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Home > Health Conditions > Arthritis

Arthritis

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  • Metformin Linked to Reduced Osteoarthritis Risk - Medscape, 4/24/23 - "Risk of osteoarthritis was 17% lower in patients taking metformin (95% confidence interval, –0.18 to 0.09), whose odds of osteoarthritis were approximately half the odds of those taking a sulfonylurea (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.21-1.67). Risk of a total knee replacement was 10% lower in metformin users (95% CI, –0.28 to 0.08) with a similar reduction in odds, compared with those taking a sulfonylurea" - See metformin at ReliableRX.
  • Prebiotics alleviate cartilage degradation and inflammation in post-traumatic osteoarthritic mice by modulating the gut barrier and fecal metabolomics - Food Funct 2023 Apr 20 - "Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degeneration, subchondral bone sclerosis, synovial hyperplasia and inflammation as the main pathological manifestations. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of prebiotics in post-traumatic osteoarthritic (PTOA) mice by modulating the gut barrier and fecal metabolomics. The results suggested that cartilage degeneration, osteophyte formation and inflammation were significantly reduced by prebiotics in PTOA mice. In addition, the gut barrier was protected by the increased expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin in the colon. High-throughput sequencing found that 220 fecal metabolites were affected by joint trauma, 81 of which were significantly recovered after probiotic intervention, and some metabolites (valerylcarnitine, adrenic acid, oxoglutaric acid, etc.) were closely associated with PTOA. Our study demonstrates that prebiotics can delay the progression of PTOA by regulating the metabolites of the gut microbiota and protecting the gut barrier, which is expected to be an intervention method for PTOA" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Ginsenoside Compound K Ameliorates Osteoarthritis by Inhibiting the Chondrocyte Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated IRE1α-TXNIP-NLRP3 Axis and Pyroptosis - J Agric Food Chem 2023 Jan 11 - "Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease, and studies have reported that the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in chondrocytes caused by the cartilage tissue damage could mediate the activation of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes through inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α) and thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP). Ginsenoside compound K (CK) has an inhibitory effect on IRE1α activation ... In conclusion, CK hindered OA progression by inhibiting the ERS-IRE1α-TXNIP-NLRP3 axis. Overall, our data indicate that CK could be useful in the treatment of OA and other chronic inflammatory diseases." - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Can Metformin Reduce Need for Total Joint Replacement in Diabetes? - Medscape, 12/20/22 - "Compared with nonusers, metformin users had had a 30% lower risk of total knee or hip replacement (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.70). The incidence of total knee replacement among metformin nonusers and users was 4.15 per 10,000 person-months and 2.96 per 10,000 person-months, respectively. The incidence of total hip replacement was 0.83 per 10,000 person-months in nonusers and 0.44 per 10,000 person-months in users ... By joint type, the adjusted HR was 0.71 for total knee replacement and 0.61 for total hip replacement among metformin users ... The effect was observed at daily doses of less than 1 g, as well as daily doses of 1 g or more. "This suggests that metformin at a lower dosage could have effects on osteoarthritis,"" - See metformin at ReliableRX.
  • Boswellia serrata Extract, 5-Loxin®, Prevents Joint Pain and Cartilage Degeneration in a Rat Model of Osteoarthritis through Inhibition of Inflammatory Responses and Restoration of Matrix Homeostasis - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Oct 19 - "Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, progressive joint disease associated with pain, functional impairment, and diminished quality of life in affected individuals. At a societal level, it also has a high economic burden. Boswellia serrata has been reported to have potent anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, and analgesic effects ... Results indicated that administration of 5-Loxin® can relieve OA joint pain through inhibition of both inflammatory processes and cartilage degeneration. In the group of rats treated with 5-Loxin®, the suppression of inflammatory enzymes such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) resulted in a significant reduction in the prostaglandin (PG) E2 and leukotriene (LT) B4 levels. Moreover, 5-Loxin® ameliorated the deterioration of the main components of the articular extracellular matrix (ECM), such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and aggrecan, through the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). These findings suggest that 5-Loxin® may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of OA" - See 5-Loxin at Amazon.com.
  • Krill oil improved osteoarthritic knee pain in adults with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis: a 6-month multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Am J Clin Nutr 2022 Jul 26 - "Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of chronic pain and disability worldwide. Treatment generally focuses on symptom relief through nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics, which may incur side effects. Krill oil, rich in anti-inflammatory long-chain (LC) omega-3 ( ω-3) PUFAs and astaxanthin, may be a safe and effective alternative treatment ... Krill oil was safe to consume and resulted in modest improvements in knee pain, stiffness, and physical function in adults with mild to moderate knee OA" - See krill oil products at Amazon.com.
  • Urolithin A improves mitochondrial health, reduces cartilage degeneration, and alleviates pain in osteoarthritis - Aging Cell 2022 Jul 1 - "Urolithin A (Mitopure) is a natural postbiotic compound that promotes mitophagy and mitochondrial function and beneficially impacts muscle health in preclinical models of aging and in elderly and middle-aged humans. Here, we showed that Urolithin A improved mitophagy and mitochondrial respiration in primary chondrocytes from joints of both healthy donors and OA patients. Furthermore, Urolithin A reduced disease progression in a mouse model of OA, decreasing cartilage degeneration, synovial inflammation, and pain. These improvements were associated with increased mitophagy and mitochondrial content, in joints of OA mice. These findings indicate that UA promotes joint mitochondrial health, alleviates OA pathology, and supports Urolithin A's potential to improve mobility with beneficial effects on structural damage in joints" - See urolithin a supplement at Amazon.com.
  • Carnosine Alleviates Knee Osteoarthritis and Promotes Synoviocyte Protection via Activating the Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway: An In-Vivo and In-Vitro Study - Antioxidants (Basel) 2022 Jun 20 - "The most common joint disease in the elderly is knee osteoarthritis (OA). It is distinguished by cartilage degradation, subchondral bone loss, and a decrease in joint space. We studied the effects of carnosine (CA) on knee OA in male Wistar rats ... This study's investigation suggests that CA significantly alleviates knee OA both in vitro and in vivo" - See carnosine at Amazon.com.
  • Relationship Amongst Vitamin K Status, Vitamin K Antagonist Use and Osteoarthritis: A Review - Drugs Aging 2022 May 30 - "vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) ... in limited retrospective and prospective studies, the use of VKAs is associated positively with OA occurrence and knee/hip replacement" - See vitamin k2 at Amazon.com.
  • Lactotransferrin promotes intervertebral disc degeneration by regulating Fas and inhibiting human nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis - Aging (Albany NY) 2022 May 25 - "In recent years, intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IDD) has increased in age. There is still a lack of effective treatment in clinics, which cannot improve the condition of IDD at the level of etiology ... lactotransferrin (LTF) ... LTF promotes IDD progression by regulating Fas in NPCs, and it may be an effective gene therapy target" - Note: An article that easier to understand:
    • Lactoferrin - Wikipedia - "Lactoferrin (LF), also known as lactotransferrin (LTF), is a multifunctional protein of the transferrin family. Lactoferrin is a globular glycoprotein with a molecular mass of about 80 kDa that is widely represented in various secretory fluids, such as milk, saliva, tears, and nasal secretions"
    • Lactoferricin’s Role in Preventing Disc Degeneration - The Rheumatologist, 9/16/13 - “We anticipate a positive systemic impact that may prevent or decrease further joint deterioration,” explained Hee-Jeong Im, PhD, corresponding author of the study. “The good thing about lactoferrin/lactoferricin is that you can take it orally and you don’t have to inject.” - See lactoferrin at Amazon.com.
