The lifetime risk of developing symptomatic
knee osteoarthritis is 60% in subjects with
obesity. It is unclear which is the best
weight loss interventions leading to a meaningful improvement of
osteoarthritis symptoms and clinical conditions in subjects with
obesity. Our network meta-analysis compares different
weight loss interventions on the improvement of
osteoarthritis symptoms and clinical conditions in subjects affected by
obesity. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched for eligible studies until November 2020. Thirty eligible studies comprising 4651 adults (74.6% women) were included. The most effective interventions reducing
pain were
bariatric surgery,
low-calorie diet and exercise, and intensive
weight loss and exercise (-62.7 [95% CrI: -74.6, -50.6]; -34.4 [95% CrI: -48.1, -19.5]; -27.1 [95% CrI: -40.4, -13.6] respectively). For every 1%
weight loss Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
Osteoarthritis (WOMAC)
pain, function, and stiffness scores decreased by about 2% points. In conclusion, our meta-analysis shows that a substantial
weight loss is necessary to reduce significantly knee
pain and joint stiffness and to improve physical function: 25%
weight reduction from baseline is necessary to obtain a 50% reduction of each subscale of the WOMAC score. However, performing physical exercise is essential to preserve the lean body mass and to avoid
sarcopenia. Our results apply to a large spectrum of body mass index (BMI), from
overweight to
severe obesity.