WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For individuals at risk for knee osteoarthritis, high ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption is associated with higher muscle fat content, according to a study published online April 14 in Radiology.
Zehra Akkaya, M.D., from Ankara University in Turkey, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis using baseline data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (February 2004 to October 2015) to examine the relationship between UPF consumption and thigh muscle fat infiltration (MFI). Data were included for 615 participants who were at risk for knee osteoarthritis but free of radiographic osteoarthritis and pain in either knee or hip. MFI was assessed using Goutallier grade on axial T1-weighted spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging scans.
UPFs constituted a mean of 41.4 ± 13.4 percent of the participants' diet. The researchers found that greater UPF consumption was associated with higher MFI in all thigh muscles, bilateral flexors, and bilateral adductors in body mass index-adjusted models (β = 0.108, 0.111, and 0.122, respectively). In abdominal circumference-adjusted models, stronger relationships were seen for all muscle groups (β = 0.134, 0.133, 0.097, and 0.147 for all muscles, flexors, extensors, and adductors, respectively). Interactions based on sex were not statistically significant.
"This research underscores the vital role of nutrition in muscle quality in the context of knee osteoarthritis," Akkaya said in a statement. "Addressing obesity is a primary objective and frontline treatment for knee osteoarthritis, yet the findings from this research emphasize that dietary quality warrants greater attention, and weight loss regimens should take into account diet quality beyond caloric restriction and exercise."