Effects of products containing Bacillus subtilis var. natto on healthy subjects with neck and shoulder stiffness, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study

Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2018
Yoichi Sunagaw et al.

“The effects of NKCP on neck and shoulder stiffness was investigated.
Thirty subjects with neck and shoulder stiffness were randomly divided into two groups. They took either 250 mg/day of NKCP or a placebo daily for 4 weeks. Followed by a 4-week washout period, the group that took NKCP first was given the placebo, and the group that took the placebo was given NKCP for another 4 weeks. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before intake, after 4 weeks (after first test sample intake), after 8 weeks (before second test sample intake), and after 12 weeks (after second test sample intake) were assessed. Neck and shoulder stiffness was evaluated using a muscle hardness meter.
As a result, NKCP intake significantly improved the VAS scores for neck and shoulder stiffness and pain, and significantly decreased neck muscle stiffness compared to before intake (Table 1). The surface temperature of neck and shoulder increased significantly (Table 2). These results suggested that NKCP may alleviate the subjective and objective symptoms of neck and shoulder stiffness and pain.”