Joint supplements are pretty common for pain relief and overall health uses. One quarter of the population is reported to suffer from some type of joint pain due to arthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. You do not need to have one of these health issues to experience discomfort or pain in your joints, and several ingredients from these supplements may help bring some relief.
What Are Joint Supplements?
This type of supplement is primarily used to relieve pain with a long-term goal instead of using Tylenol or similar types of over the counter pain relievers. The other use is simply to help protect the joint to prevent pain from possibly developing. Calcium is a common nutrient since it is used by your bones to stay strong.
However, the focus of joint supplements is to improve the movement of your body and reduce the overall pain being felt. There is no absolute guarantee any of the supplements or ingredients work, but the best option is to at least try supplementation after consulting a physician for alternatives.
Benefits Of Joint Supplements
Joint supplements are not necessarily just focused on your bones in general. They are created to help with the surrounding areas that form the joint such as cartilage, a substance that keeps bone from rubbing against bone, and the synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is an egg-like substance that reduces friction of cartilage during movement.
Either of these can cause pain and discomfort when not in good health. The following are the actual focus for joint supplements:
- Production and repair of cartilage
- Reduce pain and inflammation of the joints
- Reduce the effects of morning stiffness
- Possibly improve synovial fluid production
You can see that they rarely discuss the benefits for the bone. Supplements can make the quality of life better alongside a healthy diet. However, to help strengthen your joints and possibly reduce symptoms then strength training is needed as well.
Joint Supplement Ingredients
There are several ingredients found within various joint supplements, but they rarely have more than 2-3 max. The purpose is to not have a lot of different ingredients trying to assist with the same goal. Two months at least are need to be focused on a supplement ingredient to see if any changes can be notice.
When no change occurs, you can move on to trying a different type of ingredient. Joint supplements do not work instantly and take several weeks or longer to start assisting. Some ingredients derive from natural sources, while others are lab developed.
Glucosamine
A natural part of cartilage. There are two different forms of this ingredient, which are glucosamine hydrochloride and glucosamine sulfate. Both are commonly found in joint supplements, but studies are point towards glucosamine sulfate as the ingredient that may work the best.
Those with pain from osteoarthritis have shown to have reduced symptoms, and the rate of spreading may even slow down as well. Hydrochloride in one study shows similar benefits, but only after continuous use for 3 months.
Chondroitin
This is also a building block to cartilage. Chondroitin is used as commonly as glucosamine, and sometimes both of these are actually in the same product. There is no study showing that the two together add any extra possible benefits, but at least you can see if either ingredient works instead of individually.
Chondroitin has shown to reduce stiffness and pain within the joint for those with osteoarthritis. A study produced results that 53% of people who supplement with this can see a 20% chance of reduced pain within the knee.
Turmeric
Curcumin is a chemical compound that shows to have anti-inflammatory benefits for the body, and is found in Turmeric. This ingredient derives from natural sources, and people often drink warm water with a scoop of turmeric powder. Supplements can make the process easier by simply taking capsules instead.
Ginger Extract
Ginger is another natural ingredient used for joint supplements. This root has shown in several studies to be similar to pain reduction as over the counter pain relievers. Several studies report the ones who saw results surpass the placebo effect.
You can possibly get more than just pain relief. Ginger extract has also been seen to reduce morning stiffness in the joints, and is a healthy alternative to chemical compounds. You can save money by simply using ginger while cooking, but supplements provide a higher dosage each day.
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)
Out of all the ingredients used for the joints, MSM seems to have the most notable possibilities for improvement. Pain and function within the joints are the main focus of MSM especially for those with osteoarthritis.
A 12-week study reported that MSM led to significant reduction in physical disability and pain. This was through proper supplementation alongside a healthy diet. A wise choice for ingredients to consider as a joint product.
Fish Oil
Fish oil supplements are quite useful for overall health. Using it is no different than protein powders, which means it is simply getting the nutrients your body needs with no health effects unless under rare circumstances.
