Grapes may reduce pain of knee osteoarthritis and improve mobility, highlights new research

Regular grape consumption may help alleviate pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee, and improve joint flexibility and overall mobility, claims research presented at the Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, California.
The benefits are thought to be due to the polyphenols (ie antioxidants) found in grapes.
A total of 72 men and women with knee osteoarthritis were split into groups. Half were asked to consume grapes in the form of a whole grape freeze-dried powder for 16 weeks and the others were given a placebo powder.
Those in the grape group found that their pain reduced along with other osteoarthritis symptoms. The beneficial effect was stronger in women. Age had an impact too: there was a 70% increase in very hard activity for those under 64 years old who took the grape powder, whereas those who took the placebo reported doing less hard activity. But people from both groups who were over 65 years, reported a decline in moderate to hard activities.
Men (but not women) who took the grape powder were found to have higher levels of a cartilage growth factor called IGF-1 than those on placebo. A measure of inflammation (IL1-β) was increased in both groups, but less of an increase was seen in the grape group.
“These findings provide promising data that links grape consumption to two very important outcomes for those living with knee osteoarthritis: reduced pain and improvements in joint flexibility,” says Dr Shanil Juma, who led the work. “More research is needed to better understand the results of the serum biomarkers, as well as the age and gender differences observed.”