Medical investigators from Duke University found mice fed a supplement of omega-3 fatty acids — which occur naturally in fish — had healthier joints than those fed diets high in saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids.

The findings, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, suggest that unhealthy dietary fats —  not just obesity — may contribute to worsening osteoarthritis.
 
Editor's Note: 3 Simple Ways to Soothe Your Aching Joints

"Our results suggest that dietary factors play a more significant role than mechanical factors in the link between obesity and osteoarthritis," said researcher Farshid Guilak, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke.
 
Obesity is one of the primary risk factors for osteoarthritis, and experts have long believed increased weight wears the joints out. But obesity does not explain why arthritis is also found in hands and other joints.
 
By studying mice, Guilak and his colleagues determined the lack of appetite hormone leptin, linked to obesity, predicted whether the mice had arthritis.
 
"This made us think that maybe it’s not how much weight you gain, but what you eat," Guilak said.
 
For the study, the researchers fed mice one of three high-fat diets: one rich in saturated fat, one rich in omega-6 fatty acids, and one supplemented with a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
 
The results showed mice that ate diets high in saturated fat or omega-6 fatty acids experienced significant worsening of their arthritis, while mice consuming a small supplement of omega-3 fatty acids had healthier joints.
 
Editor's Note: 3 Simple Ways to Soothe Your Aching Joints

"While omega 3-fatty acids aren’t reversing the injury, they appear to slow the progression of arthritis in this group of mice," Guilak said. "In fact, omega-3 fatty acids eliminated the detrimental effects of obesity in obese mice."
 
The study was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health.