Millions of people struggle with chronic pain. Many people can’t get treatment for that pain. New research may give people a way to mitigate their pain.
Researchers in Australia were studying the possible links between body fat, diet and pain. They found that eating healthier foods was linked to lower levels of pain, regardless of weight. The results were especially visible in women.
“It’s common knowledge that eating well is good for your health and wellbeing. But knowing that simple changes to your diet could offset chronic pain, could be life-changing,” said Dr. Sue Ward of the Univ. of South Australia. She led the study.
Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for chronic pain. However, a healthy diet helped with pain levels even for larger women. The effects were much weaker in men, according to Dr. Ward.
“It’s possible that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the healthier core food groups is what reduces pain, but we can’t yet determine whether poorer diet quality leads to more pain, or if pain leads to eating a poorer quality diet,” said Dr. Ward. “A healthy, nutritious diet brings multiple benefits for health, wellbeing, and pain management. And while personalized pain management strategies should be adopted, a healthy diet is an accessible, affordable, and effective way to manage and even reduce pain.”
The study used 654 adults in Australia. They were between the ages of 18 and 89. According to the researchers, losing weight alone didn’t impact the women’s pain levels. That implies that it’s not simply weight loss benefits but the nutritional properties of healthy foods that aid people.
Nearly 30 percent of the world’s population has a chronic pain concern. Learning that it could be mitigated with diet could be a huge breakthrough. People who ate more “core foods” had the lowest pain levels. Those foods include fruits and vegetables, grains, lean meats and dairy.
Older research indicates that nutrient-rich diets can help fight oxidative stress and system-wide inflammation. Studies like the current one can’t find a cause and effect, just a correlation. It could be that people with higher levels of pain eat poorly in response to the pain or that it’s a negative loop. However, older studies suggest that diet is helping independently.
More research is needed to add more clarity to the situation. However, improving the quality of your diet can benefit you in many ways. If you struggle with chronic pain, it may aid you. It can’t hurt.
