Mediterranean diet may decrease pain associated with obesity

A study published in the journal Pain shows that eating a Mediterranean diet may decrease the chances that an overweight person will experience regular pain. A well-established connection between body weight and chronic pain might be explained by inflammation in the body.

The researchers developed a model to help them determine whether components of an anti-inflammatory diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, played a role in the likelihood a person’s weight would contribute to pain. They found that eating more fish and plant-based proteins such as nuts and beans was linked with less pain, regardless of body weight.

The mediation model the researchers developed took into account weight, an analysis of self-reported dietary patterns (the Health Eating Index, a measure of diet quality based on U.S. dietary guidelines), and results of a two-question pain survey. Researchers spent three hours with each participant in his or her home. The researchers accounted for other factors that could influence their results, including age, depression, analgesic medication use, and joint pain.

They then tested the model using three different measures of weight—body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage. In all three cases, they found evidence that anti-inflammatory proteins may explain the link between increased weight and pain.

“We found that a healthy diet explained the link between weight and pain and specifically that seafood and plant proteins such as peas and nuts and beans were key,” said lead researcher Charles Emery, a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University. “It appears to be telling us that it’s not just the quantity of the food you eat that plays a role in pain for heavier individuals, but the quality of food as well.”

The researchers’ next step is to examine body fat and pain using biomarkers associated with inflammation.

Abstract