A healthy diet could ease chronic pain, new research shows

Another benefit of a balanced diet

Chronic pain can be debilitating and frustrating, often with very few effective treatments available. A new study from the University of South Australia suggests a healthy diet could help reduce the severity of symptoms.

Chronic pain can hinder people from living full lives, affecting things like sleep, mood, mental health, and the way some people socialise and work.

As per the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), one in five Australians over the age of 45 live with chronic pain, and many people struggle without treatment.

Now, researchers from the University of South Australia believe they have found a helpful pain management tool that’s as simple as changing diet.

A healthy diet could be the key to reducing pain

Their study suggested a healthy diet could ‘reduce the severity of chronic pain, presenting an easy and accessible way for sufferers to better manage their condition.’

Published in the Nutrition Research journal in October, the study found that eating more foods within the Australian Dietary Guidelines was linked to ‘lower levels of body pain, particularly among women’. 

We already know eating a balanced diet of healthy food is good for our health, but UniSA PhD researcher Sue Ward says the findings are encouraging: “Knowing that simple changes to your diet could offset chronic pain, could be life-changing”.

The impact of weight on chronic pain

Ward says “Being overweight or obese is a known risk factor for chronic pain”. 

According to the AIHW, ‘A higher body mass index is associated with greater joint and back pain due to the increased pressure on these areas. Obesity is also linked to other pain conditions, including fibromyalgia, headaches and abdominal pain’.

The good news? The PhD researcher said the team found that “higher consumption of core foods – which are your vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, dairy and alternatives – was related to less pain, and this was regardless of body weight.”

The impact of a diet change on men and women

Women are more likely to be affected by chronic pain, with 70 per cent of those living with the condition being women, as per Harvard Health. 

According to the University of South Australia’s study, adopting a healthier, balanced diet impacted women's and men’s pain levels differently.

Ward says “Women with better diets, had lower pain levels and better physical function. But this effect was much weaker for men”.

Women are more likely to be affected by chronic pain. Image: iStock

Why a healthy diet may ease chronic pain

While the researchers aren’t certain why a healthy diet could ease chronic pain, Ward suggested natural pain relievers could play a role.

“It’s possible that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the healthier core food groups is what reduces pain, but we can’t yet determine whether poorer diet quality leads to more pain, or if pain leads to eating a poorer quality diet”, she said.

She noted that changes to diets could be integrated into pain treatment plans alongside other management options. 

“A healthy, nutritious diet brings multiple benefits for health, wellbeing, and pain management. And while personalised pain management strategies should be adopted, a healthy diet is an accessible, affordable, and effective way to manage and even reduce pain.”

Originally published as A healthy diet could ease chronic pain, new research shows