The association between the Mediterranean diet and magnetic resonance parameters for knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet appears to be beneficial for osteoarthritis (OA), but the few data available regarding the association between the diet and the condition are limited to X-ray and clinical findings. The current study aimed to investigate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and knee cartilage morphology, assessed using magnetic resonance (MRI) in a cohort of North American participants. Seven hundred eighty-three participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (59.8% females; mean age 62.3 years) in possession of a MRI assessment (a coronal 3D FLASH with Water Excitation MR sequence of the right knee) were enrolled in our cross-sectional study. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated using a validated Mediterranean diet score (aMED). The strength of the association between aMED and knee MRI parameters was gauged using an adjusted linear regression analysis, expressed as standardized betas with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Using an adjusted linear regression analysis, each increase of one standard deviation (SD) in the aMED corresponded to a significant increase in the central medial femoral cartilage volume (beta = 0.12; 95%CI 0.09 to 0.15), in the mean central medial femoral cartilage thickness (beta = 0.13; 95%CI 0.01 to 0.17), in the cartilage thickness of the mean central medial tibiofemoral compartment (beta = 0.12; 95%CI 0.09 to 0.15), and in the cartilage volume of the medial tibiofemoral compartment (beta = 0.09; 95%CI 0.06 to 0.12). Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was found to be associated with a significant improvement in knee cartilage as assessed by MRI, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors.

The Association between Dietary Magnesium Intake and Magnetic Resonance Parameters for Knee Osteoarthritis

“…OA progression is significantly related to oxidative stress and ROS [36], suggesting that adequate intake and/or supplementation of Mg can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to better preservation of knee structures. Third, Mg is particularly present in the Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, and, consequently, this can further justify our findings [22,37,38]. Finally, it is widely known that Mg is able to potentiate the effects of vitamin D on the skeletal system, further reinforcing the positive effect of Mg on knee OA [27].…”

“…We identified several potential confounders in our analyses: body mass index (BMI), physical activity level, assessed with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) [20], race, smoking habit, educational level, yearly income (< or > $50,000 and missing data), self-reported comorbidities, assessed using the modified Charlson comorbidity score [21], use of analgesic drugs (both topical and systemic) for the management of pain-related knee OA, number of alcoholic drinks consumed in a typical week in the previous 12 months, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (aMED) [22,23,24,25].…”

Mediterranean diet and knee osteoarthritis outcomes: A longitudinal cohort study

“…In the Osteoarthritis Initiative, we have already reported that higher aMED scores were not only associated with a significant lower prevalence of knee OA (also after accounting for potential confounders) [12], but also with a better architecture of the knee, investigated through a magnetic resonance investigation. [11] However these data were cross-sectional limiting the interpretation of these findings. With the current research, we have further reinforced the concept that Mediterranean diet could be useful for the prevention of pain in knee OA and for the symptomatic forms through a longitudinal design.…”

“…[9,10] Despite this, to the best of our knowledge, only a few cross-sectional studies have studied the association between higher adherence to Mediterranean diet and knee OA, showing overall that people following more strictly Mediterranean diets have a significantly lower likelihood of knee OA and a better knee structure. [11,12] The Mediterranean diet is rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly those derived from vegetables and fruits, whole-meal cereals, nuts, virgin olive oil and fish, which made the risk of deficient micronutrient intakes quite infrequent. This explains why Mediterranean diet is particularly rich in antioxidant vitamins (vitamins E and C) and carotenes were also high.…”

The Relationship between Dietary Vitamin K and Depressive Symptoms in Late Adulthood: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from a Large Cohort Study

“…We identified numerous potential confounders that may influence the relationship between dietary vitamin K and depressive symptoms, including: body mass index (BMI), as measured by a trained nurse; total energy intake (in Kcal); physical activity evaluated using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) [17]; ethnicity; smoking habits, educational level and yearly income (< or ≥$50,000 or missing data); self-reported comorbidities that were assessed using the modified Charlson comorbidity score [18]; and, adherence to Mediterranean diet according to the score that was suggested by Panagiotakos et al [19] and already reported in the OAI [14,20,21,22]. Data regarding diet, physical activity, demographics and comorbidities were recorded through questionnaires given to the participants.…”