  • Efficacy and Safety of Aflapin®, a Novel Boswellia Serrata Extract, in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Short-Term 30-Day Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study - J Am Nutr Assoc 2022 Feb 15 - "Aflapin®, also known as AprèsFlex® was developed as an enhanced bioavailable extract of Boswellia serrata gum resin, standardized to 20% 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid ... Sixty-seven subjects completed the study. Aflapin conferred significant improvements in pain scores as early as five days of treatment. Post-trial, VAS, LFI, WOMAC pain, WOMAC stiffness, WOMAC function, and total WOMAC scores decreased in the Aflapin group by 45%, 40.9%, 44.4%, 66.3%, 44.4%, and 48%, respectively. Aflapin supplementation also reduced circulating MMP-3, TNFα, hsCRP, and C2C" - See Aflapin® at Amazon.com.
  • The Protective Effect of Ginsenoside Rg1 on Apoptosis in Human Ankle Joint Traumatic Arthritis Chondrocytes - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Apr 22 - "The ankle biomechanics is easily changed due to the acute injury of the tissue around the ankle joint and the damage of the ankle joint structure, such as ankle instability and joint surface imbalance. When the mechanical load of the ankle changes, it can cause ankle regeneration and remodeling processes such as cartilage loss, bone remodeling, and degenerative changes ... a specific concentration of Rg1 could promote the proliferation of IL-1β-induced HAC cells and inhibit apoptosis. At the same time, Rg1 treatment with specific concentration can reduce the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in HACs and improve the related expression of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Furthermore, qRT-PCR and western blot results showed that Rg1 could improve the low expression of Bcl-2 and inhibit the high expression of Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, FasL, AIF, and Cyto c in IL-1β-induced cells. In summary, Rg1 can inhibit IL-1β-induced apoptosis of HAC cells by decreasing the activity of PI3K/Akt/mitochondrial signaling pathway, and Rg1 has a protective effect on apoptosis of HAC cells." - See Panax ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Effect of vitamin E supplementation in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Eur J Clin Nutr 2022 Apr 25 - "Vitamin E's ability to restore the intestinal barrier and improve the gastrointestinal tract may be linked to the prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin E supplements used on a regular basis can help individuals with RA reduce joint discomfort, edema, and stiffness, as well as enhance their overall quality of life" - See vitamin E at Amazon.com.
  • Chondroitin Sulfate Enhances Proliferation and Migration via Inducing β-Catenin and Intracellular ROS as Well as Suppressing Metalloproteinases through Akt/NF-κB Pathway Inhibition in Human Chondrocytes - J Nutr Health Aging 2022 - "Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is found in humans' cartilage, bone, cornea, skin, and arterial wall. It consists of the foundation substance in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissue. The oral supplement form of CS is clinically used in treating osteoarthritis (OA) ... reactive oxygen species (ROS) ... CS induced cell proliferation and migration of chondrocytes by inducing β-catenin and enhancing ROS production. Moreover, our studies demonstrated that CS can increase the activity of chondrocytes and help patients with osteoarthritis to restore cartilage function" - See chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com.
  • Effects of curcumin supplementation on metabolic parameters, inflammatory factors and obesity values in women with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial - Phytother Res 2022 Feb 17 - "Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to cartilage damage with mostly accompanied by metabolic disorders. This study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin supplementation on metabolic parameters (lipid profile and glycemic indices), inflammatory factors, visfatin levels, and obesity values in women with RA ... 48 women with RA. The patients were treated with curcumin (500 mg once a day) or placebo for 8 weeks ... Curcumin supplementation significantly decreased homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and triglycerides, weight, body mass index, and waist circumference of patients compared with the placebo at the end of the study (p < .05 for all). HOMA-IR and triglyceride levels significantly increased within the placebo group ... These results support the consumption of curcumin, as a part of an integrated approach to modulate metabolic factors, inflammation, and adiposity in women with RA" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.
  • Gallic acid and stretching decrease osteoarthritis markers in cartilage cells - Science Daily, 12/15/21 - "gallic acid, an antioxidant found in gallnuts, green tea and other plants, and applied a stretching mechanism to human cartilage cells taken from arthritic knees that mimics the stretching that occurs when walking. The combination not only decreased arthritis inflammation markers in the cells but improved the production of desired proteins normally found in healthy cartilage ... We found the combined stretching, which acts like an exercise for the cell itself, with the gallic acid decreased inflammation markers, which means we were able to reverse osteoarthritis ... The study adds evidence that it may be good to eat foods high in antioxidants -- and to exercise, although the researchers caution that gallic acid should not be seen as a miracle cure, and any course of action should be taken only in consultation with a person's doctor" - See gallic acid at Amazon.com but it doesn't show anything. Sounds like green tea is your best bet. - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
  • Exploring the Mechanism of Resveratrol in Reducing the Soft Tissue Damage of Osteoarthritis Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Pharmacology - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2021 Oct 4 - "osteoarthritis (OA) ... Resveratrol may inhibit the activation of the TLR4-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway and has a repairing effect on soft tissue damage in OA" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com and resveratrol at iHerb.
  • Effect of Ginseng Extracts on the Improvement of Osteopathic and Arthritis Symptoms in Women with Osteopenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial - Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3352 - "serum osteocalcin (OC), urine deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and DPD/OC measurements ... The GE 3 g group had a significantly increased serum OC concentration. Similarly, the GE 3 g group showed a significant decrease in the DPD/OC ratio, representing bone resorption and bone formation. Moreover, among all the groups, the GE 3 g group demonstrated appreciable improvements in the WOMAC index scores. In women with osteopenia, intake of 3 g of GE per day over 12 weeks notably improved the knee arthritis symptoms with improvements in the OC concentration and ratios of bone formation indices like DPD/OC" - [Nutra USA] - See ginseng at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Hydrolyzed Chicken Collagen Type II Supplement in Alleviating Joint Discomfort - Nutrients 2021 Jul 18; - "Joint pain and disease affects more than one in four adults in the United States. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of a hydrolyzed chicken collagen type II (HCII) supplement in reducing joint-related discomfort such as pain and stiffness, and in improving mobility. We enrolled adults aged 40–65 (65.5% were women) who had joint discomfort, but had no co-morbidities, and who were not taking pain medications. The participants were randomized to receive either the HCII supplement (n = 47) or a placebo (n = 43) for eight weeks ... In the WOMAC stiffness and physical activity domains and in the overall WOMAC score, the HCII group had a significant reduction in joint-related discomforts compared with the placebo group. For example, at week 4, the HCII group had a 36.9% reduction in the overall WOMAC score, compared with a 14.3% reduction in the placebo group (p = 0.027). This HCII product is effective in reducing joint pain and stiffness and in improving joint function among otherwise healthy adults" - [Nutra USA] - See chicken collagen ii at Amazon.com, collagen UC-II at Amazon and collagen supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Associations of homocysteine metabolism with the risk of spinal osteoarthritis progression in postmenopausal women - J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021 Aug 10 - "Although homocysteine accumulation is a reported risk factor for several age-related disorders, little is known on its relationship with osteoarthritis (OA) ... Circulating homocysteine and C677T variant in MTHFR are associated with the prevalence rate and ensuing progression, respectively, of spinal OA. These factors may represent potential interventional targets to prevent OA development and improve clinical outcomes" - See homocysteine formula at Amazon.com.
  • Safety of a single intra-articular injection of LBSA0103 hyaluronic acid in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a multicenter, single-arm, prospective, cohort study - Curr Med Res Opin 2021 Jul 15 - "LBSA0103 is a recently developed high-molecular-weight, cross-linked, non-animal hyaluronic acid (HA) ... A single intra-articular injection of LBSA0103 in patients with OA of the knee joint was safe, and no significant safety concerns were observed. As such, LBSA0103 could be safely applied as an intra-articular injection for the management of knee OA" - See hyaluronic acid at Amazon.com.
