Before the dolores o to immobility that brings the osteoarthritis -especially when the condition is advanced-, doctors suggest treatment with pain relievers and an exercise program. But, in many cases, the side effects of medicines or the inability to sustain the routine of movementsprevents reaching the relief sought and discouragement does not take long to set in.
Given this, a new option that is supported by a study by the University of Nottingham is to include in breakfast a particular prebiotic supplement. The recommended presentation, as published in the scientific journal Nutrients and the site replied Ok Diario, it is named after inulin. It is, following these sources, a natural dietary fiber which is found at the root of chicorylas Jerusalem artichokes and other vegetables.
What is the reason for its outstanding effect? The doctor Afroditi Kouraki -lead author of the study and member of the University of Nottingham School of Medicine– explained clearly: “The microbiota intestinal -that is, the trillions of bacteria that inhabit our digestive system- play a fundamental role in health, including the perception of pain”.
«The inulinbeing a prebioticfeed the beneficial intestinal bacteria. This leads to the production of fatty acidsin particular one called butiratowhich can influence inflammation and pain.”
The new option to relieve osteoarthritis
To reach this finding, the note of Nutrients Note that a six-week randomized controlled trial was conducted with 117 adults with knee osteoarthritis.
The group was divided into four subgroups: some received inulin alone; others, assisted exercise digital physiotherapy; a combination of both and a placebo.
The results indicated that both the inulin like the physiotherapy they reduced the knee pain independently. However, the inulin uniquely improved grip strength and reduced sensitivity to painmeasures related to the way the nervous system processes information painwhile the physiotherapy He didn’t do it.
Another point in favor of this prebiotic: the dropout rate in the group inulin was only 3.6%, compared to 21% in the physiotherapy. This data leaves no room for doubt that a daily dietary supplement may be easier to follow than a program exercises.
The conclusion: “Our findings suggest that improving the gut health with a prebiotic supplement is a safe, well-tolerated, and effective way to reduce pain in people with osteoarthritis knee.”
«The very low dropout rate, compared to the exercise group, is also encouraging from a public health point of view: people were able to easily incorporate this supplement into their daily lives. Therefore, osteoarthritis treatments can be improved with a simple prebiotic”, he concluded.
What causes osteoarthritis?
The site of College of Pharmacists of Barcelona details that the osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by the progressive wear of articular cartilagethe tissue that cushions the ends of bones. Although its exact origin is not always clear, its appearance is the result of the sum of mechanical, genetic and biological factors.
