Joint Supplements

Joint support supplements are most commonly used to promote healthy joint function and to prevent discomfort.

Common joint supplement ingredients

There's no one joint supplement ingredient that will reduce pain, prevent disease, or symptoms of aging. Rather, a slew of different herbs or proteins can be taken individually or combined to keep your joints (or return them to) working order.

Joint supplement ingredients all work in different ways and provide their own unique benefits. There is no "miracle" ingredient that will cover every aspect of joint health. Rather, a slew of different herbs and proteins can be taken individually or combined to return your joints to working order.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), is a key component in joint health. It helps form connective tissues, like cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.^[26] MSM has anti-inflammatory properties and has been proven useful in treating osteoarthritis.^{[27,28,29,30,31]}

We recommend only OptiMSM based MSM supplements, since it is one of the few raw material ingredients manufactured exclusively in the US and there have been a great deal of studies conducted using it, so you know exactly what you're getting.

You can read far more details on our blog post about MSM Supplements.

Boswellia serrata

Also known asIndian frankincense, boswellia serrata is an ayurvedic herb that is traditionally used to treat arthritis, coughs, ulcerative colitis, sores, snakebites, and asthma. The major active component in this plant is boswellic acid, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties.^[1] Furthermore, a number of studies suggest boswellia serrata is beneficial to joint health.^[2,3,4,5]

Chondroitin

Chondroitin occurs naturally in the body as a major component of cartilage — the connective tissue that cushions the body's joints. Chondroitin provides the building blocks for the body to produce new cartilage and also helps cartilege absorb water. Other evidence indicates that it may block certain enzymes that have negative effects on cartilage.

For commercial purposes, herbal chondroitin can either be derived from natural sources, such as shark cartilage, or synthetically produced. However, studies are conflicting when it comes to chondroitin's benefits.^[6,7,8,9]

Cissus quadrangularis

Cissus quadrangularis is a medicinal herb that grows throughout Asia and Africa. It is used in multiple indigenous systems of medicine, including Ayurveda. The active compounds present in this plant provide powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.^[10] During a pilot study, cissus was proven effective at reducing joint pain in a group of otherwise healthy athletes.^[11]

Collagen

Collagen is the main protein found in bone, skin, ligaments, and tendons.^[13] A number of studies have concluded that collagen supplementation may be beneficial in relieving symptoms of arthritic conditions.^[14,15] A 24-week study conducted at Penn State's Department of Nutrition and Sports Nutrition for Athletics, found that collagen was effective in improving joint pain in athletes.^[16]

Glucosamine

Glucosamine is produced naturally in the body and plays an important role in building cartilage. Much like chondroitin, glucosamine has gotten conflicting feedback from a number of different studies that have attempted to prove its efficacy.^[17] However, there are a handful of studies that have concluded glucosamine to be effective at reducing pain associated with osteoarthritis, improving joint function, and perhaps even slowing the progression of the disease.^[18,19,20] Some studies have even compared the effectiveness of glucosamine to ibuprofen.^[19,21]

It should be noted that many glucosime studies are flawed in their methodology or are not conducted by unbiased researchers. So before treating a serious or painful joint problem with a glucosamine supplement, talk to your doctor.

Glucosamine may reduce joint pain and improve function.

Hyaluronic acid

While the exact mechanism of action is unclear, hyaluronic acid has been proven effective as a treatment for osteoarthritis. It's important to note that the evidence supporting these treatments is based on studies that used injections rather than oral supplementation.^{[22,23,24,25]}

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids (EFAs). They play a critical role in human health, but the body cannot produce them on its own, you have to get them through food or supplementation.^[34] Because of their powerful anti-inflammatory properties, EFAs have been studied and proven effective as a treatment for particular arthritic conditions.^{[35,36,37,38]}

Rose hips

Rosa canina, commonly known as rose hips, is a plant with medicinal qualities that has traditionally been used in folk medicine. Rose hips have gained popularity because of its reported anti-inflammatory benefits, which may be strong enough to render it useful against inflammation-based diseases.^{[39,40,41,42]}

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) is a natural compound that can be found in nearly every fluid and tissue in the body. It is integral to a number of important processes within the body, such as immune system function, cell membrane maintenance, and the production and degradation of brain chemicals.^[44] Studies have demonstrated SAMe to be an effective way to treat some arthritic conditions, particularly osteoarthritis.^{[45,46,47,48]}

Turmeric

Curcuma longa, commonly referred to as turmeric, has been used in traditional systems of medicine for about four thousand years. Recent studies support many of the reported benefits associated with turmeric. It has been shown to help battle infections and reduce inflammation.^[49] Due to its anti-inflammatory benefits, it has been successfully used to treat arthritis.^[50,51,52]

Stacking

Consider stacking your preferred joint support supplement with a good multivitamin product. Multivitamins may provide additional indirect benefits to joint health.

Side Effects

Very few ingredient in joint supplements cause side effects. If anythingn, herbs like bosellia serrata has not been studied enough to understand teh long-term effects on humans.^{[1, 5]} Chondroitin is known to cause minor problems, like headaches or drowsiness, in a limited number of individuals and glucosamine may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.^{[6, 17]}

Before taking any supplements to treat joint pain or disease, talk to your doctor about a formulation that will best suit your unique health nees.

Food Sources

Unlike other health problems eating a well-rounded diet and consuming lots of fruits and vegetables will not necessarily benefit joints and it definitely won't slow or prevent symptoms associated with joint health and aging. Also, some of the ingredients required for reducing inflammation or keeping cartilege healthy are not present in food sources or, like with chondroitin, is only available in a food source that few poeple actually enjoy consuming, such as gristle or bone broth.

Where to buy

Do your shopping right here at PricePlow. Here you have access to price comparisons, third party reviews, and in-depth product guides consisting of the most accurate, up-to-date information available. It's our mission to supply you with all the resources you need to make informed purchasing decisions.