Hyaluronic acid supplementation helps older adults maintain knees in “healthy condition” – Kewpie 12-week RCT

The intervention group was found to have significantly lower knee pain, stiffness, and knee discomfort as compared to the placebo group by the end of the trial.

The study was conducted by the R&D division of Japanese food firm Kewpie Corporation, Hokkaido University of Education, and Sapporo Columbia Medical Office.

Findings were published in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine.​

Sodium hyaluronate is said to be present in every connective tissue and organ. The researchers said that so far, most studies on sodium hyaluronate and knee discomfort involved patients with severe osteoarthritis and there was less attention on individuals suffering from milder knee discomfort.

They therefore conducted this RCT involving 56 healthy adults who were in their late 50s to early 60s, were recreational runners, but suffered from knee discomfort and were graded with a severity rate of one and below based on the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) classification.

The intervention group took one capsule containing 111mg of sodium hyaluronate marketed as Hyabest by Kewpie daily for 12 weeks, while the placebo group took dextrin.

Previous studies have reported that sodium hyaluronate at a dose of 48 to 240 mg per day could reduce knee pain.

In this study, knee pain was measured using the pain rating scales known as the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

In addition, a locomotive syndrome risk test was conducted to measure mobility, a one-leg standing time with eyes open test was used to measure the ability to balance, and blood tests were also performed.

The study was conducted between December 2021 and March 2022 in Hokkaido, Japan.

Findings showed that within the intervention group itself, there was no significant changes in knee pain, stiffness, and knee discomfort before and after the trial.

However, as compared to the placebo group, the intervention group reported significantly lower knee pain, stiffness, and knee discomfort.

This is because symptoms of knee discomfort had worsened in the placebo group, as they reported a significant increase in knee pain, stiffness, and knee discomfort during the trial.

“The SH (sodium hyaluronate) group maintained a healthy condition and exhibited no significant differences [before and after the trial],” ​the researchers said.

They believe that the effect of oral sodium hyaluronate supplementation was lower than expected because the participants only suffered mild knee discomfort, with a KL severity of one and below.

“As the participants of the present study were graded as ≤1, the association with JKOM (Japan Knee Osteoarthritis Measure) scores was reduced and the effect of oral SH was hypothesised to be lower. ​

“However, the total points for each VAS used in the present study (pain, stiffness and discomfort) demonstrated that the knee discomfort of the subjects were significantly relieved by oral intake of SH, and this highlights the potential improvement function of SH.”​

Between the two groups, the intervention group also reported significantly lesser discomfort in the knee when climbing down the stairs and when going for longer walks.

However, no significant differences were reported between the two groups when it comes to the locomotive syndrome risk test, one-leg standing time with eyes open test, and blood test results.

The researchers believe that future studies could find out if there is a synergistic effect by combing sodium hyaluronate with glucosamine and chondroitin.

“The continued intake of SH could potentially contribute to knee health and function. Future studies should investigate whether a synergistic effect can be obtained by combining SH with glucosamine and chondroitin,” ​they said.

Source: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine​

Oral sodium hyaluronate relieves knee discomfort: A 12‑week double‑blinded, placebo‑controlled study​

DOI: 10.3892/etm.2023.12352

Authors: Sugiyama K, Oe M, Tanaka T, Matsuoka R, Takeda Y, Kimura M, Odani K.