A recently published meta-analysis in the journal- International Orthopaedics claimed that collagen effectively improves the Osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms decreasing both total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score.

OA is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases which cause disability. Utilizing collagen is on the rise due to the satisfactory results in the treatment of OA. But, the possible beneficial effects of collagen for the treatment of OA are presently controversial. This meta-analysis was implemented to investigate the impact of collagen-based supplements on OA symptoms.

The databases PubMed-Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched for randomized placebo-controlled trials examining the effect of orally administered collagen on the OA symptoms. The WOMAC scale and/or the VAS were used for the analysis.

The meta-analysis was conducted using a Random-effects model and a Generic inverse variance method. The I2 statistic index was used to test the heterogeneity.

The collagen treatment depicted a significant reduction in the score of the total WOMAC index (WMD - 8.00). The collagen supplementation revealed a substantial decline in the stiffness subscore (WMD - 0.41), on the other hand, the pain (WMD - 0.22) and functional limitation (WMD - 0.62) subscores did not have significant differences. Lastly, a significant reduction was found in the VAS score after collagen administration (WMD - 16.57).