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Sunday,
June 22, 2003
UK scientists hope adding vitamin D to the
diet could help prevent one of the most common and painful forms
of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis affects more than a million people in the UK,
many of them elderly.
- 2003/06/22
There is currently no cure and all doctors can do is control
pain and keep patients active and mobile. With the growing number
of elderly people and better life expectancy, the number of people
with osteoarthritis is expected to soar over the next five years.
Study But scientists at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
(RNOH), in Stanmore, Middlesex and University College, London,
are to study 600 patients to see if they can help prevent osteoporosis
of the knee. They will study the patients over a three-year period
to see whether a simple tablet or supplement can help prevent
cartilage destruction and reduce pain. They will measure the effects
on the cartilage with X- rays. Dr Richard Keen, the consultant
rheumatologist at the RNOH in charge of the trial said: "We
hope that this study will bring real improvement to the lives
of patients with osteoarthritis. "We hope that by preventing
the progression of the disease, patients will experience less
joint pain from their arthritis. "Supplementation with Vitamin
D may also have other health- related benefits, and we hope to
be able to assess these during the study period." Grant Earlier
data from American studies has suggested low levels of Vitamin
D in the blood are associated with more wear and tear in the joint
cartilage at the hip and knee and this would lead to a more rapid
progression of the disease. The Arthritis Research Campaign has
funded the study with a £500,000 grant. A spokeswoman said:"Sometimes
the simplest things are the most effective. "We're already
running a big clinical trial to find out if losing weight can
help reduce knee pain, and a separate study investigating whether
cod liver oil has a similar effect. "The Vitamin D trial
is another common sense way to practically help people with osteoarthritis
of the knee, until a cure can be found in the long term."
SOURCE: BBC News |
