The Nugget
- Daily consumption of freeze-dried whole blueberry powder for 4 months reduced pain, stiffness and difficulty performing daily activities while improving gait performance in adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, suggesting blueberries may improve quality of life in knee OA.
Make it stick
- 🫐 Blueberries provide a berry good remedy for achy knees
- 🏃♂️ A daily dose of blueberries helps put the spring back in your step
- 💪 Harness the power of purple to combat osteoarthritis pain and stiffness
Protocol
- Consume 40g of freeze-dried whole blueberry powder daily, split into two 20g doses, mixed into 10-12 oz of water, for a period of 4 months.
- The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 63 participants age 45-79 with symptomatic knee OA. Strengths include the RCT design and 4 month duration. Limitations include a high dropout rate and predominantly female participants.
Terminology
- Osteoarthritis (OA): A degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage breakdown and inflammation
- WOMAC: A standardized questionnaire used to evaluate pain, stiffness and physical function in patients with OA
- Gait performance: Measures of walking ability, such as walking speed, stride length, balance
- Inflammatory cytokines: Signaling molecules (e.g. TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) that promote inflammation and contribute to OA progression
Key insights
Blueberries improve OA symptoms and physical function
- Consuming 40g/day of whole blueberry powder for 4 months significantly reduced WOMAC scores for pain, stiffness and difficulty performing daily activities compared to baseline in the blueberry group
- Normal walking velocity, stride length and percentage of single leg support time increased, while double leg support time decreased in the blueberry group, indicating improved gait performance
- No significant changes in WOMAC scores or gait were seen in the placebo group
Effects on inflammatory biomarkers
- No significant changes were observed in pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 or anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10, IL-13 in the blueberry group
- However, trends showed a potential increase in IL-13 and decrease in MCP-1 (which contributes to OA progression) in the blueberry group compared to placebo
- Inflammatory markers remained stable in the blueberry group while some increased in the placebo group, suggesting blueberries may prevent worsening of inflammation
Key quotes
- "The findings of this study suggest that daily incorporation of whole blueberries may reduce pain, stiffness, and difficulty to perform daily activities, while improving gait performance, and would therefore improve quality of life in individuals with symptomatic knee OA."
- "Blueberry treatment was able to prevent worsening of inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols have been studied extensively."
This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.