Can weight loss and exercise prevent knee arthritis in women?

This study is testing whether a combination of diet changes, exercise, and weight maintenance can prevent knee arthritis from developing in women who are at high risk. Researchers know that weight loss and exercise help people who already have knee arthritis, and this trial wants to find out if the same approach can actually prevent the disease from starting in the first place.

Knee arthritis is the leading cause of disability in adults and has no cure, yet most treatments only manage symptoms rather than prevent the disease. This trial exists because prevention is far better than treatment, and no proven way to stop arthritis from developing has been found yet — especially for women, who get arthritis nearly twice as often as men.