Diet and Exercise Interventions for Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis and Obesity

Tightly controlled diet and exercise interventions benefit overweight patients with knee osteoarthritis, but the effectiveness of such interventions in community settings is less clear. In this community-based, U.S. trial, researchers randomized 823 adults (mean age, 65) with knee osteoarthritis and body-mass index ≥27 kg/m² (mean BMI, 37 kg/m²) to a diet and exercise program administered in neighborhood facilities or to a control group that received five educational sessions plus educational materials. Intervention patients received 42 diet counseling sessions during 18 months and had access to three group exercise sessions weekly at community facilities.

During the 18-month trial, mean body weight dropped by 7.7 kg in the intervention grou…