Effect of a Mediterranean Type Diet on Inflammatory and Cartilage Degradation Biomarkers in Patients with Osteoarthritis

Dyer J, Davison G, Marcora SM, Mauger AR · The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging

The diet group had a ~47% fall in IL-1alpha (p = .010) and an 8% fall in serum COMP, a cartilage-degradation marker (p = .014), plus improved knee flexion; pain scores did not clearly differ. Biomarker, not clinical, endpoints.

Population

Adults with osteoarthritis (83% female, aged 31-90), 16 weeks

Intervention

Mediterranean-type diet (n=50)

Comparator

Usual diet (n=49)

Limitations

Unblinded dietary trial; surrogate biomarker endpoints; modest size; no structural imaging.