Arthritis & Joint Supplements

About Arthritis & Joint Supplements

Arthritis and Joint Supplements provide you with product options for supporting the joint during periods of high use or age-related degeneration. “High Use” may be activities such as tennis (knee joints), or even recovering from sports or exercise injuries. One of the most common uses though, is for osteoarthritis—the most common joint disease in the world. Though this pathology tends to progress slowly, it doesn’t make the pain any less manageable on those cold winter mornings. Arthritis involves the degeneration, and in severe cases the complete loss, of articular cartilage.

Articular cartilage covers the ends of the bones that meet, such as in the knee, and reduces the friction between them as we move. Sometimes, due to poor cartilage integrity, the tips of the bones can grate on each other and also degenerate over time. In addition, other accessory structures can be impacted in arthritis, such as supportive ligaments and muscles. There are different remedies that can be tried to assist in alleviating the pain or even helping to improve the structure of the joint itself.

Arthritis and Joint Supplements can be divided into two categories: anti-inflammatories and structural support. Some of the most efficacious natural anti-inflammatories on the market today are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and curcumin (found in turmeric root). EPA is a natural fatty acid found in seafood that reduces inflammation in all areas of the body. Good sources of EPA are fatty fish such as salmon and sardines

EPA works by reducing the cell membrane arachidonic acid content of every single cell in the human body, of which there are about 37 Trillion. Reducing Arachidonic acid levels in the cell membrane means that we have less building blocks to synthesize the eicosanoids responsible for inflammation and pain mediation. Research is suggesting the most beneficial effects with EPA on rheumatoid arthritis. This was reported in a journal called Nutrients in 2017. 

Phytochemicals like curcumin assist with inflammation further down the metabolic track, after Arachidonic acid has already "got to work". Turmeric extract assists in reducing levels of inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins, and even C-reactive protein and Cyclooxygenase-2. In fact, it was reported in the Alternative Medicine Review in 2010 that supplementation with curcumin-phosphatidylcholine complex reduces joint pain and improves joint function, making it useful for long-term osteoarthritis management. 

The Arthritis and Joint Supplements category also contains products that help to support the re-building of articular cartilage and other supportive structures of the joint. One of the most commonly used nutrients for this purpose is glucosamine sulphate. Glucosamine can be considered a building block for the joint, much as amino acids are building blocks for muscle tissue.

However, the soft tissues, such as cartilage, tendons and ligaments tend to have slightly different nutritional needs to other areas of the body. Another important point to consider is that cartilage has a low blood supply and regenerates slowly. Therefore, one has to be patient, allowing up to six weeks before assessing the usefulness of a catilage re-building supplement.