  • Effectiveness of Curcuma longa extract versus placebo for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Phytother Res 2021 Jul 2 - "The pooled analysis showed that Curcuma longa extract was associated with significantly better pain relief and functional improvement compared with placebo for knee OA ... Current evidence indicates that, compared with placebo, Curcuma longa extract has more benefit in pain relief and functional improvement for symptomatic knee OA" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Bioavailable turmeric extract for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, non-inferiority trial versus paracetamol - Trials 2021 Jan 30 - "patients of knee OA were randomized to receive bioavailable turmeric extract (BCM-95®) 500 mg capsule two times daily or paracetamol 650 mg tablet three times daily for 6 weeks ... bioavailable turmeric extract is as effective as paracetamol in reducing pain and other symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and found to be safe and more effective in reducing CRP and TNF-α" - [Nutra USA] - See turmeric extract at Amazon.com.
  • Intermittent Fasting with a High Protein Diet Mitigated Osteoarthritis Symptoms by Increasing Lean Body Mass and Reducing Inflammation in Osteoarthritic rats with Alzheimer's Disease-Like Dementia - Br J Nutr 2021 Mar 10 - "Alzheimer's-like disease (AD) ... intermittent fasting(IMF) ... high-protein(H-P) ... high-fat(H-F) or H-P diets for two weeks ... AD exacerbated the articular cartilage deterioration and memory impairment, and IMF with H-P alleviated the memory impairment and osteoarthritic symptoms by decreasing hippocampal amyloid-β deposition and proinflammatory cytokine expressions and by increasing LBM"
  • The Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis - Medscape, 3/11/21 - "Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most frequent musculoskeletal diseases characterized by degeneration of articular cartilage, subchondral bone remodeling, and synovial membrane inflammation, which is a leading cause of global disability, morbidity, and decreased quality of life ... Gut microbiota is responsible for a series of metabolic, immunological, and structural and neurological functions, potentially elucidating the heterogeneity of OA phenotypes and individual features. In this narrative review, we summarized research evidence supporting the hypothesis of a "gut-joint axis" and the interaction between gut microbiota and the OA-relevant factors, including age, gender, genetics, metabolism, central nervous system, and joint injury, elucidating the underlying mechanisms of this intricate interaction. In the context, we also speculated the promising manipulation of gut microbiota in OA management, such as exercise and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), highlighting the clinical values of gut microbiota. Additionally, future research directions, such as more convincing studies by the interventions of gut microbiota, the gene regulation of host contributing to or attributed to the specific phenotypes of gut microbiota related to OA, and the relevance of distinct cell subgroups to gut microbiota, are expected. Moreover, gut microbiota is also the potential biomarker related to inflammation and gut dysbiosis that is able to predict OA progression and monitor the efficacy of therapeutic intervention" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Influence of a low-dose supplementation of curcumagalactomannoside complex (CurQfen) in knee osteoarthritis: A randomized, open-labeled, active-controlled clinical trial - Phytother Res 2020 Nov 18 - "A 6-week, randomized, open-label, active-controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the influence of a low-dose curcumagalactomannosides (CGM) (400 mg once daily) in OA subjects. The treatment was compared with a standard combination of 500 mg glucosamine hydrochloride (GLN) and 415 mg chondroitin sulphate (CHN), supplied as a single oral dose twice a day. Out of 84 subjects randomized, 72 subjects who have completed the study were evaluated for the safety and efficacy of the treatments at baseline and subsequent visits (day 28 and 42), by measuring walking performance, VAS, KPS, and WOMAC scores. CGM exhibited 47.02, 21.43, and 206% improvement in VAS, KPS, and walking performance, respectively, compared to the baseline. Similarly, there was 31.17, 32.93, 36.44, and 35% improvement in the pain, stiffness, physical function, and total WOMAC scores. CGM also caused a substantial reduction in the serum inflammatory marker levels. The results indicate that a short-term supplementation of a low dosage CGM exerted superior beneficial effects than a high-dosage CHN-GLN combination in alleviating the pain and symptoms of OA subjects" - [Nutra USA] - See CurQfen at Amazon.com, curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb and fenugreek at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Autophagy Activation by Resveratrol Reduces Severity of Experimental Rheumatoid Arthritis - Mol Nutr Food Res 2020 Nov 12 - "Previous work reported that dietary supplementation with resveratrol lowers synovial hyperplasia, inflammatory markers and oxidative damage in an antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) model ... Dietary supplementation with resveratrol induces the non-canonical autophagy pathway and limits the cross-talk existence with inflammation, which in consequence modulates the synovial hyperplasia. Preventive strategies that incorporate dietary intervention with resveratrol may offer a potential therapeutic alternative to drugs to influence the risk of RA and influence its course" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com and resveratrol at iHerb.
  • Fish oil supplementation reduces osteoarthritis-specific pain in older adults with overweight/obesity - Rheumatol Adv Pract 2020 Jul 2 - "A 16-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 × 2 factorial design supplementation trial with fish oil (2000 mg/day docosahexaenoic acid + 400 mg/day eicosapentaenoic acid), curcumin (160 mg/day) or a combination of both was undertaken in sedentary overweight/obese older adults ... Fish oil significantly reduced OA-specific pain (P = 0.002, Cohen’s d = 0.56) and burden (P = 0.015, Cohen’s d = 0.45) compared with no fish oil treatment; reductions were correlated with improvements in microvascular function and well-being. Curcumin, alone or in combination with fish oil, did not reduce pain measures" - [Nutra USA] - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Responder Profile to Pharmaceutical-Grade Chondroitin Sulfate: An Analysis of the CONCEPT Trial - Adv Ther 2020 Sep 21 - "The treatment of OA with CS has the highest chance of success if administered in the early stage of the disease" - See chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Turmeric Capsules Reduce Knee Osteoarthritis Pain - Medscape, 9/15/20 - "Researchers randomly assigned patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to take two capsules of turmeric capsules (n=36) or placebo (n=34) daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the study period, turmeric improved knee pain on a visual analog scale (VAS) by -9.1 mm (95% CI, -17.8 to -0.4 mm) compared with placebo" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Turmeric May Ease Knee Arthritis - NYT, 9/14/20 - "They found that pain, stiffness and physical function all improved significantly more in those who took the curcumin extract than in those who used the placebo. But there was no difference between the groups in the M.R.I. assessment of excess fluid in the synovial cavity, and no difference in knee cartilage structure ... Considering the limited effectiveness of current pharmacological treatments for osteoarthritis, a modest effect may be helpful, and turmeric appears to be without side effects" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Effects of Probiotic Strains on Disease Activity and Enteric Permeability in Psoriatic Arthritis-A Pilot Open-Label Study - Nutrients 2020 Aug 5 - "enrolled 10 PsA patients with low to medium disease activity who received probiotics for 12 weeks ... All patients showed increased levels of the enteric permeability marker zonulin which correlated with the frequency of peripheral Th17 cells. Calprotectin, a marker for intestinal inflammation was elevated in 6 out of 10 patients. Probiotic