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Effect of purple passion fruit peel extract on osteoarthritis symptoms |
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Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects about 8 million people in the United Kingdom and nearly 27 million people in the United States. Scientists form the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, found that passion fruit peel extract substantially alleviated knee osteoarthritis symptoms [1].
Farid and his co-workers studied the effect of purple passion fruit peel extract on symptoms, such as pain and stiffness, in thirty-three patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The patients received either a passion fruit peel supplement or a placebo for 2 months. The symptoms were evaluated monthly with the widely accepted WOMAC osteoarthritis index. The researchers found that the passion fruit peel extract significantly improved the WOMAC score and pain. After 60 days patients who took the extract experienced a reduction of about 19% in pain and 18% in stiffness, whereas in patients in the placebo group these symptoms worsened.
The authors believe that the passion fruit peel extract works due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used in higher dosages as anti-inflammatory to treat knee osteoarthritis, but these drugs have many side effects, such as of myocardial infarction and gastrointestinal toxicity. The researchers believe that the passion fruit extract could help patients to reduce their reliance on these nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
This study was funded by Southwest Scientific Editing and Consulting, a company categorized under Pro Standards Review Organizations. The passion fruit peel extract was provided by New Zeeland's Industrial Research Ltd.
[1] Oral intake of purple passion fruit peel extract reduces pain and stiffness and improves physical function in adult patients with knee osteoarthritis. Nutr Res. 2010 Sep;30(9):601-6.
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