Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
Your gut might hold the key to arthritis relief. A clinical trial from the University of Nottingham found that a daily prebiotic fiber supplement (inulin) significantly reduced knee osteoarthritis pain, improved grip strength, and lowered pain sensitivity — with a dropout rate of just 3.6%, far better than digital physical therapy's 21%.
Your gut might hold the key to arthritis relief
A six-week clinical trial from the University of Nottingham found that a daily dose of inulin — a prebiotic fiber found in chicory root and Jerusalem artichokes — significantly reduced knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain, improved grip strength, and lowered pain sensitivity. The findings, published in Nutrients, point to a surprising gut-muscle-pain connection that could open new doors for managing one of the world's most common chronic conditions.
The INSPIRE trial enrolled 117 adults with knee OA, randomly assigned to inulin alone, digital physical therapy alone, a combination, or placebo. Both inulin and physical therapy reduced knee pain independently — but only inulin improved grip strength and reduced pain sensitivity. Researchers linked these benefits to increased gut production of butyrate (a short-chain fatty acid) and GLP-1, the same hormone targeted by drugs like Ozempic.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Arthritis affects hundreds of millions globally, and adherence to exercise programs is a persistent challenge. A simple, well-tolerated dietary supplement that complements existing treatments — and that patients actually stick with — could meaningfully improve quality of life at scale.
