1. Middle-Age Heart Risk Factors Shorten Men's Lives - US News and World Report
Smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol cut 10 years of life, study finds

2. Excess Weight Speeds Up Osteoarthritis - US News and World Report
Rapid loss of knee cartilage directly linked to being overweight in study

3. Osteoarthritis : Causes, incidence, and risk factors  (Trust Mark: Doctor-Reviewed)
Most of the time, the cause of OA is unknown. It is mainly related to aging, but metabolic, genetic, chemical, and mechanical factors can also lead to OA. The symptoms of osteoarthritis usually appear in middle age and almost everyone has them by ...• Reviewer: Andrew L. Chen, MD, MS, Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, The Alpine Clinic, Littleton, NH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

4. Osteoarthritis  (Trust Mark: Doctor-Reviewed)
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by the breakdown of the joint's cartilage.• Author: Jennifer F. Wilson MS