Knee Osteoarthritis In Women

Pflexx helps knee osteoarthritis

Women who regularly drink fat-free or low-fat milk could delay the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, according to new research published in the Arthritis Care & Research journal.

The study also revealed that eating cheese caused the condition to progress in females, whereas consuming yoghurt had no measurable impact. OA is a common, degenerative joint disease that can cause severe pain and swelling in the hands, knees or hips.

The condition affects over one million people every year in the UK and is more common in women than in men. Previous research has indicated that joint injury, obesity and repetitive use from sport are risk factors for knee OA, but the problems attached to the progression of the disease are still unclear. "Milk consumption plays an important role in bone health," said Bing Lu, lead author. “Our study is the largest study to investigate the impact of dairy intake in the progression of knee OA." Over 2,100 participants - 888 men and 1,260 women - with knee OA were involved in the new research.

Scientists discovered that as the intake of milk increased, the joint space width in women decreased. Ms Lu believes these findings suggest that drinking milk regularly could slow the progression of knee OA in females.