Osteoarthritis is a breakdown of the cartilage covering the ends of the bones in the joints. If we thought that this degradation was due to age and wear, it would actually be due to fatty foods. In any case, this is what researchers from the Queensland University of Technology, in Australia, say. According to them, saturated fatty acids, found in 20% of the Western diet (in addition to simple carbohydrates), weaken the cartilage of the joints, especially in the hip and knees.
To conduct their study, published April 18, 2017 in the medical journal Scientific Reports , the researchers tested on rats the saturated fatty acids found in foods such as butter, animal fat, palm oil and simple carbohydrates, which are very present in the Western diet. They were able to see that this fat caused a change in the bone, under the cartilage. The latter would lose its cushion effect, which caused bone pain. "Our results imply that it is not wear and tear, but diet that has a lot to do with the onset of osteoarthritis," explained Professor Xiao, from the Institute of Health and Innovation of the university. On the other hand, by replacing animal fat with lauric acid, the main saturated fatty acid in coconut oil, the researchers found that cartilage degradation was much less severe.
To avoid having osteoarthritis, apart from coconut oil, we avoid fat at all costs! Our bones will thank us.
