Mediterranean diet may reduce pain due to obesity

Eating a Mediterranean diet that involves consuming more fish and plant-based proteins such as nuts and beans could decrease the chances an overweight person will experience regular pain, new research suggests.

A well-established connection between body weight and chronic pain might be explained by inflammation in the body, and the study points to anti-inflammatory foods including fish, nuts and beans as a key to preventing or reducing that pain, said lead researcher Charles Emery, Professor at the Ohio State University in the US.

"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," Emery said. 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.

The study involved 98 men and women aged between 20 to 78 years. And they found a clear pattern. Eating more fish and plant-based proteins such as nuts and beans was linked with less pain, regardless of body weight, showed the findings published in the journal Pain. The study also upheld previous research showing that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to experience pain.