HEALTHY EATING CAN CUT CHRONIC PAIN, AS WELL AS YOUR WAISTLINE
- Amelia Taylor
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
A healthy diet has long been linked to weight management and disease prevention, but new research shows its benefits go far deeper, reducing chronic pain regardless of weight loss.
A University of South Australia study has revealed that improving diet quality can significantly ease joint and muscle pain in people living with overweight or obesity.
The trial followed 104 Australian adults for three months, encouraging participants to adhere to the Australian Dietary Guidelines and reduce their intake of discretionary foods and alcohol.
On average, their daily energy intake dropped by 30 per cent, and most lost around seven kilograms.
However, researchers say the real breakthrough was not the weight loss, but the quality of the diet itself. Participants reported less pain severity, with chronic musculoskeletal pain prevalence falling from 50 per cent to 24 per cent.
Lead researcher and PhD candidate Sue Ward says the findings challenge the assumption that weight loss is the primary means of achieving pain relief.
“Chronic musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common and debilitating conditions worldwide. While excess weight is often thought to put stress on joints and drive pain, our study shows that what you eat may independently influence chronic pain,” Ward says.
“While weight loss helps many people, this study suggests that improving diet quality itself also eases the severity of people’s pain. This is a very hopeful finding for people living with chronic pain.”
Co-researcher Dr Alison Hill says the results are a reminder that nutrition matters as much for how we feel today as it does for long-term health.
“Eating well isn’t just about long-term disease prevention – it can also have an immediate and tangible impact on how we feel day to day,” she says.
“This study shows that adopting a healthier diet may lead to meaningful reductions in pain, which improve overall well-being.”
While further research is needed, the study adds to growing evidence that what we put on our plates can help manage not only weight and disease risk, but also the daily burden of chronic pain.
