Drinking milk 'can delay progress of osteoarthritis'

Anew study has shed light on the potential protective effects that drinking milkcan have against the progression of knee osteoarthritis.

Conducted by the Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, theUS study revealed that women who frequently consume fat-free or low-fat milkare less likely to see the autoimmune disease develop further.

Published in the medical journal ArthritisCare & Research, the study involved 2,148 participants with kneeosteoarthritis, with dietary data collected and joint space width was measuredby X-ray to evaluate disease progression.

As the intake of milk increased from zero to less than three, four to six, ormore than seven glasses per week, the joint space width in women also decreasedby 0.38 mm, 0.29 mm,0.29 mm and 0.26 mm respectively.

These trends remained prevalent even after adjusting for disease severity, bodymass index and dietary factors, with no such association being observed amongmen.

Lead author Dr Bing Lu of Brigham and Women's Hospital said: "Our findingsindicate that women who frequently drink milk may reduce the progression ofosteoarthritis. Further study of milk intake and delay in osteoarthritisprogression are needed."

This is the first research to indicate that increasing fat-free or low-fat milkconsumption may offer protective benefits against the disease, which isexpected to become more prevalent in the coming years.

Other findings from the study revealed that women who ate a lot of cheesegenerally saw an increase in knee osteoarthritis progression, while yoghurtconsumption did not impact the development of the disease in either men orwomen.

Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said thefindings of the US were extremely interesting, although it was too early tosend out the message that women with knee osteoarthritis should drink more milkto prevent their condition getting worse.
 
"Although the link between levels of milk consumption and the progressionof knee osteoarthritis is not well understood, the researchers suggest that elevated dietary calcium intake may be a factor," he added."We know that vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb and processcalcium, and there's also some evidence that osteoarthritisof the knee and hip progresses more quickly in people who don't have enoughvitamin D.
 
"We're currently funding a large clinical trial to find out of if takingvitamin D supplements can stop the deterioration of the knee joint due toosteoarthritis, and we expect the results soon."