Obesity and Arthritis

Obesity and arthritis occur together so frequently that it's easy to see why many of us blame obesity as the cause of arthritis. In fact, there is no scientific evidence that an "obesity gene" is involved in arthritis.

What we do know is that being overweight is a risk factor for developing arthritis and is a complication for arthritis. Studies show, compared to people of normal weight, overweight women are at almost four times the risk of developing arthritis of the knee, while overweight men are at almost five times the risk.

Excess weight increases the load placed on weight-bearing joints such as the hip and knee. That load increases stress on the joint, which may cause premature breakdown of the cartilage. Researchers estimate that we exert a force of between three and six times our body weight on the knee while walking.