Effects of FlexProMD^®, a Mixture of Krill Oil, Astaxanthin, and Hyaluronate, on Symptoms in Subjects With Mild Knee Osteoarthritis

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the dietary supplement FlexProMD , which consists of krill oil, astaxanthin, and hyaluronic acid, in subjects with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade 1 or lower, for whom the risk of side effects from pharmacological treatment is high.Of the 105 applicants, 21 met the KL grade I criteria or lower and were randomly assigned into two groups: 11 participants to the FlexProMD group, and 10 participants to the placebo group.Each group received either a FlexProMD capsule (600 mg) or a placebo capsule (600 mg), administered once daily for 12 weeks in a double-blind manner.Treatment efficacy was assessed at weeks 0, 6, and 12 using the Korean Visual Analog Scale (K-VAS) to evaluate pain levels and the Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (K-WOMAC) to assess pain, joint stiffness, physical function and the three in total.The reduction in K-VAS scores from the baseline in the FlexProMD group was significant at both week 6 (P = 0.043) and week 12 (P = 0.008), indicating that this food exhibited pain-relieving activity.Moreover, this effect was proportional to the duration of administration.However, the placebo group showed no reduction at both observation weeks.The total K-WOMAC score, which evaluates overall joint function, showed a significant reduction in the FlexProMD group at week 6 compared to the placebo group (P = 0.043).However, at week 12, the reduction was not statistically significant (P = 0.099).The pain score in the FlexProMD group was significantly reduced at week 6 compared to the placebo group (P = 0.029) and remained reduced at week 12, though this reduction was not statistically significant.The physical function scores in the FlexProMD group decreased at both week 6 and week 12 but were not statistically significant (P = 0.099 and P = 0.051, respectively).No effects on stiffness were observed.The lack of effects on physical function and stiffness was attributed to the absence or mildness of symptoms in participants with KL grade I or lower.FlexProMD demonstrated alleviating effects in individuals with KL grade I or lower osteoarthritis, suggesting that it may be a useful health functional food for managing borderline or subclinical patients who do not require pharmacological treatment.