Improvement also seen in patient's functioning at three and six months among patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis

TUESDAY, Feb. 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis (OA), a nutritional supplement can improve OA-related symptoms and physical function, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in the Journal of Dietary Supplements.

Jordi Puigdellívol Grifell, M.D., from the Medical Staff FC Barcelona in Spain, and colleagues recruited 186 patients with knee and/or hip OA to examine the effectiveness of a nutritional supplement. The supplement contained hydrolyzed collagen (3,000 mg), chondroitin sulfate (800 mg), glucosamine sulfate (700 mg), turmeric extract (250 mg), and devil's claw (150 mg) and was taken once daily for six months.

The researchers found that after three and six months of treatment, participants experienced a significant reduction in self-perceived pain (mean reduction ± standard deviation, 1.99 ± 1.05 and 3.57 ± 1.39, respectively). At three and six months of treatment, the Lequesne Functional Index score was significantly reduced (3.86 ± 2.94 and 6.73 ± 4.30, respectively). There was also a significant reduction in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis (WOMAC) Index (14.24 ± 10.04 and 26.43 ± 17.35, respectively). There were significant reductions in WOMAC subdomains. During the study, there were no reports of severe adverse events.

"The main results arising from this study show that this nutritional supplementation can improve OA-related symptoms and physical function with a good safety profile in patients with hip and/or knee OA," the authors write.

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