Overweight people to take part in osteoarthritis trial
UP to 400 overweight and obese people in Nottingham are to be recruited to take part in a study to find out if losing weight and exercise will help reduce their knee pain.
If it was proved that weight loss and exercise was beneficial, a substantial amount of NHS cash could be saved in knee replacement surgery and drugs, as well as preventing pain and loss of mobility for thousands of people in the UK who suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee.
The rise in obesity in this country - the UK is now officially the eighth most obese country in the world – is resulting in increased health problems with more and more people developing high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes.
According to team leader and epidemiologist at the University of Nottingham Dr Ken Muir, obesity is also the main risk factor for developing osteoarthritis of the knee. Between a quarter and a half of all knee osteoarthritis might be prevented by eliminating obesity.
Dr Muir and his colleagues have been awarded a four-year grant of £430,000 by medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) to run the trial, with 400 volunteers to be recruited from GP surgeries in the Nottingham area from September.
They will be split into two groups, one to undergo a weight loss programme, the other to be given advice from an arc booklet. Half of both groups will also be given an exercise programme to strengthen the quadricep muscles in their knees which will involve stretching, walking up and downstairs and walking outdoors.
The team expects that the weight loss side of the trial will cause patients the most difficulty. Patients will be expected to reduce their snacking habits and portion sizes and cut down in the fat in their diet. They will be visited regularly and offered support in their homes by nurses and dieticians.
Dr Jonathan Webber, honorary consultant and senior lecturer in clinical nutrition and metabolism, hopes that people taking part in the trial will lose ten per cent of their body mass.
"If they are motivated enough to get involved in the trial, it's likely that up to two thirds of them will lose weight within three months," he said. "But it won't be easy for them, especially if they are surrounded by people in their homes who are not making these changes to their diet and lifestyle." Those who struggle to lose weight will be offered weight loss pills Reductil or Orlistat.
