Getty Images / Kseniya Ovchinnikova Embracing a healthy diet may help lower the intensity of chronic pain, regardless of a person’s weight, new research shows.
Nearly 52 million Americans and one in five people globally experience chronic pain.
Lower-quality diets can lead to inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which could exacerbate pain, experts said.
Chronic pain can affect all aspects of a person’s daily life and overall health. But new research suggests embracing a healthy diet might be one way to lower the intensity of that pain, regardless of a person’s weight.
The new study, published in Nutrition Research in October, could offer an accessible, readily available tool for tackling chronic pain.
The implications could be especially significant given just how many people live with this “common and disabling health problem,” said study author Sue Ward , a researcher and PhD candidate at the University of South Australia. Nearly 52 million Americans and one in five people globally experience chronic pain .
“Those who experience chronic pain often have a higher weight compared to the general population,” Ward told Health . “Food choices that influence the overall quality of a person’s diet may contribute to an individual’s pain by affecting their weight or triggering bodily processes such as inflammation .”
Here’s what experts had to say about the new study, plus why the food you eat may be able to ease chronic pain. Chronic Pain Is Extremely Common in the US—And New Cases Are ‘Developing at Alarming Rates’ People with Healthier Diets Reported Lower Pain Levels For this study, Ward and her colleagues looked at data on 654 Australians who had their weight, body mass index (BMI) , waist size, and other measurements recorded in a clinical setting. They also answered surveys that touched on a range of topics, including socioeconomic status, lifestyle behaviors, pain levels, and regular diets. The study participants were an average of 50 years old, and 96% were white.Using the official Australian Dietary Guidelines as a benchmark, Ward and her team defined a healthy diet as one that incorporated “core foods” such as […]
Why a Healthy Diet Could Help You Manage Chronic Pain, Regardless of Your Weight
