Links between arthritis and diet

Inflammation is central to the pathophysiology of musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Nutrition has an influential role in such conditions (Fettke et al, 2023), with insulin attracting particular interest.

Qiao et al (2020), noted that type 2 diabetes is characterised by insulin resistance – a hyperinsulinaemic state distinguished by a reduced response to the hormone insulin. Hyperinsulinemia is an independent risk factor for osteoarthritis. As fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) are crucial to the development of synovial inflammation in osteoarthritis, Qiao et al (2020) investigated the role of insulin in relation to FLSs in osteoarthritis. They found that proinflammatory cytokine production in FLSs was raised after insulin stimulation. The discovery that insulin can promote synovial inflammation in the progression of osteoarthritis, either alone or with inflammatory factors, is significant in terms of shaping dietary approaches to such conditions.