Adults who got more of their diet from ultra-processed foods had more fat inside their thigh muscles on MRI, according to a study of 615 people at risk for knee osteoarthritis published in the journal Radiology. The study first appeared in April and was recirculated this month in a ScienceDaily research summary. Its central finding is an association, not proof that ultra-processed foods cause muscle changes.
The link held after researchers accounted for calorie intake, physical activity, and other factors. That detail matters because the thigh muscles help support and stabilize the knee, and earlier research has tied declines in thigh muscle quality to the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis.
