Mixed
Increasing lean body mass (LBM) below 52.26 kg is negatively associated with the risk of osteoarthritis, suggesting a protective effect, whereas increasing LBM above this threshold provides no statistically significant additional benefit.
If you have low muscle mass, building it up to around 52 kg (for women, likely higher for men depending on height/build, but the study uses absolute kg) can significantly lower your risk of developing osteoarthritis. Once you have a substantial amount of lean mass, adding more muscle won't necessarily protect your joints further, but maintaining it is still important for overall health. Focus on resistance training to build muscle if you are currently lean.
LBM was negatively correlated with osteoarthritis at 0.56 (0.48, 0.64) before the inflection point, and the association was not statistically significant afterward.
Why this rating
Large sample size (n=31,172) and rigorous adjustment for confounders, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.
Source
Association between lean body mass and osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study from the NHANES 2007–2018
Hongrui Lu et al. · Scientific Reports · 2025
DOI 10.1038/s41598-025-98795-2
Related findings · Mixed
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- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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