Arthritis Care warns of osteoarthritis epidemic among the overweight
Younger people who are overweight are at risk from developing osteoarthritis, according to Neil Betteridge, chief executive of Arthritis Care.Mr Betteridge has suggested that "radical" action needs to be taken over the obesity epidemic to prevent a large increase in the number of people developing osteoarthritis.
He said: "Carrying all that weight projects the pressure onto joints, so therefore we are likely to see an epidemic of osteoarthritis affecting younger people in the next generation sadly."
Older people, he said, often suffer from the condition as joints and bones wear out with age and athletes can also develop the condition due to the pressure they put on their bodies.
His comments come in light of research by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, which revealed that a gene known as MCF2L has been linked to the degenerative condition which affects over 40 per cent of those aged 70 and over.
