Association of dietary intake with joint space narrowing and osteophytosis at the knee in Japanese men and women: the ROAD study

Abstract

Objective. The objective of the present study is to identify dietary nutrients associated with joint space narrowing (JSN) and osteophytosis at the knee in a population-based cohort of the Research on Osteoarthritis/osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD) study.

Methods. From the baseline survey of the ROAD study, 827 participants (305 men and 522 women) in a rural cohort were analyzed. Dietary nutrient intakes for the last month were assessed by a self-administered brief diet history questionnaire. Minimum joint space width (mJSW) and osteophyte area (OPA) in the medial compartment of the knee were measured using a knee osteoarthritis (OA) computer-aided diagnostic system.

Results In men, there were no associations of dietary nutrient intakes with mJSW or OPA. In women, vitamins K, B1, B2, B6, and C were associated with mJSW after adjustment for age, body mass index, and total energy (p < 0.05). Vitamins E, K, B1, B2, niacin, and B6 were significantly associated with OPA (p < 0.05) in women. Vitamins K, B and C may have a protective role against knee OA in women and might lead to disease-modifying treatments.

Conclusions. The present study revealed that low dietary intake of vitamins K, B, and C are associated with JSN and osteophytosis in women.

Keywords:

• Osteoarthritis
• Knee
• Diet
• Cohort studies
• Epidemiology

Acknowledgments

The present study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B20390182, C20591737, C20591774), for Young Scientists (A18689031), and for Exploratory Research (19659305) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, H17-Men-eki-009, H18-Choujyu-037, and H20-Choujyu-009 from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, and Research Aid from the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA-Subsidized Science Project Research 2006-1); and Grant No. 166 from the Japan Orthopaedics and Traumatology Foundation. The authors thank Mrs. Tomoko Takijiri and other members of the Public Office in Hidakagawa Town; and Mrs. Tamako Tsutsumi, Mrs. Kanami Maeda, and other members of the Public Office in Taiji Town, for their assistance in the location and scheduling of participants for examinations.

Conflict of interest

None.