Better Diet Lowers Chronic Pain Regardless of Body Weight

Summary: One of the latest Australian studies shows that increasing the intake of core foods may be one of the simplest ways of preventing and managing chronic pain. Moreover, most people experience the benefits of healthy dietary choices regardless of body weight.

 A new study shows that just making dietary changes may significantly impact chronic pain. It can help reduce pain scores. Here, it is vital to understand that these benefits are seen regardless of body weight. So, these findings differ from previous findings, showing that dietary measures that help reduce body weight can lower pain sensation.

These findings are encouraging, showing that dietary changes can help quickly. One does not essentially need to practice those dietary changes for long or focus on weight loss.

Figure 1 Healthy diet reduces pain scores (Image source: Ward, S. J., Coates, A. M., Baldock, K. L., Stanford, T. E., & Hill, A. M. (2024). Better diet quality is associated with reduced body pain in adults regardless of adiposity: Findings from the Whyalla Intergenerational Study of Health. Nutrition Research, 130, 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2024.08.002)

Chronic pain is a complex health issue affecting about one-third of adults globally. It is challenging to manage, as chronic pain occurs for different reasons. Previous studies have shown that chronic pain is more likely to occur in those living with obesity. However, studies also show that chronic pain may increase obesity risk, too.

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So, this new study was done in Australia to understand whether dietary changes can help without focusing on weight loss. So, researchers say that it is good to know that some simple dietary changes may offset chronic pain in many individuals. Some of these benefits may be due to reduced inflammation and other positive changes in health.

In the study, researchers collected data from 654 adults, and 57% of them were women. Researchers gathered information about their dietary habits, body weight, height, body composition, and physical function.

They tried to capture dietary choices in the previous 12 months by providing a survey questionnaire to the participants. In their survey, they assessed consumption of “core” and “non-core” foods. They also evaluated their dietary habits against the existing dietary guidelines in Australia.

Here, core foods are fruits, vegetables, lean meat, dairy, and grains. They are called core foods, as they are essential for optimal health. Non-core foods are spreads, alcohol, and certain ultra-processed foods like sugary drinks, crisps, cakes, margarine, sausages, and so on.

In the study, researchers found that the higher the score of core foods consumption, the lower the chances of chronic pain, and these benefits were seen regardless of body weight. However, the study noticed that such benefits seem more profound in females. These findings are encouraging, as females are more likely to develop chronic pain.

To sum up, increasing consumption of “core foods” may be one of the simplest ways of reducing chronic pain. This is good for both preventing and reducing pre-existing chronic pain.

Source:

Ward, S. J., Coates, A. M., Baldock, K. L., Stanford, T. E., & Hill, A. M. (2024). Better diet quality is associated with reduced body pain in adults regardless of adiposity: Findings from the Whyalla Intergenerational Study of Health. Nutrition Research, 130, 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2024.08.002