intake resulted in a reduction of disease activity and gut permeability. These effects, however, were not sustained beyond termination of probiotic intake. (4) Conclusions: PsA patients suffer from enhanced enteric permeability and inflammation. Probiotics may ameliorate disease activity in PsA by targeting these alterations" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Eggshell Membrane+Fish Oil Combination (Move3®) Reduces Exercise-Induced Joint Pain, Stiffness and Cartilage Turnover in Healthy Adults: Results from a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study - Int J Phys Med Rehabil, Vol.8 Iss.3 - "Eggshell membrane supplementation has been shown to reduce exercise-induced joint pain and stiffness and lower urinary excretion of C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type-II collagen (uCTX-II), a marker of cartilage degradation, in healthy, postmenopausal women. This study was conducted to evaluate whether the combination of eggshell membrane and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ES-OM3) versus placebo would reduce levels of uCTX-II and alleviate joint pain or stiffness immediately following exercise and 12 hours post exercise in healthy men and women ... Eighty-five healthy men and women (40-70 years) were randomly assigned to receive either 500 mg eggshell membrane with 1,500 mg fish oil concentrate (n=43) or 2,000 mg placebo (n=42) daily ... ES-OM3 produced a significant reduction in levels of uCTX-II versus placebo after 1 (-12.9%, p=0.035) and 2 weeks of exercise (-17.7%, p=0.019). Compared with placebo, ES-OM3 supplementation significantly relieved joint pain (p<0.05) immediately after exercise and 12 hours after exercise (Days 3,5 and 7 and Days 2 and 8 respectively) and significantly improved levels of stiffness (p<0.05) immediately after exercise and 12 hours after exercise (Day 3, and Days 2,4,6 and 8, respectively) ... In healthy adults who performed an aerobic step exercise regimen for two weeks, daily administration of a novel nutraceutical (Move3®), consisting of eggshell membrane and fish oil (ES-OM3) decreased levels of CTX-II, a biomarker for cartilage degradation. ES-OM3 supplementation provided rapid relief of joint pain and stiffness immediately after exercise and 12 hours post exercise. Use of a nutraceutical such as ES-OM3 (Move3®) is a promising new approach for alleviating joint pain and stiffness associated with exercise" - [Nutra USA] - See eggshell membrane at Amazon.com and iHerb and omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Curcumagalactomannoside/Glucosamine Combination Improved Joint Health Among Osteoarthritic Subjects as Compared to Chondroitin Sulfate/Glucosamine: Double-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Study - J Altern Complement Med 2020 Jul 14 - "A combination of curcumagalactomannosides (CGM) (400 mg) with glucosamine hydrochloride (GLN) (500 mg) was evaluated against a standard dietary supplement combination chondroitin sulfate (CHN) (415 mg)/GLN (500 mg) for their effectiveness in alleviating the pain and symptoms among osteoarthritic subjects ... CGM-GLN was found to offer significant beneficial effects to pain, stiffness, and physical function of OA subjects compared with CHN-GLN, which was evident from the improvement in walking performance, VAS score, KPS score, and WOMAC score. The efficiency of CGM-GLN was almost double compared with the CHN-GLN by the end of the study (84th day). A significant reduction of inflammatory serum marker levels was observed among CGM-GLN subjects compared with CHN-GLN subjects. Compared with the baseline, CGM-GLN produced 54.52%, 59.08%, and 22.03% reduction in IL-1β, IL-6, and sVCAM levels, respectively. Whereas CHN-GLN group of subjects expressed only 23.17%, 21.38%, and 6.82% reduction in IL-1β, IL-6, and sVCAM levels, respectively" - [Nutra USA] - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb and glucosamine hydrochloride at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, evaluating the garlic supplement effects on some serum biomarkers of oxidative stress, and quality of life in women with rheumatoid arthritis - Int J Clin Pract. 2020 Mar 11 - "Seventy women with RA participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-design trial. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, receiving two tablets of either 500 mg garlic or placebo daily for eight weeks ... total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) ... health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) ... At the end of the study, there was a significant increase in serum levels of TAC in the garlic group as compared to the placebo group (26.58±77.30 nmol of Trolox equivalent/ml vs. 16.11±0.92 nmol of Trolox equivalent/ml; P=0.026). In addition, MDA levels were significantly decreased in the intervention group compared with the control group (-0.82±1.99 nmol/ml vs. 0.36±2.57 nmol/ml; P=0.032). Pain after activity and HAQ scores decreased in the garlic group compared to the placebo (-11.96±13.43 mm vs. -0.06±13.41 mm; P<0.001, 0.17±20 vs. 0.05±0.15; P<0.001, respectively)" - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.
  • The effect of saffron supplement on clinical outcomes and metabolic profiles in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial - Phytother Res. 2020 Feb 11 - "66 women older than 18 years old received 100 mg/day either saffron supplement in the intervention group (n = 33) or matched placebo in the placebo group (n = 33) for a period of 12 weeks ... Saffron supplementation significantly decreased the number of tender (-1.38 ± 1.66 vs. 0.10 ± 0.40, p < .001) and swollen (-2.12 ± 2.34 vs. 0.63 ± 2.79, p <��.001) joints, pain intensity based on visual analogue scale (-18.36 ± 15.07 vs. -2.33 ± 5.04), p < .001), and disease activity score (DAS28) (-0.75 ± 0.67 vs. 0.26 ± 0.77, p < .001) at the end of intervention between the two groups and in saffron group compared with baseline values. Physician Global Assessment (p = .002) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were significantly improved after intervention (24.06 ± 12.66 vs. 32.00 ± 14.75, p = 0.028). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein reduced at the end of the intervention in the saffron group compared with baseline values (12.00 ± 7.40 vs. 8.82 ± 7.930, p = .004). Tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, and malondialdehyde were decreased, and total antioxidant capacity were increased, but their differences between the two groups were not significant (p > .05). According to the results, saffron supplements could positively and significantly improve clinical outcomes in RA patients" - See saffron supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Theacrine alleviates chronic inflammation by enhancing TGF-β-mediated shifts via TGF-β/SMAD pathway in Freund's incomplete adjuvant-induced rats - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2019 Nov 29 - "The present study investigated the therapeutic effect of theacrine (TC) on arthritis and its mechanisms in Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA)-induced SD rats ... TC notably suppressed the severity of FIA-induced rat by attenuating the apparent scores, animal weight and inflammatory indexes in the 25 mg/kg TC group compared with the FIA rat model. Furthermore, TC significantly decreased the levels of IL-6 and increased the levels of TGF-β. Histopathological examinations indicated that TC rescued the synovial hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration in joint tissues. In addition, TC enhanced TGF-β-mediated shifts in inflammatory marker expression in joint tissue. Overall, the present study demonstrated that TC exerted a superior anti-arthritic effect via the suppression of IL-6 and the activation of TGF-β by the TGF-β/SMAD pathway" - See theacrine at Amazon.com.
  • Benefits of a Food Supplement Containing Boswellia serrata and Bromelain for Improving the Quality of Life in Patients with Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Study - J Altern Complement Med. 2019 Nov 1 - "From this pilot study, it emerges that the use of the gastroresistant formulation containing the combination of Boswellia and bromelain supplements can represent a valuable nonpharmacological tool for improving the QoL of patients suffering from different forms of OA" - See Boswellia at Amazon.com and bromelain at Amazon.com.
