Mickelson Going Vegetarian May Actually Help His Arthritis. Really.

Last week at the Sand Pits of Wisconsin Whistling Straits, Phil Mickelson suddenly revealed to reporters that he has been suffering from psoriatic arthritis - joint inflammation and pain caused partially by psoriasis, typically a skin condition.

Mickelson admitted he has been feeling "out of it" when playing golf these last months since the onset of the problem because of the impact his medication has on his equilibrium. Lefty also said he has turned to vegetarianism in an effort to help the condition.

Going steady with lettuce might seem odd, but turns out that it might work - at least if moose are any indication.

The New York Times has the results of a half-century study into the health of moose and the growing prevalence of osteoarthritis in them. The study concludes that poor diet - beginning early in life - may be a leading cause for arthritis later in life. Medical knowledge relates obesity in humans with an increased risk for arthritis as well. 

In other words: don't eat like crap and you won't get arthritis, so skip the drive-thru at Krispy Kreme.

As it turns out, the moose (moosen, Brian Regan fans?) with arthritis are actually shorter than unaffected moose. No wonder Lefty tried to convince us a few years back that he had grown an inch! He was trying to stave off fears of pending arthritis!

Of course, there's much more research to do (particularly if this is just for osteoarthritis), but it appears that - like with the recent news about the ALS-concussion connection - there is more than meets the eye to this condition.