Got arthritis pain? Fiber to the rescue
Around 33 million Americans have documented osteoarthritis (OA) -- the breakdown of protective cartilage in and around joints leading to pain, stiffness and swelling. (We think the real number may be triple that.) It can result from body-wide inflammation and causes chronic pain, limits mobility and often leads to depression. No wonder it's associated with a 55% increase in all-cause mortality.
The good news? If you have OA, researchers have discovered a simple way to ease the pain. The INSPIRE clinical trial put 117 adults with knee OA into four groups for six weeks: one group received only the prebiotic fiber supplement inulin; one received digital physiotherapy-supported exercise alone; one got both treatments; and the last got a placebo.
It showed that the gut-muscle-joint pain connection was a superhighway and that only inulin supplementation lowered pain sensitivity as it upgraded the health of participants' gut biomes and improved their grip strength. It also boosted natural levels of GLP-1 in the body. (GLP-1 is quite the wonder substance, too).
So how do you up your inulin intake and tamp down osteoarthritis pain? Inulin is plentiful in chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, onions, bananas and asparagus. The supplements taken daily for this study contained 20 grams of inulin -- about what you'd get from around 3 ounces of Jerusalem artichokes.
Now, I must add that when we are reversing the cognitive dysfunction of Alzheimer's patients with TPE (therapeutic plasma exchange - see Lifespan-Edge.com), their symptoms of arthritis so often disappear that if inulin fails you, you might want to investigate TPE.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at drmikerealage@gmail.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Comments