Washington, Sept 28 (ANI): Exercise improves arthritis symptoms even among obese mice on a high-fat diet, scientists have found.
Scientists at Duke University Medical Center said the findings of the study suggest that excess weight alone isn't what causes the aches and pains of osteoarthritis, despite the long-held notion that carrying extra pounds strains the joints and leads to the inflammatory condition.
"What's surprising is that exercise, without substantial weight loss, can be beneficial to the joints," said Farshid Guilak, Ph.D., professor of orthopaedic surgery at Duke and senior author of the study.
"Ideally, it would be best to be fit and lose a little weight, but this shows that exercise alone can improve the health of your joints."
Using two sets of male mice - half fed a high-fat diet and the other fed regular chow - the researchers found significant differences among the two groups. The mice on the high-fat food gained weight rapidly, processed glucose poorly and had much higher blood levels of molecules that trigger the chronic inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.
But when these animals got regular running wheel workouts, many of the harmful effects diminished - even though the mice ate the same high-fat food and shed no weight, Guilak said.
The study found glucose tolerance improved, while the inflammatory response was disrupted among key signaling molecules called cytokines, easing the development of arthritis.
If the extra weight on the joints had been the cause of the arthritis, the researchers noted, exercise would have exacerbated the problem, but it helped.
The study was recently published online in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism. (ANI)
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