Weight gain impacts joint pressure because extra weight causes stress on the joints of the lower body, especially the knees. In fact, with every extra pound (0.45 kg) of additional body weight, 4 pounds (1.81 kg) of pressure is added to the knees, the joints that are responsible for carrying the most body weight. More than half of all people who suffer from arthritis, a disease that causes joint inflammation, are obese. Weight gain might especially affect the joint pressure in children because the stress on the joints could damage the cartilage at the end of bones while they are still growing.
More about the impact of weight:
- Excess weight accounted for 3% of all cases of joint inflammation in 1971 — and had risen to 18% by 2002.
- About one-third of the children and young adults in the US are considered to be overweight or obese, according to 2014 statistics, and they are about five times more likely to be obese as adults.
- A weight loss of 11 pounds (5 kg) could reduce the likelihood of arthritis in the knees by 50%.
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Discussion Comments
Does anyone know what the best way to avoid obesity is? Though I'm not overweight, my family has a history of obesity, and I don't want any of their genetics to affect me. Do I just need to make sure I maintain a healthier diet?
In this day and age, obesity seems to be at an all time high. In relation to this article, we really need to be careful about what we eat and how we eat. When we're of a younger age, the foods we consume generally have much less of an effect on us, at least initially. However, when we continue these eating habits, as we get older, we start to see the effects. This article has some very interesting tidbits.
Though the article doesn't directly state this, this seems to be one of the reasons why some people who are obese use wheelchairs to get around. They're so overweight that their legs can no longer support them, thus they have to use a machine.
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