Abstract
Obesity is a significant health concern, as it causes a massive cascade of chronic inflammations and multiple morbidities. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are chronic inflammatory conditions and often manifest as comorbidities of obesity. Adipose tissues serve as a reservoir of energy as well as releasing several inflammatory cytokines (including IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) that stimulate low-grade chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, fatty liver disease, oxidative stress, and chronic kidney diseases. Dietary intake, low physical activity, unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, alcohol consumption, and genetic and environmental factors can influence obesity and arthritis. Current arthritis management using modern medicines produces various adverse reactions. Medicinal plants have been a significant part of traditional medicine, and various plants and phytochemicals have shown effectiveness against arthritis and obesity; however, scientifically, this traditional plant-based treatment option needs validation through proper clinical trials and toxicity tests. In addition, essential oils obtained from aromatic plants are being widely used as for complementary therapy (e.g., aromatherapy, smelling, spicing, and consumption with food) against arthritis and obesity; scientific evidence is necessary to support their effectiveness. This review is an attempt to understand the pathophysiological connections between obesity and arthritis, and describes treatment options derived from medicinal, spice, and aromatic plants.
Highlights
Obesity can be characterized as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more in adults, who are classified as overweight, or a BMI of 30 or more, classified as obesity [1]
Obesity is a common comorbidity of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients, and it reduces the efficacy of drugs working against tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), but losing body weight improves the success of treatment with these drugs [111]
A recent clinical trial demonstrated that 0.5 g twice daily consumption of Curcuma longa extract over 12-week period improved symptoms (such as knee pain using both the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain values) of patients experiencing symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and knee effusion synovitis [151]
Summary
Obesity can be characterized as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more in adults, who are classified as overweight, or a BMI of 30 or more, classified as obesity [1]. In 2016, around 1.9 billion adults (aged > 18 years) were overweight, but >650 million people were obese. According to the WHO, the cause of obesity is an increased consumption of foods that are high in fat and sugars, along with the progressively sedentary nature of modern lifestyles, reduced physical work, lack of exercise, and urbanization [1]. An increased waist circumference of more than 40 inches in men (35 inches in women) is known as visceral adiposity, and can be a cause for concern even when BMI is at a normal level. Obesity and overweight cause other diseases as comorbidities, such as musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., arthritis) [2], cardiovascular diseases [3], diabetes [4], and cancer [5]
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