This Takes Arthritis from Bad to Worse

A new study published in Rheumatology reveals one single factor that can take your arthritis from bad to worse very quickly.

Alarmingly, up to 44% of people with knee arthritis are at risk here.

But there’s a simple way to tackle this.

Researchers from the UK became curious about exactly how much obesity impacts day-to-day function in people with confirmed knee arthritis.

They turned to the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, which follows the health of older adults in that region.

First, they identified 216 community-dwelling adults aged 71–80 who had knee osteoarthritis confirmed by X-rays.

Then they split participants into groups based on whether they were obese (having a BMI of 30 kg/m² or higher) or not.

The team collected information on quality of life (EuroQol-5D scale), pain levels (WOMAC osteoarthritis index), and physical performance through questionnaires and practical tests measuring balance, walking ability, and how well participants could rise from a chair.

Their findings were clear and concerning:

● Among study participants, obesity was common — affecting 26.7% of men and an alarming 44.3% of women with knee arthritis.

● Obese participants were nearly five times more likely to report mobility problems compared to their non-obese peers.

● The odds of having difficulty with self-care tasks were 3.4 times higher in the obese group.

● Obese participants were 4.38 times more likely to struggle with usual daily activities.

● Participants who were obese were more than twice as likely to report significant pain.

● Physical performance tests showed significantly poorer results among obese participants, with lower scores on balance, walking, and chair rise tests.

● The relationship between obesity and these negative outcomes remained strong even after researchers adjusted for age and sex differences.

These findings show that obesity doesn’t just contribute to the onset of knee arthritis — it also worsens its functional limitations and pain.

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to reverse arthritis with the right food choices.

Here are the exact steps thousands of readers have taken to rid themselves of arthritis pain naturally…