Healthyโข Eating Directlyโ Linked too Chronic Pain โขReduction, New Study Finds
Adelaide, Australia – โA newโฃ study from โthe University of South Australia (UniSA) reveals that improving diet quality can significantly reduce chronicโ musculoskeletal โขpain, independently of weight loss. The โขresearch, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, challenges the long-held assumption that weight reduction is the โขprimary driver of pain relief.
Researchers โฃfollowedโค 104 Australianโ adults with overweight โขor โobesity over โฃa three-month period. Participants who improved their dietary habitsโ reported a significant decrease in jointโ andโ muscle pain, even when accounting for any weightโ they may have lost.
“Chronic musculoskeletal pain is one ofโ the most common and debilitating conditions worldwide,” explains lead researcher and UniSAโข PhD โcandidate, Sue โคWard.”While excess weight is often thought to put stress on joints and drive pain, โขour โฃstudy shows that what you eat may independently influence chronic pain.This is a very hopeful finding for โpeople living โwith chronic pain.”
The study involved a dietary intervention that reduced โคparticipants’ โdaily energy intake byโค 30% – from approximately 9100โฃ to 5800 kilojoules – by adhering to the โขAustralian Dietaryโ Guidelines. Participants increased their consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins while reducing discretionary foods and alcohol.
After three months, participants demonstrated a 22% advancement in diet quality, alongside โขa dramatic โreduction in chronic โmusculoskeletal pain, falling from 50% reporting pain to just 24%. They also reported less โฃpain severityโ and improved pain-related quality of โขlife. On average, โparticipants lost โขaround seven โคkilograms of body weight.
Crucially, researchers โขfoundโข that improvements in pain severityโ were directly linked to improved diet quality, regardless of changes inโ weight, waist โcircumference, or body fat.”Eating well isn’t just about long-term โdisease prevention – it can also have an immediate and tangible impactโค on how we feel day to day,” says co-researcher โคDr. Alison hill, also from UniSA. “This study shows โฃthat adopting โคa healthier diet may lead to meaningful reductions in pain which improve overall wellbeing.”
The findings underscore the importance of nutrition in chronic pain management andโ add toโ a growing body of evidence supporting the link between โฃhealthy eating and overall health. Whileโ further research is needed, thisโข study opens new avenues for pain managementโ strategies, focusing on the power โฃof dietary interventions.
Source: University of South Australia – https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2025/beyond-weight-loss-how-healthy-eating-cuts-chronic-pain/
Journal Reference: Ward, S. J., et al.(2025). Exploringโข the role of diet quality โand adiposity in the pain experience:โข a mediation analysis. European Journal of โขNutrition. โฃ https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-025-03772-0