A cross-sectional study in athlete runners, occasional
runners and sedentary controls found an increased Delayed
Gadolinium Enhanced MRI of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) index
in knee cartilage in those who exercised (Tiderius et al.
2004) and a brief exercise intervention in persons at high
risk for the development of OA was reported to have a
favorable effect on the dGEMRIC index, indicating increased
proteoglycan, compared with sedentary individuals not
participating in exercise (Roos et al. 2005). dGEMRIC relies
on intravenous injection of a negatively charged MR contrast
agent and the acquisition of a T1 map after equilibration