Nutrition News: Everything Green Is Gold for Knees

You’ve heard of a green thumb. But how about green knees?

Could be a good way to describe the youthful knees of a green-tea devotee. Potent compounds in green tea — EGCG and ECG – may help battle cartilage and collagen destruction in arthritic joints

Catechin Delight
The EGCG and ECG found in green tea are powerful flavonoids known as catechins. Seems these particular catechins may help fight inflammation, as well as some of the underlying mechanisms at work in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

A Better Plan?

Of course, drinking a few cupfuls of green tea each day is no guarantee against knee pain, so here are a few of the more
tried-and-true methods for keeping knees healthy:

•Lose weight if you are overweight. Excess pounds raise your risk of knee arthritis.

•Play it safe. A knee injury will triple your risk of knee osteoarthritis.
When you exercise, take proper precautions to avoid getting hurt.

•Strengthen your glutes and quads. Weak quadriceps muscles are associated with knee arthritis, so work them out regularly, along with other leg muscles. Often times if the glutes and the muscles in the hips are weak other joints such as the low back and knee will have to compensate and thus can cause knee pain.