Krill oil promotes knee joint comfort and flexibility, study shows
Highlights
- Krill oil promotes comfort and flexibility in the knee joint
- Supplementation increases plasma EPA and EPA/AA ratio
- Effective dosage is 2g/day (providing 240 mg/day EPA and 110 mg/day DHA)
Summary
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed to investigate the effect of krill oil on joint pain and range of motion in adults with mild knee pain.
For this study, researchers enrolled 50 otherwise healthy adults, aged 38-70 years, with mild knee pain not severe enough to require pharmacotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups for 4 weeks: 2 g/day of krill oil or safflower oil (placebo), taken in a divided dose at breakfast and dinner. The daily intake of krill oil provided 240 mg/day EPA and 110 mg/day DHA, while placebo was free of EPA and DHA.
The primary outcome measure was the improvement in subjective symptoms of knee pain as assessed by the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) questionnaire (25 questions) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (JOA). Secondary outcomes included blood and urine biochemical parameters.
A total of 47 participants (47/50; 94%) completed the study (41 women; 6 men). All dropouts were in the placebo group and unrelated to treatment.
Results indicate that krill oil significantly increased plasma EPA (P<.05) and EPA/AA ratio (P=.003). Controlling for confounding variables (e.g., age, sex, weight, smoking and drinking habits, use of anti-inflammatory analgesics), krill oil significantly (P<.01) reduced knee pain while sleeping or standing, compared to placebo, as well as significantly improved (P<.05) the range of motion of both right and left knees, compared to placebo.
These findings indicate that supplementation with krill oil (2 g/day for 4 weeks) offers clinical value for relief of mild knee pain in otherwise healthy adults.
