Extra weight puts stress on joints, especially knees, with every extra pound adding 4 pounds of pressure. Over half of arthritis sufferers are obese. Children are particularly at risk of joint damage from weight gain. Excess weight has caused a rise in joint inflammation cases. One-third of US children are overweight or obese. Losing 11 pounds can reduce knee arthritis risk by 50%.
Weight gain affects joint pressure because the extra weight puts stress on the joints in the lower body, especially the knees. In fact, with every extra pound (0.45 kg) of body weight, you add 4 pounds (1.81 kg) of pressure to your knees, the joints that are responsible for carrying the majority of your body weight. More than half of all people with arthritis, a disease that causes inflammation in the joints, are obese. Weight gain could especially affect joint pressure in children because the stress on the joints could damage the cartilage at the end of the bones while they’re still growing.
Read more about the impact of weight:
Excess weight accounted for 3% of all cases of joint inflammation in 1971 and had risen to 18% in 2002.
According to 2014 statistics, approximately one-third of children and young adults in the United States are considered overweight or obese and are five times more likely to be obese as adults.
An 11-pound (5 kg) weight loss could reduce the likelihood of arthritis in the knees by 50 percent.
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