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Those who weigh more get more arthritis, it seems. > 20% of
US adults is
many.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/10/12/arthritis-us.html

Arthritis diagnosed in more than 20 per cent of U.S. adults
Last Updated: Thursday, October 12, 2006 | 3:15 PM ET
CBC News

Arthritis affects about one in five adults in the U.S. and
limits the
activities of more than one-third of them, the U.S. Centers
for Disease
Control and Prevention said Thursday.

The agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report looked at
the prevalence
of doctor-diagnosed arthritis in 2004 to 2005, using data
from a national
survey of 30,000 people.

"The findings in this report indicate that 21.6 per cent
(46.4 million) of
U.S. adults reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis, and 8.3 per
cent (17.4
million) reported arthritis-attributable activity limitation
during
2003-2005," the report said.

"Women, older adults, persons with little education or those
who are obese,
overweight or physically inactive are more likely affected."

Rates were higher among those who were obese - 31.6 per cent
- or
overweight - 21.7 per cent - compared with 16.3 per cent
among those who
were normal weight or underweight.

Prevalence among women was 25.4 per cent compared with 17.6
per cent for
men.

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Excess weight a risk factor

Respondents were defined as having doctor-diagnosed
arthritis if they
answered "yes" to the question: "Have you ever been told by
a doctor or
other health professional that you have some form of
arthritis, rheumatoid
arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia?"

Given the cross-sectional nature of the study, researchers
can't say if
there is a cause-effect relationship between obesity or
physical activity
and arthritis.

The report's authors noted that other studies have
identified excess weight
as a risk factor for osteoarthritis, the most common type of
arthritis.
Physical activity has helped prevent or delay the onset of
disability among
adults with osteoarthritis.

More than 100,000 women, men and children will be diagnosed
with arthritis
this year in Canada, according to the Arthritis Society.

That number is expected to rise by one million people within
the next
decade, making arthritis the leading cause of disability in
Canada.