Add Sugar, Protect Joints

It’s not a license to eat bonbons all day, but there IS new evidence that sugar can be a good thing—at least if it’s in saline. Researchers from Edinburgh University’s Centre for Integrative Physiology have found that adding sugar to saline solution could reduce the risk of osteoarthritis (OA).

To counteract the possible cartilage cell damage caused by surgery, the Edinburgh team (working with a rat model) added sugar to the saline solution used to wash out joints during orthopedic surgery. They found that it not only protects the cartilage, but that it may even improve cartilage repair. The researchers, who were funded by Arthritis Research UK, have also shown that there is better cartilage repair when the chondroprotective solution is used, compared to the usual saline currently used in orthopedic surgery.

Dr. Andrew Hall, principal investigator and reader in cell physiology said in the January 27, 2915 news release, “Our findings could have major implications for tens of thousands of people who undergo arthroscopic surgery, such as footballers or other sportspeople who’ve damaged their cartilage. Or in fact anyone who’s had exploratory surgery for a sore or painful knee.”

“There is a worry that all these people are at risk of developing osteoarthritis from their surgery. But if surgeons can be persuaded to use this chondroprotective solution as standard that risk could be substantially reduced. It’s a cheap, simple solution that can protect the cartilage in the joint during arthroscopy and surgery.”

Dr. Stephen Simpson, director of research at Arthritis Research UK commented, “It’s extraordinary that something as simple as a sugar solution can have such a beneficial, protective effect on the joints during surgery and can actually help repair cartilage damage. It seems a simple yet potentially valuable step that surgeons around the country could be persuaded to include in their procedures.”