigh muscles, and this could increase the risk of osteoarthritis of the knee: these are the findings of a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago last December.
"This is the first imaging study to examine the relationship between MRI-based skeletal muscle quality and diet quality," said lead author Zehra Akkaya, M.D., a researcher in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco.
The researchers analysed data from 666 people (455 men, 211 women with an average age of 60) who participated in the national Osteoarthritis Initiative study and who were not yet affected by osteoarthritis, based on MRI scans. On average, participants were overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 27, and approximately 40 per cent of the food they had eaten over the previous year was ultra-processed. The researchers found that the more ultra-processed foods people consumed, the more intramuscular fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of the number of calories consumed or their level of physical activity.
"In an adult population at risk of knee or hip osteoarthritis, the consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to increased fat in the thigh muscles," said Akkaya. "These findings proved valid regardless of the diet's energy content, body mass index, sociodemographic factors, or physical activity levels." The fat streaks that replace muscle fibres lead to a quantitative and functional decline in the thigh muscles, which is potentially associated with the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis.
As explained by the researchers, osteoarthritis is a global health problem that is increasingly widespread and is the leading factor contributing to non-cancer healthcare costs in the United States and worldwide. However, since this condition is closely linked to obesity and unhealthy habits, there are potential avenues for lifestyle modification and disease management: understanding the relationship between ultra-processed foods and muscle composition could have important clinical implications, as it offers a new perspective on how diet quality affects musculoskeletal health.