For older adults over 70 with knee arthritis, taking a daily hyaluronic acid pill and doing leg exercises didn’t make their knee pain or stiffness any better than taking a sugar pill over a year.

0

Pro

54

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

54

Community contributions welcome

54

Oral Administration of Polymer Hyaluronic Acid Alleviates Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study over a 12-Month Period

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2012

The study found that for people over 70, taking hyaluronic acid pills and doing leg exercises didn’t help much more than taking a fake pill — which is exactly what the claim says.

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Oral Administration of Polymer Hyaluronic Acid Alleviates Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study over a 12-Month Period

Score: 54

DOI: 10.1100/2012/167928

Similar Assertions

A study found that older Japanese adults with knee arthritis who took a specific type of hyaluronic acid pill and did daily thigh exercises felt better in their daily activities for the first 4 months, but the improvement went away after that—and people over 70 didn’t benefit at all.

54

0

90%

Taking a daily pill of hyaluronic acid for a year doesn't seem to help people with knee arthritis avoid needing more pain meds or shots in the knee, compared to taking a sugar pill.

54

0

81%

Taking a daily pill of hyaluronic acid for a year doesn't seem to slow down the worsening of knee arthritis on X-rays, no matter how old you are or which group you were in during the study.

0

70%