While the beginning of the year seems to bring out the dieter in everyone, there are some compelling reasons to drop a few pounds beyond looking slim and trim - especially if you have arthritis.

It's that time of year when it seems like everyone you know has bought a gym membership and is trying to cut out sweets and fries. While the beginning of the year seems to bring out the dieter in everyone, there are some compelling reasons to drop a few pounds beyond looking slim and trim - especially if you have arthritis.

Being overweight is linked to arthritis. Researchers recently found around one-fourth of cases of knee osteoarthritis could result from being overweight or obese, according to MedPage Today. But did you know that losing weight may lead to better symptom management?

"The effect of obesity on arthritis is a combination of both the excess loading on your joints but also, maybe even more importantly, a number of inflammatory mediators produced in fat that affect joint tissues and play a role in pain," rheumatologist Dr. Richard F. Loeser, a professor at the Thurston Arthritis Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tells Everyday Health.

Learning about the role of extra weight in arthritis pain need not depress you, because it comes with great news. If you lose a little weight, your condition could really improve – including both reduced pain and improved joint function. Moreover, you'll likely get other familiar weight loss benefits like a reduced risk of cardiac problems and decreased blood pressure, among many other things.

Ready to lose some weight?

If you want to lose weight, talk to your doctor. First of all, you should make sure you actually need to shed any pounds at all - sometimes the way we see ourselves isn’t an accurate appraisal of our actual state of health. But if you could stand to lose a little weight, you need to ask your doctor for tips about how to do it in the healthiest way for you. No one is going to ask you to go on a crash diet, but maybe your health care provider can recommend small and gradual changes that will help you drop weight sustainably.

For more on losing weight and arthritis:

Does Losing Weight Gradually Really Help You Keep the Weight Off?
Does Losing Weight Alleviate Arthritis?
Another Compelling Reason to Lose Weight: Safety on the Roads