Saccharomyces boulardii improves clinical and paraclinical indices in overweight/obese knee osteoarthritis patients: a randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled trial.
OrthoEvidence Journal (OE Journal) - ACE Report
OE Journal. 2025;13(15):12 Eur J Nutr . 2024 Sep;63(6):2291-2305.What this means for my practice?
Clinicians should note that S. boulardii supplementation over 12 weeks significantly reduced pain and inflammation in overweight/obese patients with KOA, with added benefits to quality of life and reduced analgesic use. This suggests it may serve as a beneficial adjunct to standard therapy. However, limitations include lack of gut microbiome data, short follow-up, and no direct comparison to NSAIDs.
Study Summary
Seventy patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis and a BMI of 25–40 kg/m² were randomized to receive Saccharomyces boulardii probiotic capsules (n=35) or placebo (n=35) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was change in pain intensity measured by the WOMAC pain score. Secondary outcomes included VAS pain scores, acetaminophen intake, serum hs-CRP, MDA, TAC, and quality of life scores. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Overall, the results of the study revealed that probiotic supplementation led to significantly greater reductions in WOMAC pain scores, VAS pain, acetaminophen use, hs-CRP, and MDA compared to placebo. S. boulardii also improved select quality of life measures. These findings suggest that S. boulardii supplementation can effectively reduce pain and inflammation in overweight/obese KOA patients.
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