High-fat, high-carb diet a cause of osteoarthritis
Research, published in Scientific Reports , conducted by Professor Yin Xiao, from QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and his team, in collaboration with Professor Lindsay Brown and his team at University of Southern Queensland, is possibly the first study to investigate the association between osteoarthritis and common dietary fatty acids. The researchers studied the effects on joints of diets rich in a variety of saturated fatty acids found in such foods as butter, coconut oil , palm oil and animal fat, and simple carbohydrates -- a high-fat, high carbohydrate diet common to "junk food." "Our findings suggest that it's not wear and tear but diet that has a lot to do with the onset of osteoarthritis," Professor Xiao said. "The main function of cartilage is to seal the bone ends in a joint and absorb pressure on the bones during weight-bearing movement such as walking. "We found that a diet containing simple carbohydrat...