  • Conjugated Linoleic Acid Isomers Trans-10, Cis-12 and Cis-9, Trans-11 Prevent Collagen-Induced Arthritis in a Direct Comparison - Lipids. 2018 Sep 27 - "DBA/1 mice were fed a semipurified diet containing 6% corn oil (CO), 5.5% CO and 0.5% CLAt10c12, or 5.5% CO and 0.5% CLAc9t11 (n = 27 per diet) starting three weeks before CA primary immunization. Effects on disease incidence and severity, anticollagen antibodies, plasma and paw cytokines, and hepatic fatty acids were measured. Arthritis incidence was reduced by a minimum of 34% in mice fed either CLA isomer compared to those fed CO diet (p = 0.06). In mice that did develop arthritis (n = 9-12 mice per treatment), CLAt10c12 reduced arthritic severity to a greater extent than CLAc9t11 and CO (p = 0.03). CLA isomer treatment attenuated the increased hepatic arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n-6) observed with arthritis at one-week postonset (p = 0.03), while no differences in anticollagen antibodies or cytokines were observed between dietary treatments" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
  • Dietary carbohydrates could lead to osteoarthritis, new study finds - Science Daily, 8/9/18 - "the carbohydrate composition of diets increased the risk of osteoarthritis in laboratory mice -- even when the animals didn't differ in weight ... In particular, Griffin's team found that changing the amount of sucrose -- table sugar -- and fiber in the diet altered OA pathology in the rodents. The high-sucrose diet increased signs of joint inflammation, while the high-fiber diet caused changes in cartilage genes and cellular stress-response pathways"
  • Can Muesli help against arthritis? - Science Daily, 1/12/18 - 'We were able to show that a bacteria-friendly diet has an anti-inflammatory effect, as well as a positive effect on bone density' explains Dr. Mario Zaiss, who is leading the team behind the study. 'Our findings offer a promising approach for developing innovative therapies for inflammatory joint diseases as well as for treating osteoporosis, which is often suffered by women after the menopause. We are not able to give any specific recommendations for a bacteria-friendly diet at the moment, but eating muesli every morning as well as enough fruit and vegetables throughout the day helps to maintain a rich variety of bacterial species.' - See muesli at Amazon.com and probiotic products at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Quality of Life and Physical Performance in Osteoarthritis Patients - Nutrients 2017, 9(8), 799 - "Vitamin D2 supplementation for six months reduced oxidative protein damage, decreased pain (VAS), improved quality of life, and improved grip strength and physical performance in osteoarthritis patients" - [Nutra USA] - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Amelioration of the Development of Osteoarthritis by Daily Intake of β-Cryptoxanthin - Biol Pharm Bull. 2017;40(7):1116-1120 - "Our results suggest that oral supplementation of β-cryptoxanthin would be beneficial for the maintenance of joint health and as prophylaxis against osteoarthritis" - See carotenoids at Amazon.com.
  • Daily oral consumption of hydrolyzed type 1 collagen is chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory in murine posttraumatic osteoarthritis - PLoS One. 2017 Apr 6 - "posttraumatic OA (PTOA) ... These findings establish that in the context of murine knee PTOA, daily oral consumption of hCol1 is chondroprotective, anti-apoptotic in articular chondrocytes, and anti-inflammatory. While the underlying mechanism driving these effects is yet to be determined, these findings provide the first tissue and cellular level information explaining the already published evidence of symptom relief supported by hCol1 in human knee OA. These results suggest that oral consumption of hCol1 is disease modifying in the context of PTOA" - [Nutra USA] - See Peptan® Hydrolyzed Collagen Protein Powder - For Hair - Nails - Joint Pain Relief - Skin Care - Appetite Suppressant - Building Muscle - Bone Density - Osteopenia at Amazon.com.
  • Chondroitin sulfate as good as widely used anti-inflammatory for knee osteoarthritis - Science Daily, 5/23/17 - "They conclude that a daily dose of 800 mg of pharmaceutical-grade chondroitin sulfate is better than a dummy product and as good as celecoxib in reducing pain and improving joint function in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis" - See chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com.
  • Synbiotic supplementation and the effects on clinical and metabolic responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Br J Nutr. 2017 May 11:1-8 - "After the 8-week intervention, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels (-1427·8 (sd 3267·2) v. +2833·4 (sd 5639·7) ng/ml, P=0·001). In addition, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation improved disease activity score-28 joints (DAS-28) (-1·6 (sd 0·8) v. -0·3 (sd 0·5), P<0·001) and visual analogue scales (VAS) pain (-30·4 (sd 18·7) v. -11·5 (sd 15·9), P<0·001). In addition, a significant elevation in plasma nitric oxide (NO) (+0·8 (sd 4·4) v. -2·6 (sd 4·5) µmol/l, P=0·008), and significant reductions in insulin values (-13·8 (sd 26·4) v. +4·2 (sd 28·2) pmol/l, P=0·01), homoeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (-0·5 (sd 1·0) v.+0·1 (sd 1·1), P=0·03) and homoeostatic model assessment-β-cell function (HOMA-B) (-9·4 (sd 17·9) v. +3·3 (sd 18·9), P=0·01) following supplementation with the synbiotic compared with the placebo. Compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation also resulted in a significant increase in plasma GSH (+36·6 (sd 63·5) v. -58·5 (sd 154·4) µmol/l, P=0·005). Overall, our study demonstrated that synbiotic supplementation for 8 weeks among patients with RA had beneficial effects on hs-CRP, DAS-28, VAS, NO, insulin levels, HOMA-IR, HOMA-B and GSH levels" - See synbiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Curcumin Inhibits Apoptosis of Chondrocytes through Activation ERK1/2 Signaling Pathways Induced Autophagy - Nutrients. 2017 Apr 21;9(4) - "Evidence from several recent in vitro studies suggests that curcumin may exert a chondroprotective effect through actions such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, and anti-catabolic activity that are critical for mitigating OA disease pathogenesis and symptoms ... Our results suggest that curcumin suppresses apoptosis and inflammatory signaling through its actions on the ERK1/2-induced autophagy in chondrocytes. We propose that curcumin should be explored further for the prophylactic treatment of osteoarthritis in humans and companion animals" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
  • A Polyphenol-rich Pomegranate Fruit Extract Suppresses NF-κB and IL-6 Expression by Blocking the Activation of IKKβ and NIK in Primary Human Chondrocytes - Phytother Res. 2017 Mar 9 - "Taken together, these data suggest that PE exerts the chondroprotective effect(s) by suppressing the production of IL-6 and ROS levels" - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com.
    • Chondroprotection - Wikipedia - "A chondroprotective compound is a specific compound or chemical that delays progressive joint space narrowing characteristic of arthritis and improves the biomechanics of articular joints by protecting chondrocytes"
  • Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of an oral enzyme combination vs diclofenac in osteoarthritis of the knee: results of an individual patient-level pooled reanalysis of data from six randomized controlled trials - J. Pain Research, 4 November 2016 Volume 2016:9 Pages 941—961 - "oral enzyme combination (OEC) containing proteolytic enzymes and bioflavonoid vs diclofenac (DIC) ... When compared with DIC, OEC showed comparable efficacy and a superior tolerability/safety profile associated with a significantly lower risk of treatment-emergent adverse events, related study discontinuations, and changes in laboratory parameters" - [Nutra USA] - See Wobenzym at Amazon.com.
  • The Effect of Quercetin on Inflammatory Factors and Clinical Symptoms in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial - J Am Coll Nutr. 2016 Oct 6:1-7 - "Five hundred milligrams per day quercetin supplementation for 8 weeks resulted in significant improvements in clinical symptoms, disease activity, hs-TNFα, and HAQ in women with RA" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.
  • The effect of pomegranate juice on clinical signs, matrix metalloproteinases and antioxidant status in patients with knee osteoarthritis - J Sci Food Agric. 2016 Jan 25 - "Significant decreases in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) total score (P= 0.01), stiffness score (p=0.00) and physical function score (p=0.01) were observed in PJ group after the intervention. The means of serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -13 was significantly decreased (p=0.02) and glutathione peroxidase was increased in the intervention group compared with the control group after the study period" - [Nutra USA] - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com.
