London - A glass of milk a day could help slow the progression of osteoarthritis, say scientists – but only for women.
A US study has found females who frequently drink fat-free or low-fat milk may have less osteoarthritis in the knee. But drinking milk made little difference in men.
And other dairy products are no substitute, researchers have discovered – as cheese actually increased the problem in women. Yoghurt had no effect on either gender.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes pain and swelling of joints in the hands, hips, or knees. More than six million people in the UK have osteoarthritis in one or both knees, including a fifth of people in their 50s and half of all people aged over 80, according to the charity Arthritis Research UK.
In the study, 888 men and and 1 260 women with osteoarthritis in the knee had the space between the bones of their knee joint measured using X-rays. This is because a narrowing of this space means there is cartilage loss, a symptom of worsening arthritis. Information about the volunteers’ diets and dairy consumption was also taken.
The report in the journal Arthritis Care & Research found that as the women’s intake of milk increased per 8-ounce glass, the amount of joint damage in women fell.
For women drinking no milk, the joint space width in their knee had decreased by 0.38mm in four years. Women who drank a glass of milk daily found that the joint space width in their knee only decreased by 0.26mm.
The results took into account volunteers’ disease severity, body weight and diet.
However, milk consumption improved knee joint health in men only at high intakes.
Lead author of the study Dr Bing Lu, from Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, said: “Our findings indicate that women who frequently drink milk may reduce the progression of osteoarthritis. Further study of milk intake and delay in osteoarthritis progression are needed.”
He added it was unclear why milk helped osteoarthritis in women, but it may be due to boosting calcium levels as women often have low intakes of the mineral. - Daily Mail