WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), the prebiotic fiber inulin and physical therapy-supported exercise (PSE) produce meaningful reductions in pain, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in Nutrients.
Afroditi Kouraki, Ph.D., from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the effects of inulin supplementation with and without PSE on knee OA pain in a randomized controlled trial. A total of 117 community-dwelling adults with knee OA received six weeks of 20 g/day inulin, digital PSE, inulin + PSE, or 10 g/day maltodextrin.
The researchers found pain improved with inulin (baseline-adjusted between-group mean difference [Δ] = −1.11) and PSE (Δ = −1.55) compared with placebo; no synergistic effect was seen. Improvement in timed up and go and 30-second sit-to-stand was seen with PSE, while inulin improved grip strength, pressure pain thresholds, and temporal summation versus placebo; significantly lower dropout rates were seen for inulin versus PSE (3.6 versus 21 percent). Short-chain fatty acid butyrate and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were increased with inulin; improved grip strength was seen in association with higher GLP-1 suggesting a gut-muscle link.
"Our findings suggest that targeting gut health with a prebiotic supplement is a safe, well-tolerated, and effective way to reduce pain in people with knee osteoarthritis," Kouraki said in a statement. "The very low dropout rate compared to the exercise group is also encouraging from a public health perspective -- people were able to fit this supplement easily into their daily lives."
Several authors disclosed ties to the nutrition industry.