  • Gut bacteria can cause, predict and prevent rheumatoid arthritis - Science Daily, 7/11/16 - "Dr. Taneja treated one group of arthritis-susceptible mice with a bacterium, Prevotella histicola, and compared that to a group that had no treatment. The study found that mice treated with the bacterium had decreased symptom frequency and severity, and fewer inflammatory conditions associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment produced fewer side effects, such as weight gain and villous atrophy -- a condition that prevents the gut from absorbing nutrients -- that may be linked with other, more traditional treatments" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
  • Resveratrol Interferes with IL1-β-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Paracrine Interaction between Primary Chondrocytes and Macrophages - Nutrients. 2016 May 11;8(5) - "Resveratrol showed a strong inhibitory effect on the pro-inflammatory marker secretion. The decrease of IL-6 secretion is dependent on the NFκB inhibition in the chondrocytes. Such reduction of the IL-6 level can limit STAT3 activation in the macrophages, leading to the interruption of the inflammatory amplification loop" - See Reserveage Nutrition - Resveratrol with Pterostilbene 500mg, Cellular Age-Defying Formula, 60 veg capsules at Amazon.com.
  • Oral Resveratrol Prevents Osteoarthritis Progression in C57BL/6J Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet - Nutrients. 2016 Apr 20;8(4) - "oral resveratrol appears to exert anti-OA effects in a mouse model of HFD-induced OA, thereby highlighting the potential preventive and therapeutic value of administering resveratrol for obesity-associated OA" - See Reserveage Nutrition - Resveratrol with Pterostilbene 500mg, Cellular Age-Defying Formula, 60 veg capsules at Amazon.com.
  • Rutin protects rat articular chondrocytes against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide through SIRT1 activation - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2016 Apr 14 - "The progressive degeneration and ossification of articular chondrocytes are main symptoms in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Several flavonoids may provide an adjunctive alternative for the management of moderate OA in humans. Rutin, a natural flavone derivative (quercetin-3-rhamnosylglucoside), is well known for its potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties against oxidative stress ... The findings of these studies suggested the potential involvement of SIRT1 in the pathogenesis of OA, and indicated that rutin is a possible therapeutic option for OA" - See rutin at Amazon.com.
  • Serotonin deficiency implicated in rheumatoid arthritis - Science Daily, 3/9/16 - "both the number and activity of osteoclasts were higher in 5-HT-deficient mice with arthritis. In addition, more bone resorption was detected both at the affected joints and at remote sites ... The serotonin-deficient mice with arthritis also showed changes in certain cell-signaling molecules known as cytokines (higher IL-17, higher TNF-α, and lower IL-4) in their paws. Specifically, they displayed a shift in the balance between T cell subtypes, especially regulatory T cells and Th17 lymphocytes ... "Altogether, our data show that 5-HT?deficient mice are characterized by a relative, dampened expansion of Treg associated with an enhanced shift toward a Th17 phenotype, a situation previously described in patients with arthritis" - I don't know what all the means but it raises the question whether taking 5-HTP might help.
  • Effects of l-Carnitine Supplementation on Serum Inflammatory Factors and Matrix Metalloproteinase Enzymes in Females with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study - J Am Coll Nutr. 2016 Mar 2:1-7 - "72 females with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis started the study, divided into 2 groups to receive 750 mg/day L-carnitine (n = 36) or placebo (n = 36) for 8 weeks. Serum levels of Interleukine-1β (IL-1β), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-1 and -13, and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain were assessed before and after supplementation ... The mean VAS score decreased significantly in the L-carnitine and placebo groups by 52.67% and 21.82%, respectively" - See l-carnitine at Amazon.com.
  • Chrondroitin outperforms celecoxib in knee osteoarthritis study - Science Daily, 11/7/15 - "studied 194 people with knee OA and inflammation of the synovial membrane in the knee. The participants were followed for two years and were divided into two groups. The first group took 1200mg (pharmacological preparation) of chondroitin daily, and the second group took 200mg of celecoxib daily ... At both one and two years, the researchers found a better reduction of cartilage loss in the whole knee, and more particularly in the inner half, of the participants on chondroitin when compared to those on celecoxib. Additionally, there was a decrease in synovial membrane thickness in some of the participants on chondroitin, showing far better results for this group ... This study demonstrates that both chondroitin sulfate and celecoxib are equally effective at reducing the symptoms of knee OA patients. However, only chondroitin sulfate was found to be capable of slowing down the progression of the disease by reducing the loss of cartilage" - See chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com.
  • Plasma n-3 fatty acids and clinical outcomes in recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis - Br J Nutr. 2015 Aug 18:1-6 - "A randomised controlled trial (RCT) of high-dose v. low-dose fish oil in recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) demonstrated that the group allocated to high-dose fish oil had increased remission and decreased failure of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy ... plasma phospholipid (PL) EPA and DHA ... When analysed as a single cohort, plasma PL EPA was related to time to remission, with a one unit increase in EPA (1 % total fatty acids) associated with a 12 % increase in the probability of remission at any time during the study period (hazard ratio (HR)=1·12; 95 % CI 1·02, 1·23; P=0·02) ... Adjustment for smoking, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies and 'shared epitope' HLA-DR allele status did not change the HR. Plasma PL EPA, adjusted for the same variables, was negatively related to time to DMARD failure (HR=0·85; 95 % CI 0·72, 0·99; P=0·047). The HR for DHA and time to remission or DMARD failure were similar in magnitude to those for EPA" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Chondroitin/Glucosamine Reduced Pain in Knee Arthritis in RCT - Medscape, 1/30/15 - "a combination glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate product produced a 50.1% decrease in Western Ontario and McMaster OA index (WOMAC) pain, which is comparable to the 50.2% decrease seen in patients randomly assigned to receive celecoxib ... Patients received either chondroitin sulfate 400 mg plus glucosamine hydrochloride 500 mg (CS+GH; Droglican, Bioibérica SA) three times a day or celecoxib 200 mg every day for 6 months" - See glucosamine chondroitin formulas at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated with Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis - J Nutr. 2014 Dec;144(12):2002-2008 - "joint space narrowing (JSN) ... The mean concentrations of serum 25(OH)D and PTH were 26.2 μg/L and 54.5 pg/mL, respectively. Approximately 16% of the population had serum 25(OH)D < 15 μg/L ... Participants with low vitamin D [25(OH)D < 15 μg/L] had >2-fold elevated risk of knee osteoarthritis progression compared with those with greater vitamin D concentrations (≥15 μg/L; OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 4.5). High serum PTH (≥73 pg/mL) was not associated with a significant increase in JSN score. However, participants with both low vitamin D and high PTH had >3-fold increased risk of progression (OR: 3.2; 95%CI: 1.2, 8.4)" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin D Serum Level, Disease Activity and Functional Ability in Different Rheumatic Patients - Am J Med Sci. 2014 Oct 10 - "Serum vitamin D insufficiency (≤75 nmol/L) was found in 74% of patients with PsA, 94% patients with RA and 97% of patients with OA, whereas vitamin D deficiency (≤25 nmol/L) was found in 13% of patients with PsA, 39% of patients with RA and in 38% of patients with OA. Compared with RA, patients with PsA had significantly higher serum vitamin D (P = 0.002), and when controlling for age and gender, their serum vitamin D level was significantly associated with disease activity and functional activity" - Note:  They are calling < 75 nmol/L as " vitamin D insufficiency".  From what I've read that would make the overwhelming majority of any population sample vitamin D insufficient.  My last lab results were 60 for vitamin D3 and 1 for D2 (total 61) and that was with taking 7,000 IU per day.  I've since increased it.  - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Creating pomegranate drug to stem Alzheimer's, Parkinson's - Science Daily, 8/22/14 - "The onset of Alzheimer's disease can be slowed and some of its symptoms curbed by a natural compound that is found in pomegranate. Also, the painful inflammation that accompanies illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis and Parkinson's disease could be reduced ... punicalagin, which is a polyphenol -- a form of chemical compound -- found in pomegranate fruit, can inhibit inflammation in specialised brain cells known as micrologia. This inflammation leads to the destruction of more and more brain cells, making the condition of Alzheimer's sufferers progressively worse ... we do know that regular intake and regular consumption of pomegranate has a lot of health benefits -- including prevention of neuro-inflammation related to dementia" - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com.
