Whether young or old: This is how you nourish your cartilage and joints

Joint wear and tear affects not only seniors

Approximately five million Germans are arthritis patients and suffer from painful joint wear. Chronic joint inflammations (rheumatoid arthritis) affect 800,000 people in Germany. In the past, mainly older people were affected, but nowadays more and more young adults are also affected. The causes often lie in our daily lives: we move incorrectly or too little, we have a one-sided diet, and overweight additionally burdens the joints and cartilage.

This is how our joints work

The bones that make up our skeleton are typically "rigid connections". They support, reinforce, and carry our entire body. Where our skeleton needs "movable components", our joints come into play. They are mechanical connections that bring mobility and flexibility to the rigid bone structure. The smallest joints are, for example, the finger or toe joints - our knee joint is the largest joint connection in our body.

Using the example of the hip joint, the second largest joint in the skeleton, the function of our cartilage can be well illustrated: The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint, meaning the spherical head of the thigh bone sits in a hollow socket in the pelvis. The spherical shape allows a relatively wide range of mobility in a healthy joint. The head of the thigh bone and the hip socket have a very close contact with each other. Without a protective layer between the two contact surfaces, we would experience great pain with every small movement. Therefore, the contact surfaces (like all joint surfaces in the body) are covered with a very smooth, bluish-white cartilage layer. It is highly resistant to stress, but can deteriorate over time due to strong use. Hence, proper cartilage nutrition is one of the keys to having resilient, strong joints well into old age.

Vitamin C for collagen formation

A balanced diet can make a significant contribution to cartilage and joint health. For example, vitamin C not only proves its worth in supporting the immune system, but it is also of great importance for the production of collagen.

Collagen is a structural protein that is mainly found in our connective tissue, ligaments, and cartilage. A varied diet including vitamin C-rich fruits (citrus fruits, pineapples, peaches, strawberries, kiwis) and vegetables (tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, kale) provides cartilage and joints with the important vitamin C and also with valuable secondary plant compounds.

It's all about the right fats

Not all fats are the same. There are good fats and less good fats. Saturated fatty acids or trans fats are among the less good fats. They are found, for example, in fast food and provide the body - and thus the joints - with no usable nutrients.

To strengthen the cartilage in our joints, you should rely on fat sources that are high in unsaturated fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids and are essential substances that we urgently need for survival and cannot be produced by our bodies.

Plant-based omega-3 fatty acids are needed for energy production in the body or incorporated into our cell membranes by metabolism. In order to be able to absorb omega-3 fatty acids as effectively as possible, one should keep an eye on the ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Because both are broken down by the same enzyme (delta-6-desaturase) during metabolism. If the body has a lot of omega-6 fatty acids, these are also preferentially metabolized by the enzymes, which in turn is bad for the processing of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown that a ratio of 4 (omega-3) to 1 (omega-6) is ideal for us. For example, linseed oil has this "ideal ratio".

Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in high-quality oils such as hemp oil, walnut oil, and rapeseed oil, as well as in avocados or chia seeds. Omega-3 fatty acids from non-plant sources are abundant in tuna, mackerel, salmon, haddock, or sardines. For the sake of your joints, you should avoid excessive saturated animal fats, such as those found in lard, for example.

Vitamin E - the joint vitamin

A variety of our metabolic processes produce free radicals in our body. Typically, antioxidants act as radical scavengers, meaning they break them down. However, if special stresses lead to more free radicals being produced than our body can eliminate, this results in so-called oxidative stress, which can lead to inflammation and diseases. Therefore, special attention should be paid to these antioxidants in inflammatory joint diseases. They are found in fresh fruits and vegetables, high-quality oils, and herbs. Vitamin E is also among them. The joint vitamin helps protect cells from this oxidative stress. The vitamin is found in wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, hazelnuts, peanuts, celery, or raspberries.

Lysine for cartilage

For us humans (as well as other mammals), lysine is an essential amino acid that we must obtain through our diet. Lysine plays a significant role in the formation of cartilage tissue. Lysine from plant sources can be obtained through legumes, pumpkin seeds, tofu, buckwheat flour, whole wheat flour, or walnuts. But lysine is also found in raw salmon, cow's milk, cheese, or organic chicken eggs.

Water against dehydration

Our entire body benefits from an adequate supply of water - but especially our joints and their cartilage layers. The necessary fluid nourishes the joint structures and makes them supple and flexible. This helps prevent the drying out of tissue structures. Depending on body weight, you should drink between 1.5 and 3 liters of water daily.

Less Weight - Less Strain

Unfortunately, overweight is a significant factor that can restrict our health. Every extra kilo our body has to carry also burdens our joints. There are numerous 'diets' and tricks on how to allegedly reduce weight quickly and effectively. However, it has been proven by numerous studies that a change in diet and exercise habits can bring long-term success: The diet should consist of many fresh, unprocessed foods, ideally balanced.

If regular physical activity is added to increase the body's energy expenditure, the first steps towards long-term weight reduction are taken. But be careful: Physical activity should definitely be joint-friendly! In case of hip or knee joint problems, swimming or gentle cycling would be preferable to jogging. It's best to consult with your doctor or orthopedist about which sport would be recommended in your case.