Staying Healthy
Higher BMI associated with greater odds of joint disease
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- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
A higher body mass index (BMI) is one of the major risk factors for developing osteoarthritis. But a new study suggests that carrying extra weight also makes it more likely a person will experience an inflammatory joint condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
The study, published online May 23, 2023, by the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology, involved nearly 362,000 adults participating in the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database. Researchers analyzed how participants' BMI — a calculation of body size that considers height and weight — related to their likelihood of developing any of five joint conditions: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, and inflammatory spondylitis (a type of spinal arthritis). Other than osteoarthritis, most other joint diseases are driven by inflammation.
Participants with higher BMIs (significantly greater than the "normal" BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9) had higher rates of rheumatoid arthritis (52%), osteoarthritis (49%), psoriatic arthritis (80%), gout (73%), and inflammatory spondylitis (34%) compared with people in the normal BMI range. Weight control can help reduce the risk of developing a joint disease, the study authors concluded.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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