Trehalose and bone healing after hip fractures in people
What it found
People recovering from hip fractures who took 3.3 g of trehalose daily for 12 weeks showed better bone healing on X-rays and improved hip movement compared with those taking a placebo.
Pain dropped similarly in both groups.
What they found
Studies in people
Bone healing on X-rays
After 12 weeks, the trehalose group scored about 2 points higher on a 30-point scale measuring how well the bone joined back together on X-rays. Both groups improved over time, but the trehalose group healed more.
Hip movement and function
People taking trehalose regained more hip function by week 12. Their scores on a 100-point scale were about 8.55 points higher than the placebo group.
Pain after surgery
Pain fell sharply in both groups over the first two weeks. By the end of that period, pain levels were about the same whether someone took trehalose or the placebo.
Other findings
Side effects tracking
No serious problems were reported during the trial. However, the researchers did not use a formal system to track side effects like stomach upset, so they could not fully assess tolerability.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that taking 3.3 g of trehalose daily for 12 weeks improved early bone healing and hip function after this type of fracture.
- The authors note these results are preliminary and call for larger trials with longer follow-up to confirm the benefits and properly track any side effects.
- They advise against applying these findings to older adults with brittle bones until dedicated studies are done in that group.
How it was done
Hip fractures often heal slowly and cause lasting disability, especially when surgery alone is not enough. Trehalose is a natural sugar that helps cells cope with stress, and earlier animal tests suggested it might support bone repair.
Researchers randomly assigned 64 adults aged 18 to 60 who had surgery for a broken hip near the joint to take either 3.3 g of trehalose powder or a matching placebo made of sucrose every day for 12 weeks. Fifty-seven people finished the trial. Doctors checked X-ray healing, hip movement, and pain at several points during the study.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial only included adults aged 18 to 60, so it cannot show what happens in older people who break hips more often.
- The study followed people for just 12 weeks, which is too short to reveal long-term problems like the bone failing to join completely.
- Because side effects were not tracked with a structured checklist, this trial cannot give a full picture of how well people tolerate this dose of trehalose.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Initially, each patient received the necessary information regarding the research objective and structure. All patients provided written informed consent for study participation. The collected data and samples were identified by aliases for future use. This study was performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki. The research protocol received approval from the Bioethics Committee of SBMU on May 21, 2024 (IR.SBMU.MSP.REC.1403.150). Patient and public involvement: Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, conduct, reporting, or dissemination plans of this research. Refer to the Methods section for further details.
- Authors work at
- Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Gerash University of Medical Sciences, Iran
The paper
- Title
- Effects of trehalose supplementation on bone healing, physical function, and pain in patients with pertrochanteric fractures: a randomized controlled trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Mehrvar A, Razani HO, Zavareh AT, et al (2026). Effects of trehalose supplementation on bone healing, physical function, and pain in patients with pertrochanteric fractures: a randomized controlled trial. Scientific reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-026-56086-4Free full textPubMed 42243278DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error