薬理と治療

Abstract

Background　Issues in the knee joint is one of the major problems for elderly people. Labdane, which is contained in Japanese white turmeric leaf, has demonstrated to inhibit degradation of hyaluronic acid（HA）. Since HA is important for lubricating joints, Labdane is expected to have a role to maintain good joint health. Objectives 　For the purpose of applying to be considered as a functional food, we investigated the effect of Labdane intake with healthy adult men and women who feel discomfort in the knee joints. Methods　In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative study, 40 healthy subjects（ages 41 to 68 years）with discomfort in the knee joint received 0.11mg of Labdane per day for 12 weeks. The discomfort of the knee joint was measured from the start of intake until 12 weeks using Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure（JKOM）and Visual Analogue Scale （VAS）. Results　Changes in the VAS assessment of JKOM knee pain（pain during knee flexion and extension）at weeks 0 and 12 showed a statistically significant improvement in knee flexion and reduction in extension pain in the intervention group compared to the control group.（ P＝0.01）.Conclusions　This study concluded that taking 0.11 mg/day of Labdane for 12 weeks in healthy adult men and women with a discomfort in the knee joint is significantly effective at improving knee flexion and reducing pain during extension. （UMIN-CTR ID: UMIN000040804）