Cetylated fatty acids improve knee function in patients with osteoarthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the benefit of cetylated fatty acids (CFA) on knee range of motion and function in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).


METHODS
Sixty-four patients with chronic knee OA were evaluated at baseline and at 30 and 68 days after consuming either placebo (vegetable oil; n = 31) or CFA (Celadrin; n = 33). Evaluations included physician assessment, knee range of motion with goniometry, and the Lequesne Algofunctional Index (LAI).


RESULTS
After 68 days, patients treated with CFA exhibited significant (p < 0.001) increase in knee flexion (10.1 degrees) compared to patients given placebo (1.1 degrees). Neither group reported improvement in knee extension. Patient responses to the LAI indicated a significant (p < 0.001) shift towards functional improvement for the CFA group (-5.4 points) after 68 days compared to a modest improvement in the placebo group (-2.1 points).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared to placebo, CFA provides an improvement in knee range of motion and overall function in patients with OA of the knee. CFA may be an alternative to the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for the treatment of OA.
Hesslink
Robert
R
Hesslink Ventures, San Diego, California, USA.
Armstrong
David
D
Nagendran
M V
MV
Sreevatsan
Srinan
S
Barathur
Raj
R
D000284:Administration, Oral; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014885:Waxes / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014885:Waxes; C087638:cetyl myristoleate