Poor diet quality is associated with self-reported knee pain in community-dwelling women aged 50 years and older

How Do Older Patients with End-Stage Osteoarthritis of the Hip Eat Prior to Hip Replacement? A Preliminary Snapshot That Highlights a Poor Diet

Diet quantity and quality in older adults is critical for the proper functioning of the musculoskeletal system. In view of hip surgery, old patients should consume 1.2-1.5 g of proteins and 27-30 kcal per kilo of body weight daily, and adhere to healthy eating habits. In this analytical study, we studied diet quantity and quality in relation to the clinical chemistry and functional status of 57 older adults undergoing elective hip replacement. Nine in ten patients did not meet suggested protein and energy intakes and only one in ten patients exhibited high adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Legume consumption adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, and health status successfully forecasted haemoglobin levels (p < 0.05), and patients regularly consuming olive oil reported minor hip disability compared to those using it less frequently (p < 0.05). Patients who reported daily ingestion of <1 serving of meat versus those consuming >1.5 servings had greater cumulative comorbidity (p < 0.05), with meat consumption independently predicting walking ability, mobility, and balance in the fully adjusted model (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our patients seem to eat poorly. There is room for improvement in pre-operative pathways to make older adults eat better, but there is a need to plan an interventional study to fully understand the cause-effect of a dietary pattern or specific food in enhancing recovery after surgery.

Healthy dietary indices and noncancer pain: a systematic review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies

ABSTRACT

Pain is a global public health problem given its high prevalence and incidence, long duration, and social and economic impact. There is growing interest in nutrition as potential modifiable risk factor related to pain; however, the associations between healthy dietary patterns and pain have not yet been well established. Thus, we aimed to systematically review and synthesise current cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence on the relationship between a priori healthy dietary patterns and noncancer pain among adults aged ≥18 years. We identified relevant published cross-sectional and longitudinal studies by systematically searching several electronic databases from inception to September 2021. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cohort studies. A total of 14 cross-sectional and 6 longitudinal studies were included in the review. These studies measured different dietary scores/indices, such as different measures of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the dietary inflammatory index. Pain ascertainment methods and pain measurements used differed across studies. All 20 of the included studies had different study designs and statistical analysis. Of these studies, 10 reported an inverse association between adherence to a healthy dietary pattern and pain, 5 reported mixed results, and 5 reported no associations. Despite notable heterogeneity, 50% of included observational studies reported that adherence to a healthy diet, particularly the Mediterranean diet, is inversely associated with pain. Of note, the cross-sectional design of most studies precludes any causal interpretation. Moreover, limited and inconsistent evidence from longitudinal studies highlights the need for further studies.