Researchers studied 144 adults with knee osteoarthritis to see if eating foods that cause inflammation in the body affected their quality of life, sleep, energy, and mood. They found that men who ate more inflammatory foods reported lower energy levels, while the connection was weaker or absent in women. The study suggests that the foods we choose might play a role in how we feel when dealing with knee arthritis, though more research is needed to confirm whether changing eating habits actually improves these symptoms over time.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether eating foods that trigger inflammation in the body affects how people with knee arthritis feel—including their energy levels, sleep quality, mood, and overall quality of life.
  • Who participated: 144 adults aged 45-85 years old (64% women) who all had symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Participants were overweight on average, with similar body weights between men and women.
  • Key finding: Men who ate more inflammatory foods reported having significantly lower energy levels. This connection was not as clear in women, and no strong links were found between inflammatory eating and sleep, fatigue, mood, or overall quality of life in either group.
  • What it means for you: If you’re a man with knee arthritis, paying attention to eating less inflammatory foods might help boost your energy. However, this is early-stage research, and you should talk with your doctor before making major diet changes. The findings are suggestive but not yet definitive.

The Research Details

This was a cross-sectional study, which means researchers looked at 144 people with knee arthritis at one point in time and compared their eating habits to their health outcomes. Participants filled out detailed food diaries for 3 days, and researchers used a special scoring system called the Dietary Inflammatory Index to measure how inflammatory their diets were. Higher scores meant their food choices were more likely to trigger inflammation in the body. The researchers also measured participants’ quality of life, sleep quality, energy levels, fatigue, and mood using standard questionnaires and rating scales.

The study was part of a larger trial called FEAST that compares an anti-inflammatory diet program to a standard low-fat diet program. This particular analysis only looked at the starting data before participants began the diet programs, so it shows associations between diet and health outcomes rather than proving that changing diet causes improvements.

Researchers used statistical methods to look for sex-specific differences, meaning they analyzed men and women separately to see if the relationship between inflammatory foods and health outcomes was different between the two groups. They also adjusted their results to account for age and body weight, which can affect the outcomes.

Understanding how diet relates to symptoms in knee arthritis is important because inflammation plays a major role in this condition. If certain foods make inflammation worse, then changing what we eat could be a simple way to help manage symptoms. This study is valuable because it looks at whether these dietary effects differ between men and women—an important question since knee arthritis affects more women than men. The findings could help doctors give more personalized advice about diet based on a patient’s sex.

This study has some strengths: it used a validated scoring system to measure dietary inflammation, included both men and women, and adjusted for important factors like age and body weight. However, there are important limitations to consider. This was a snapshot in time rather than following people over months or years, so we can’t tell if changing diet actually improves symptoms. The sample size was relatively small (144 people), and most participants were overweight, so results may not apply to everyone. The study also relied on people remembering what they ate, which can be inaccurate. Finally, the researchers found very few strong associations overall, suggesting that diet’s relationship to these outcomes may be more complex than expected.

What the Results Show

The main finding was that men with knee arthritis who ate more inflammatory foods reported significantly lower energy levels. For every point increase on the inflammatory diet score, men’s energy levels dropped by about 4 points on a 100-point scale. This relationship remained strong even after accounting for age and body weight.

In contrast, women did not show this same clear connection between inflammatory eating and energy levels. The researchers also looked at whether inflammatory diets affected overall quality of life, sleep quality, fatigue, and mood in either group. They found no strong associations between what people ate and these outcomes in either men or women.

One interesting observation was that women in the study reported eating slightly more inflammatory foods on average than men, though both groups’ diets were similar overall. Despite this, women’s energy levels were not as clearly affected by their dietary choices as men’s were.

The study examined several other health outcomes beyond energy levels. Sleep quality showed no clear relationship to inflammatory eating in either men or women. Fatigue levels were also not significantly linked to diet in either group. Psychological distress, measured using a standard mood assessment tool, was not associated with inflammatory eating patterns in either sex. Overall quality of life, measured through a comprehensive health assessment, showed only a weak connection to inflammatory diet in women before adjusting for other factors, and this connection disappeared after accounting for age and body weight.

Previous research has suggested that inflammation plays a role in knee arthritis symptoms and that diet can influence inflammation levels in the body. This study adds to that knowledge by showing that the relationship between diet and symptoms may differ between men and women. The finding that energy levels are more clearly affected by diet in men than women is relatively novel and suggests that sex-specific factors—such as hormones or how men and women respond to inflammatory foods—may be important. However, the lack of strong associations with other outcomes like sleep and mood differs from some previous research, suggesting the picture is more complicated than initially thought.

This study has several important limitations. First, it’s a snapshot in time, so it can’t prove that eating inflammatory foods causes lower energy—only that they’re associated. Second, the sample size of 144 people is relatively small, which limits how much we can generalize the findings. Third, most participants were overweight, so results may not apply to people of normal weight. Fourth, participants reported their own food intake from memory, which is often inaccurate. Fifth, the study found very few strong associations overall, which raises questions about how meaningful these findings really are. Finally, this analysis used baseline data from a larger trial, so the full results from following people over time may tell a different story.

The Bottom Line

Based on this early research, men with knee arthritis might consider talking with their doctor or a nutritionist about reducing inflammatory foods in their diet, as this may help with energy levels. However, confidence in this recommendation is moderate because this is early-stage research. For women with knee arthritis, the evidence doesn’t yet support making major dietary changes specifically to improve these symptoms. Everyone with knee arthritis should discuss any diet changes with their healthcare provider before starting, especially if they take medications or have other health conditions.

Men with knee arthritis who struggle with low energy may find this research particularly relevant and worth discussing with their doctor. Women with knee arthritis should be aware of this research but shouldn’t expect the same energy benefits from dietary changes based on current evidence. People without knee arthritis don’t need to apply these findings. Anyone considering major dietary changes should consult with their healthcare provider first.

This study doesn’t tell us how quickly energy improvements might happen if someone changes their diet, since it only looked at one point in time. The larger FEAST trial that this data comes from will follow people over time and should provide better information about realistic timelines for seeing benefits. Generally, dietary changes can take several weeks to months to show noticeable effects on energy and symptoms.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track daily energy levels on a 1-10 scale alongside a simple food inflammation score (rating meals as low, medium, or high inflammatory based on ingredients). Record this daily for 4 weeks to identify personal patterns between what you eat and how energetic you feel.
  • Start by identifying and reducing one high-inflammatory food category (such as processed foods, fried foods, or sugary items) and replacing it with an anti-inflammatory alternative. For example, swap fried chicken for grilled fish, or replace sugary snacks with berries. Track energy changes weekly.
  • Create a weekly energy average and compare it to your weekly inflammatory food intake score. After 4-6 weeks, review whether weeks with lower inflammatory eating correlated with higher energy levels. Adjust your diet based on your personal results and discuss findings with your healthcare provider.

This research is preliminary and shows associations, not proven cause-and-effect relationships. The findings apply specifically to adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and may not apply to everyone. Before making significant dietary changes, especially if you have knee arthritis, take medications, or have other health conditions, consult with your doctor or a registered dietitian. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The larger FEAST trial is ongoing and may provide more definitive answers about whether dietary changes actually improve symptoms over time.