A diet rich in saturated fatty acids increases the risk ofosteoarthritisaccording to the results of a study published in the medical journal Scientific Reports. These saturated fatty acids weaken the cartilage of the joints, in particular, that of the hip and the knee.
Researchers at Queensland University of Technology in Australia conducted a study to determine the links between diet and osteoarthritis risk.
Researchers studied the effects on joints of diets high in a variety of saturated fatty acids found in foods such as butter, coconut oil, palm oil and animal fat, and simple carbohydrates, common to “junk food”.
Food changes the composition of cartilage
The researchers observed changes in the bone under the cartilage after a diet high in saturated fat. They tested lauric acid, a saturated fatty acid found in coconut oil. They found that a classic Western diet had simple carbohydrates and 20% saturated fat. The study showed that deposition of saturated fatty acids in cartilage alters their metabolism and weakens the cartilage, making it more prone to damage. This would, in turn, lead to osteoarthritic pain due to the loss of the cushion effect of the cartilage. This variety of saturated fats and found that long-term use of animal fat, butter, and palm oil may weaken cartilage.
The main function of cartilage is to seal the ends of bones into a joint and to absorb pressure on the bones during weight-bearing movements, such as walking.
“Our results suggest that it is not wear, but diet that has a lot to do with the onset of osteoarthritissaid Professor Xiao, from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology.
A reversible mechanism
The researchers then replaced meat fat in the diet with lauric acid, and found a decrease in cartilage deterioration and metabolic syndrome, and they found better bone protection.
“The fatty acids could cause tissue inflammation throughout the cartilage. But replacing traditional diets containing coconut-derived lauric acid with palmitic acid derived from palm oil or stearic acid derived from animal fat has the potential to aggravate the development of metabolic syndrome and osteoarthritis.”
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