Fish oil contains essential omega-3 fatty acids, which your body needs to survive from consumption of whole foods or supplementation. The point for fish oil with joint health is that it can reduce inflammation, and usually will not have negative reactions alongside another joint supplement.
Best Joint Supplements
The following are joint supplements available today with high consumer ratings. It is important to do a little research and compare a variety of products to determine the best fit. Quality of ingredients is key when it comes to supplements, which especially applies to joint products.
Bulletproof Curcumin Max
One of our top picks for joint supplements is Bulletproof Curcumin Max. Bulletproof itself is a widely known health brand that includes other products, such as Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil. Bulletproof Curcumin Max is a curcumin supplement that provides not only joint support, but also supports recovery after exercise as well as a healthy inflammation response.
This supplement comes as a brain octane oil softgel, which helps to promote your body’s absorption of key fat-soluble compounds. Bulletproof Curcumin Max includes ingredients such as boswellia, ginger, curcumin, stephania, and brain octane oil that are dedicated to supporting a healthy inflammation response.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON BULLETPROOF CURCUMIN MAXVitauthority Multi Collagen Protein
One of our top choices for joint supplements is Vitauthority Multi Collagen Protein. This supplement comes in powder form and contains five different types of collagen peptides. These five types come from four sources – grass-fed beef (bovine collagen), free-range chicken, wild caught fish, and eggshell membrane. It also includes hyaluronic acid and vitamin c.
Vitauthority Multi Collagen Peptides provides a range of benefits including increased skin elasticity, muscle repair and rebuilding, and strengthening of tendons, joints, and ligaments. This supplement is one of our favorites when it comes to joint support.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON VITAUTHORITY MULTI COLLAGEN PROTEINBulletproof Collagen Protein
Another highly rated supplement for joint support is also from Bulletproof, and it’s called Bulletproof Collagen Protein. This collagen protein supplement comes in 3 flavors – unflavored, vanilla, and chocolate. It is also available in different sizes including 26oz, 9.3oz, and 17.6oz.
Each flavor and size of Bulletproof Collagen Protein contains 20-23 grams of protein. This supplement provides amino acid building blocks that support healthy bones, skin, and joints.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON BULLETPROOF COLLAGEN PROTEINIrwin Naturals 3 in 1 Joint Formula
Irwin Naturals is pretty well-known for producing quality health products for the consumer, and can be found within most convenient stores or online. The formula contains all the discussed ingredients for joint health, and also has many more as well.
A long ingredient list is not always the best since they can have low dosages overall, but the point for Irwin Natural products is to just assist your health. None of their products seem to have high dosages for ingredients, yet they work for many consumers.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON IRWIN NATURALS 3 IN 1 JOINT FORMULAJointprin Natural Joint Support
The product manufacturer states this can help reduce joint pain quicker than competitor supplements. This is hard to determine since everyone has a different body, but consumer ratings are quite high for Jointprin.
You can possibly see benefits from Jointprin since they too also have all the ingredients aside from fish oil that was discussed, and the dosages for each one appears to be slightly higher.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON JOINTPRIN NATURAL JOINT SUPPORTNOW Foods MSM
NOW Foods is another reputable supplement company that focuses on solo ingredients or a short ingredient label. MSM has a high percentage for those seeing benefits, and this product has nearly 5-star reviews across several websites. There are no extra ingredients added into this product, so if you see no results you know at least it is MSM only.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON NOW FOODS MSMNutraBio Extreme Joint Care
NutraBio is hands down one of the best supplement brands on the market with little advertising to be found. They focus on only quality supplements and actually provide yearly test results to show ingredient quality and results. NutraBio also provided certificates of authenticity for every product they sell.
This joint supplement has all the ingredients discussed with the exception of fish oil, which is quite common unless the product is going to be a liquid capsule similar to Irwin Naturals.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON NUTRABIO EXTREME JOINT CAREFinal Thoughts: Joint Supplements
All the supplements provided have great consumer ratings for joint support needs, and the only thing left to do is to choose which one would fit within your budget for long term use.
