Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of ingesting Bacillus subtilis C-3102 spores (C-3102) on knee joint function.Methods A placebo-controlled, double-blind study on 88 healthy Japanese subjects was conducted.Each subject ingested test tablets containing either C-3102 at a daily dose of more than 3.4x 109 Colony Forming Unit (CFU) (C-3102 group) or placebo tablets without C-3102 (placebo group) for 12 consecutive weeks.Knee joint condition was assessed by The Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM), a questionnaire that allows the pain and discomfort to be rated by Visual analog scale (VAS) and some questions.Results The total of JKOM was significantly lower in the C-3102 group than in the placebo group.Among the JKOM subcategories, the score of "daily living conditions" was also significantly lower in the C-3102 group.Conclusions These results show that C-3102 could improve the condition of the knee joint, especially, the improvement effect may be particularly strong in tasks that affect daily life.
