Prevent the need for knee-replacement surgery by keeping your weight down through diet and exercise or maybe a weight-loss surgery. How it works? A new report in the August issue of Radiology said that being overweight or obese can cause rapid deterioration of the cartilage in the knee, leading to osteoarthritis.

The researchers were led by Dr. Frank W. Roeme, an adjunct associate professor at Boston University and co-director of the quantitative imaging center in the department of radiology at Boston University School of Medicine.

Roemer's team found that being overweight was associated with rapid cartilage loss. In fact, there are 11 percent of rapid cartilage loss chances for every one-unit increase in body mass index.

The association between obesity and rapid cartilage loss remained even after taking into account age, gender and ethnic background.

The main risk factors for cartilage loss were pre-existing cartilage damage, being overweight or obese, tears or other injury to the cartilage at the knee joint (meniscus), and severe lesions seen on an MRI. Also there are other factors such as inflammation of the membrane lining the joints and abnormal build-up of fluid in the joint, according to the report.

Roemer said, osteoarthritis is a disease without treatment at present other than symptomatic mostly pain therapy and surgical total joint replacement. And it is the most common musculoskeletal disorder with major health and socioeconomic impact in our aging society.