Bromelain

Bromelain and osteoarthritis:

Brien S et al reviewed previous clinical research performed on bromelain used for osteoarthritis. According to the review, bromelain has both anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. For osteoarthritis of the knee, bromelain was used in studies at a dose of 540 to 1890 mg per day. Several studies did show equivalence to standard diclofenac treatment for osteoarthritis, but it was concluded by the author that studies did not treat long enough, they had concerns in methodology, the ideal dose of bromelain was not defined, and subjects were not evaluated well enough for adverse reactions but the safety reports completed revealed no serious adverse reactions, and was tolerated well by patients. Adverse effects were mainly confined to mild gastrointestinal symptoms. The author determined that bromelain was more effective in studies for knee osteoarthritis than for shoulder osteoarthritis. The author believed more trials are needed to establish the optimum effective dose, safety profile, and longer trials. (1)