  • Microbiome and Probiotics: Link to Arthritis - Medscape, 8/18/14 - "The gut microbiome plays an integral role in the development and maintenance of the host immune system ... There is intriguing yet still inconclusive evidence to support the use of probiotics as a treatment for these diseases" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
  • Sugar-sweetened soda consumption and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Jul 16 - "followed 79,570 women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS; 1980-2008) and 107,330 women from the NHS II (1991-2009) ... women who consumed ≥1 servings of sugar-sweetened soda/d had a 63% (HR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.30; P-trend = 0.004) increased risk of developing seropositive RA compared with those who consumed no sugar-sweetened soda or who consumed <1 serving/mo. When we restricted analyses to those with later RA onset (after age 55 y) in the NHS, the association appeared to be stronger (HR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.56, 4.46; P-trend < 0.0001)"
  • Omega 3 fatty acids lessen severity of osteoarthritis in mice - Science Daily, 7/11/14 - "The mice were fed one of three high-fat diets: one rich in saturated fat, one rich in omega 6 fatty acids, and one rich in omega 6 fatty acids but supplemented with a small amount of omega 3 fatty acids ... arthritis was significantly associated with the mice’s diets, but not with body weight. The mice that ate diets high in saturated fat or omega 6 fatty acids experienced significant worsening of their arthritis, while mice consuming a small supplement of omega 3 fatty acids had healthier joints ... While omega 3 fatty acids aren’t reversing the injury, they appear to slow the progression of arthritis in this group of mice,” Guilak said. “In fact, omega 3 fatty acids eliminated the detrimental effects of obesity in obese mice ... In mice consuming omega 3 fatty acids, a small ear punch typically used to differentiate mice healed much more quickly than it did in animals that did not receive the supplement" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Effect of Fucoxanthin Alone and in Combination with D-glucosamine Hydrochloride on Carrageenan/kaolin-induced Experimental Arthritis in Rats - Phytother Res. 2013 Dec 12 - "fucoxanthin (FUCO) alone and in combination with glucosamine hydrochloride (GAH) ... FUCO is an effective anti-arthritis agent through an antiinflammation mechanism. FUCO may enhance therapeutic effect of GAH on rat arthritis through mechanism of antiinflammation" - See fucoxanthin products at Amazon.com.
    • Fucoxanthin -  Examine.com - "Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid found in brown seaweed that is being investigated for its fat burning abilities. It reduces fat mass, but has a time delay due to build up in fat tissue and does not stimulate the brain. Also appears healthy, but needs more corroborating evidence"
  • Dietary trans-10,cis-12 CLA Reduces Murine Collagen-Induced Arthritis in a Dose-Dependent Manner - J Nutr. 2013 Nov 27 - "Mice were randomly assigned to the following dietary treatments upon the establishment of arthritis: corn oil (CO) or 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.375%, or 0.5% t10c12-CLA (wt:wt) for 84 d. Sham mice (no arthritis) were fed CO and served as controls. Arthritic paw score, based on subjective assessment of arthritic severity, and paw thickness decreased linearly overall [16-65% (P < 0.001) and 0.5-12% (P < 0.001), respectively] as dietary t10c12-CLA increased (P < 0.001, R2 < 0.81). Increasing dietary t10c12-CLA was associated with a decrease in plasma interleukin (IL)-1β at days 21 and 42 compared with CO-fed arthritic mice, such that mice fed ≥0.25% t10c12-CLA had IL-1β concentrations that were similar to sham mice. Plasma cytokines returned to sham mice concentrations by day 63 regardless of treatment; however, an arthritis-induced elevation in paw IL-1β decreased linearly as dietary t10c12-CLA concentrations increased at day 84 (P = 0.007, R2 = 0.92). Similarly, increasing dietary t10c12-CLA linearly decreased paw tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
  • Intestinal Bacteria Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis - Science Daily, 11/5/13 - "add to the growing evidence that the trillions of microbes in our body play an important role in regulating our health ... the researchers found that P. copri was more abundant in patients newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis than in healthy individuals or patients with chronic, treated rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, the overgrowth of P. copri was associated with fewer beneficial gut bacteria belonging to the genera Bacteroides" - Note:  It's one more thing to think about when you ask your doctor for antibiotics for that sore throat or cold. See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
  • Broccoli could be key in the fight against osteoarthritis - Science Daily, 8/27/13 - "sulforaphane slows down the destruction of cartilage in joints associated with painful and often debilitating osteoarthritis. The researchers found that mice fed a diet rich in the compound had significantly less cartilage damage and osteoarthritis than those that were not ... The study, which also examined human cartilage cells and cow cartilage tissue, was funded by medical research charity Arthritis Research UK ... Sulforaphane is released when eating cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts and cabbage, but particularly broccoli ... sulforaphane blocks the enzymes that cause joint destruction by stopping a key molecule known to cause inflammation" - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com and my macaroni and cheese recipe which contains broccoli.
  • Vitamin D and Rheumatoid Arthritis - Medscape, 1/21/13 - "It appears that vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in patients with RA, and that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to disease severity in RA. As vitamin D deficiency has been linked to diffuse musculoskeletal pain, these results have therapeutic implications. Vitamin D supplementation may be needed both for the prevention of osteoporosis as well as for pain relief in patients with RA" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • In People with Hand Osteoarthritis, Chondroitin Sulphate Therapy for 6 Months Improves Pain and Function Compared With Placebo - Medscape, 11/20/12 - "Osteoarthritis of the finger joints is present in about 10% of individuals aged 40 to 49, rising to 92% in individuals over 70 years of age ... Patients were of either sex, aged 40 years and older and given 800 mg of chondroitin sulphate as a single tablet each day or placebo for a total period of 6 months. The chondroitin preparation contained highly purified chondroitins 4 and 6 sulphate of fish origin ... Improvement in the patient's assessment of global hand pain on the VAS was significantly more pronounced in the chondroitin sulphate group than in the placebo group. The decrease in the FIHOA score demonstrated similar pattern. The relative benefit of chondroitin sulphate on both primary end points became evident only after 3 months of treatment. No serious adverse reaction occurred in any study patients" - See chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com.
  • Weekly soft drink consumption bubbles up knee osteoarthritis; especially in men - Science Daily, 11/11/12 - "men who consumed more soft drinks per week had worse knee OA progression. The joint space became narrower by an average of 0.29 millimeters in men who drank no soft drinks to 0.59 millimeters in men who drank more than five soft drinks a week. Interestingly, men with lower BMI, less than 27.5 kg/m2, showed more knee OA progression with increased soft-drink consumption than men who had higher BMI scores. By contrast, only women in the lowest BMI segment of the study, less than 27.3kg/m2, showed an association between more soft-drink consumption and knee OA progression"
  • Joint failures potentially linked to oral bacteria - Science Daily, 4/18/12 - "The culprit behind a failed hip or knee replacements might be found in the mouth. DNA testing of bacteria from the fluid that lubricates hip and knee joints had bacteria with the same DNA as the plaque from patients with gum disease and in need of a joint replacement ... it might be the reason why aseptic loosening or prosthetic wear of the artificial joints fail within 10 years when no infection appears to be present ... For a long time, we've suspected that these bacteria were causing problems in arthritis patients, but never had the scientific evidence to support it" - See Xlear Spry Peppermint Gum, 600-Count (Made with 100% xylitol) at Amazon.com.
