Eating well for healthy joints

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent and disabling chronic diseases affecting older people. It is a degenerative disease of synovial joints that has a major impact on joint function and quality of life. The only resident population of cartilage tissue is represented by chondrocytes, cells synthetizing ECM components and being responsible for cartilage homeostasis [1]. Thus it is clear that the degeneration of these cells is the main event that we need to counteract. The pathological changes in chondrocytes and cartilage are associated with an excessive production of pro-inflammatory molecules, such as interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), which shift the balance between the synthesis and degradation of matrix components resulting in progressive destruction of the joint tissue. Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress may be a key pathogenic factor in age-related disorders, such as osteoarthritis (OA), by inducing cell death, hypertrophic differentiation, ECM degradation and mineralization [2]. Besides, dietary and metabolic factors may affect these processes and overall OA development.