Summary: New research suggests that improving diet quality can reduce the severity of chronic pain for many people. The study found that greater consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy—foods emphasised by the Australian Dietary Guidelines—was linked to lower levels of body pain, with stronger benefits observed in women. These effects appeared independent of body weight, indicating diet quality itself may influence pain through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant pathways.
Chronic pain affects a large portion of the population and can be difficult to manage. While individualized pain treatments remain essential, this research highlights a simple, affordable and accessible strategy: a healthier overall diet may help reduce persistent pain and improve physical function.
Key Facts:
- Diet–pain connection: Higher intake of core healthy foods is associated with lower chronic pain.
- Independent of adiposity: The association between better diet quality and reduced pain holds regardless of body weight or measures of adiposity.
- Stronger effect in women: Women showed more pronounced reductions in pain and improvements in physical function linked to better diet quality than men.
Source: University of South Australia
Background: Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects millions globally. Many people have limited access to effective pain treatment. Researchers at the University of South Australia investigated whether diet quality is associated with body pain and physical function, and whether those relationships are explained by measures of adiposity such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference or body fat.
The study, published in the journal Nutrition Research, analysed data from the Whyalla Intergenerational Study of Health. It examined dietary patterns against self-reported pain, objective measures of physical function and multiple indicators of body composition.
Researchers measured diet quality using the Dietary Guideline Index (DGI), distinguishing between core (healthy) foods and non-core items. Pain was assessed with the Short Form-36 bodily pain scale (SF36-BPS), and physical function was assessed using grip strength. Structural equation modelling tested whether adiposity mediated the relationship between diet quality and pain or physical function, overall and by gender.
Key findings showed that higher DGI scores—particularly higher core food scores—were directly associated with lower bodily pain. Crucially, adiposity did not mediate these relationships: better diet quality related to less pain even after accounting for BMI, waist circumference and body fat. In other words, the benefits of a healthier diet on pain were observed regardless of a person’s weight or body composition.
The study also revealed gender differences. Women with higher-quality diets reported lower pain and better physical function, and these associations were stronger and more consistent than in men. The authors suggest the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of core food groups could explain part of the effect, but they note that the study cannot determine causality—poorer diet may contribute to greater pain, or chronic pain could lead to lower diet quality.
UniSA PhD researcher Sue Ward, lead author on the paper, emphasised the practical implications: “It’s common knowledge that eating well supports overall health. Our results suggest that modest changes toward healthier core foods—vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, dairy and alternatives—may reduce chronic pain and improve function, independently of body weight. That makes diet a potentially accessible and cost-effective component of pain management.”
Globally, roughly 30% of people experience chronic pain at any given time. In Australia, nearly one in five adults—about 1.6 million people—live with chronic pain, with higher prevalence among women and those who are overweight or obese. The study’s findings point to diet quality as a modifiable factor that could support broader pain-management strategies.
The full research team includes Susan J. Ward, Professor Alison Coates, Associate Professor Katherine Baldock, Dr Ty Stanford and Dr Alison Hill.
About this pain and diet research news
Author: Sue Ward
Source: University of South Australia
Contact: Sue Ward – University of South Australia
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. “Better diet quality is associated with reduced body pain in adults regardless of adiposity: Findings from the Whyalla Intergenerational Study of Health” by Susan J. Ward et al., Nutrition Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2024.08.002
Abstract (summary):
Better diet quality is associated with reduced body pain in adults regardless of adiposity: Findings from the Whyalla Intergenerational Study of Health
This study evaluated whether adiposity mediates the relationship between diet quality and pain or physical function. Data came from 654 participants (57% women) in the Whyalla Intergenerational Study of Health. Structural equation modelling assessed whether BMI, waist circumference or measured body fat mediated links between Dietary Guideline Index scores (total, core, non-core) and bodily pain (SF36-BPS) or grip strength, overall and by gender.
Results showed adiposity did not mediate the relationship between diet quality and pain. Direct associations were detected between higher total DGI scores and lower bodily pain, and between higher core food DGI scores and lower bodily pain across adiposity measures. In women, the direct effects between diet quality and reduced pain, and between diet quality and improved grip strength, were especially pronounced.
Conclusion: Better diet quality is linked to lower bodily pain regardless of adiposity. These findings support the potential role of dietary improvement as part of pain management strategies, particularly for women.