Daily inulin reduced knee pain in a six-week osteoarthritis trial

What the research found

ScienceDaily reported on 27 October 2026 the INSPIRE trial in Nutrients from the University of Nottingham (DOI 10.3390/nu18050714). One hundred seventeen adults with knee osteoarthritis were assigned for six weeks to daily inulin, a digitally supported physiotherapy program, both, or placebo. Inulin and physiotherapy each reduced knee pain. Inulin, and not physiotherapy alone, was also tied to better grip strength and lower pain sensitivity. Dropout was 3.6 percent in the inulin-only group and 21 percent in the physiotherapy-only group. The team reported higher butyrate and higher levels of the body's own GLP-1 hormone. Inulin is a prebiotic fiber, not semaglutide and not a prescribed GLP-1 medicine. The release does not give the age range or the sex split. Six weeks is short. This does not replace movement or prescribed care. Not medical advice. Not a substitute for a prescribed medicine.

Evidence level: Clinical trial. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.

Not medical advice. Not a substitute for a prescribed medicine. Off-label prescription use is clinician-only. VitaLonga does not diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Never start, stop, or replace a prescription with a supplement on the basis of a headline.

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