Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Nov;31(11):1491-1500.
doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2023.05.014. Epub 2023 Jun 14.

A multidisciplinary lifestyle program for metabolic syndrome-associated osteoarthritis: the "Plants for Joints" randomized controlled trial

Wendy Walrabenstein  1 , Carlijn A Wagenaar  2 , Marieke van de Put  3 , Marike van der Leeden  4 , Martijn Gerritsen  5 , Jos W R Twisk  6 , Martin van der Esch  7 , Henriët van Middendorp  8 , Peter J M Weijs  9 , Leo D Roorda  3 , Dirkjan van Schaardenburg  2
Affiliations
Free article
Randomized Controlled Trial

A multidisciplinary lifestyle program for metabolic syndrome-associated osteoarthritis: the "Plants for Joints" randomized controlled trial

Wendy Walrabenstein et al. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2023 Nov.
Free article

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of the "Plants for Joints" multidisciplinary lifestyle program in patients with metabolic syndrome-associated osteoarthritis (MSOA).

Design: Patients with hip or knee MSOA were randomized to the intervention or control group. The intervention group followed a 16-week program in addition to usual care based on a whole food plant-based diet, physical activity, and stress management. The control group received usual care. The patient-reported Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) total score (range 0-96) was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included other patient-reported, anthropometric, and metabolic measures. An intention-to-treat analysis with a linear-mixed model adjusted for baseline values was used to analyze between-group differences.

Results: Of the 66 people randomized, 64 completed the study. Participants (84% female) had a mean (SD) age of 63 (6) years and body mass index of 33 (5) kg/m2. After 16 weeks, the intervention group (n = 32) had a mean 11-point larger improvement in WOMAC-score (95% CI 6-16; p = 0.0001) compared to the control group. The intervention group also lost more weight (-5 kg), fat mass (-4 kg), and waist circumference (-6 cm) compared to the control group. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) fatigue, pain interference, C-reactive protein, hemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose, and low-density lipoproteins improved in the intervention versus the control group, while other PROMIS measures, blood pressure, high-density lipoproteins, and triglycerides did not differ significantly between the groups.

Conclusion: The "Plants for Joints" lifestyle program reduced stiffness, relieved pain, and improved physical function in people with hip or knee MSOA compared to usual care.

Keywords: Diet; Metabolic syndrome; Osteoarthritis”; Physical activity; Stress management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest The authors report no conflict of interest.

Publication types