Mediterranean lifestyle is associated with reduced pain in older adults

Pain is a common condition at all ages, however, it is particularly prevalent in older adults. Unfortunately, current pharmacological treatment has limited effectiveness and is not without risk. However, " pain can also be addressed with non-pharmacological measures ," says Mario Delgado-Velandia, a doctoral student in Epidemiology and Public Health at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). “ In fact, modifiable lifestyle factors —such as physical activity or diet— have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that can modulate pain and, therefore, contribute to its management in older adults ”.

Although the effect of some lifestyle factors on pain control was known, no study had evaluated the joint effect of a lifestyle on the evolution of pain and some of its characteristics. Therefore, we evaluated the association between adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle and changes in global pain and in three of its main dimensions (frequency, severity of pain, and number of painful locations) using data from 6562 older adults who are part of the Seniors-ENRICA-1 and Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohorts” comments Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo, professor of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, and Microbiology of the UAM, member of the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), and principal investigator of the Seniors-ENRICA studies.

After taking into account the effect of sociodemographic and clinical factors, the researchers found that after three years, greater adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle —assessed with the MEDLIFE scale— was associated with an improvement in global pain and its dimensions. The MEDLIFE scale measures a) the consumption of foods typical of the Mediterranean diet; b) eating habits (for example, snacking between meals) and; c) physical activity, rest and conviviality.

Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, lead author of this research, epidemiologist at UAM and CIBERESP, and adjunct professor at the T. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, explains that “ the Mediterranean diet certainly offers benefits for the treatment of pain, however, our results show that the Mediterranean lifestyle as a whole offers even more benefits than diet alone ”. For this reason “ further research should study the synergistic mechanisms of the factors contemplated within the Mediterranean lifestyle ”, concludes Dr. Sotos-Prieto.

Although the results were consistent in the two cohorts evaluated, “ new prospective and experimental studies in Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean populations should confirm them” comments Rodríguez-Artalejo. However, " our study suggests that an intervention in the whole lifestyle could reduce the need for analgesic treatments, but above all, the burden of disability associated with persistent pain in older adults " highlights Dr. Sotos-Prieto.

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Reference:

Delgado-Velandia, M., Ortolá, R., García-Esquinas, E., Struijk, EA, López-García, E., Rodríguez-Artalejo, F., Sotos-Prieto, M. 2022. Adherence to a Mediterranean Lifestyle and Changes in Frequency, Severity, and Localization of Pain in Older Adults . Mayo Clinic Proceedings , doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.01.009