Do Vitamin D and Fish Oil benefit elderly with Osteoarthritis?

Researchers have revealed in a new clinical trial that Vitamin D and Fish Oil supplements fail to provide any benefit in osteoarthritis.

Vitamin D and marine omega‐3 fatty acids (n‐3 FA) do not offer long-term relief from knee pain, stiffness or function in elderly with chronic knee pain. The new study has been published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology .

Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects and they promote cartilage degradation. Vitamin D promotes bone resorption and bone strength and has anti-inflammatory properties. In the wake of these properties these two supplements have been promoted as possible treatments for knee pain. But, apparently, neither treatment is associated with statistically significant improvements in pain, improved function or mobility in osteoarthritis.

Knee pain from osteoarthritis is frequent in the adult population. Prior trials have had conflicting results concerning therapeutic effects of vitamin D  on knee pain and few trials have investigated marine omega‐3 fatty acids (n‐3 FA).

The researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 25,871 adults enrolled in VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL). The included 1,398 participants returned at least one knee pain questionnaire. Mean age was 67.7 years, 66% were female, and mean WOMAC Pain was 37 (SD 19). Mean follow‐up time was 5.3 years (SD 0.7). WOMAC Pain did not differ between vitamin D or n‐3 FA and placebo at any time point during follow‐up. Linear time by treatment interactions were not statistically significant for either treatment (vitamin D p= 0.41, n‐3 FA p= 0.77). Vitamin D and n‐3 FA supplementation did not significantly affect WOMAC Function or Stiffness scores over time.