Washington: Women who frequently consume fat-free or low-fat milk may delay the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, a new study has claimed. The study also found that women who ate cheese actually saw an increase in knee OA progression but yogurt did not impact OA progression in men or women. OA is a common, degenerative joint disease that causes pain and swelling of joints in the hand, hips, or knee. While medical evidence points to obesity, joint injury, and repetitive use from some sports as risk factors for incident knee OA, risks associated with OA progression remain unclear. "Milk consumption plays an important role in bone health," said lead author Bing Lu, from Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

"Our study is the largest study to investigate the impact of dairy intake in the progression of knee OA," Lu said. For the study, 2,148 participants (3,064 knees) with knee OA were recruited. At the start of the study dietary data was collected and joint space width was measured by x-ray to evaluate OA progression. Subjects included 888 men and 1,260 women who were followed-up at 12, 24, 36, and 48 months. As the intake of milk increased from none to less than 3, 4-6, and more than 7 glasses per week, the joint space width in women also decreased by 0.38mm, 0.29mm,0.29mm and 0.26mm, respectively. Results persisted even after adjusting for disease severity, body mass index (BMI) and dietary factors. No association between milk consumption and joint space width decrease was reported in men.