» Natural News » Bones

If knee pain keeps you from walking, a daily supplement of rosehip powder could get you on your feet again. [Photo: Bigstock]

Rosehip powder supplement improves knee flexibility

Natural Health News — Daily supplements of a rosehip powder formulation could help improve gait and knee joint health according to new study from Denmark.

The researchers recruited 100 adults with knee-related walking limitations (average age 67) to participate in the trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the rosehip supplements (providing 2,250 mg of rosehip powder per day) or placebo for three months.

Results showed that after 12 weeks knee movement was significantly improved in the rosehip group, compared with placebo.

Freeing up the knees

The rosehip group also displayed greater range of movement in the knee joint and increased knee joint flexion (better ability to bend the knee) while walking, compared with the placebo group.

Most studies using rosehip powder focus on knee osteoarthritis. The subjects in the study did not suffer from this complaint, but did have trouble walking due to knee problems. According to the researchers from the Department of Rheumatology, Copenhagen University Hospitals at Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg,“This is the first study to assess the efficacy of rosehip on the biomechanics of the knee joint during walking.”

A high antioxidant supplement

The study used a specialized powder prepared from rosehip (Rosa canina L) containing vitamin C, as well as antioxidanat flavonoids, carotenes, triterpene acids, and galactolipids. The powder known as Rosenoids can be found in a number of commercial products, including LitoZin and is manufactured by Orkla Health, which also partially funded the study published in Gait & Posture .

In this study no significant differences between the groups were found for self-reported knee complaints, health-related quality of life, or in the physician’s assessment. This trial was relatively short, however. A longer trial may have seen improvements in these areas and in fact a 2013 meta-analysis comparing rosehip powder to glucosamine for knee pain, found the rosehip powder more effective at relieving pain.