  • Joint Supplements for Aromatase Inhibitor Adverse Effects - Medscape, 11/18/11 - "Aromatase inhibitors are widely used in the treatment of breast cancer but are associated with significant musculoskeletal adverse effects, including joint pain and stiffness ... We know that these symptoms are unresponsive to conventional pain medication and often lead to low adherence to aromatase inhibitor therapy ... The cohort consisted of postmenopausal breast cancer patents with stage I to III disease who had been on aromatase therapy for at least 3 months, who reported a pain rating of 4 or higher on a 10-point visual analog scale, and whose pain worsened after initiating treatment with aromatase inhibitors if they had preexisting osteoarthritis ... Participants took 1500 mg/day of glucosamine and 1200 mg/day of chondroitin, and were evaluated every 6 weeks at the clinic ... There was a drop in pain and stiffness in the hips and knees at 12 and 24 weeks, as well as improvement in function. "This affected about 50% of the women," she explained. "We saw a very similar pattern looking at the hands and the wrist. We saw similar results with the Brief Pain/Stiffness Inventory — with about 35% to 50% of women."" - See glucosamine products at Amazon.com and chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com.
  • The Doctor's Remedy: Turmeric for Joint Pain - NYTimes.com, 10/19/11 - "Physician: Dr. Minerva Santos, director of integrative medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York ... Recommended Remedy: Turmeric for joint pain ... What the Doctor Says: ... She recommends a dose of 1,000 milligrams a day. The benefit of buying it in a bottle, she said, is that it’s usually combined with a compound called piperine, which aids absorption" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids shown to prevent or slow progression of osteoarthritis - Science Daily, 10/17/11 - "New research has shown for the first time that omega-3 in fish oil could "substantially and significantly" reduce the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis ... omega-3-rich diets fed to guinea pigs, which naturally develop osteoarthritis, reduced disease by 50 per cent compared to a standard diet ... Furthermore, there was strong evidence that omega-3 influences the biochemistry of the disease, and therefore not only helps prevent disease, but also slows its progression, potentially controlling established osteoarthritis ... The only way of being certain that the effects of omega-3 are as applicable to humans as demonstrated in guinea pigs is to apply omega-3 to humans. However, osteoarthritis in guinea pigs is perhaps the most appropriate model for spontaneous, naturally occurring osteoarthritis, and all of the evidence supports the use of omega-3 in human disease ... Most diets in the developed world are lacking in omega-3, with modern diets having up to 30 times too much omega-6 and too little omega-3. Taking omega-3 will help redress this imbalance and may positively contribute to a range of other health problems such as heart disease and colitis" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Chondroitin sulfate improves hand function, relieves morning stiffness caused by osteoarthritis, study finds - Science Daily, 9/6/11 - "OA -- the most common form of arthritis -- affects more than 27 million adults in the U.S., causing joint pain and stiffness ... 20% to 30% of adults have OA of the hand, with the prevalence rising to more than 50% after 60 years of age ... Participants received either 800 mg of chondroitin sulfate (80 patients) or placebo (82 patients) once daily for 6 months ... patients in the chondroitin sulfate group had significant decrease in global hand pain compared with the placebo group, reflecting an 8.7 decrease on the VAS. Hand function also improved significantly for those taking chondroitin sulfate, decreasing more than 2 points on the FIHOA. Researchers also reported significantly improved hand function and reduction in morning stiffness for participants taking chondroitin sulfate versus placebo ... Alternative therapies, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), provide similar pain reducing effects, but with considerably more long-term toxicities" - See chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com.
  • Arthritis sufferers are not engaging in physical activity critical to their health - Science Daily, 8/10/11 - "Being physically active is one of best ways people with arthritis can improve their health ... more than half of women and 40 percent of men with arthritis are virtually couch potatoes ... fewer than one in seven men and one in 12 women met those guidelines when we had this objective measure, using the accelerometer ... The fact that so many people with arthritis are inactive should be a wake-up call to physicians"
  • Mechanisms of Olive Leaf Extract-Ameliorated Rat Arthritis Caused by Kaolin and Carrageenan - Phytother Res. 2011 Jul 27 - "Olive leaf extract (OLE) has antioxidant and antiinflammatory actions. However, the role of OLE in mechanical inflammatory arthritis (osteoarthritis, OA) is unclear. This study investigated the effect of OLE on the development of kaolin and carrageenan-induced arthritis, a murine model of OA. Administration of OLE significantly ameliorated paw swelling, the paw Evans blue content and the histopathological scores. In the human monocyte cell line, THP-1, the OLE reduced the LPS-induced TNF-α production and was dose dependent. Croton oil-induced ear edema in mice also revealed that treatment with OLE suppressed ear edema, myeloperoxidase (MPO) production and was dose dependent. These results indicated that OLE is an effective antiarthritis agent through an antiinflammation mechanism. Also OLE may be beneficial for the treatment of OA in humans" - See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.
  • RESVERATROL-MEDIATED SIRT-1 INTERACTIONS WITH P300 MODULATE RANKL-ACTIVATION OF NF-kappaB SIGNALING AND INHIBIT OSTEOCLASTOGENESIS IN BONE-DERIVED CELLS - J Biol Chem. 2011 Jan 14 - "Resveratrol is a polyphenolic phyto-estrogen that has been shown to exhibit potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic properties. Increased osteoclastic and decreased osteoblastic activity result in bone resorption and loss of bone mass. These changes have been implicated in pathological processes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis. Receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL), a member of the TNF superfamily, is a major mediator of bone loss. In this study we investigated the effects of resveratrol on RANKL during bone morphogenesis in high-density bone cultures in vitro ... Treatment with RANKL induced formation of TRAP positive multinucleated cells that exhibited morphological features of osteoclasts. RANKL induced NF-kappaB activation, whereas pre-treatment with resveratrol completely inhibited this activation, suppressed the activation of IkappaBα kinase, IkappaBα phosphorylation and degradation ... Resveratrol inhibited RANKL-induced acetylation and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in a time and concentration dependent manner. In addition, activation of Sirt-1 (a histone deacetylase) by resveratrol induced Sirt-1-p300 association in bone-derived and pre-osteoblastic cells, leading to deacetylation of RANKL-induced NF-kappaB, inhibition of NF-kappaB transcriptional activation and osteoclastogenesis. Co-treatment with resveratrol activated the bone transcription factor Cbfa-1, Sirt-1 and induced the formation of Sirt-1/Cbfa-1-complexes. Overall, these results demonstrate that resveratrol-activated Sirt-1 plays pivotal roles in regulating the balance between osteoclastic versus osteoblastic activity result in bone formation in vitro thereby highlighting its therapeutic potential for treating osteoporosis and RA-related bone loss" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
  • Association between serum vitamin D deficiency and knee osteoarthritis - Int Orthop. 2010 Dec 30 - "These findings indicate a significant association between serum 25-OHD deficiency and knee OA in patients aged < 60 years and suggest serum 25-OHD measurement in any patient with symptoms suggestive of knee OA particularly at the initial stage of disease" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Light exercise may prevent osteoarthritis, study suggests - Science Daily, 11/29/10 - "participating in a high-impact activity, such as running, more than one hour per day at least three times a week appears associated with more degenerated cartilage and potentially a higher risk for development of osteoarthritis ... On the other hand, engaging in light exercise and refraining from frequent knee-bending activities may protect against the onset of the disease"
  • Krill oil may reduce arthritis symptoms: Mouse study - Nutra USA, 9/17/10 - "Results showed that animals supplemented with krill or fish oil experienced significant reductions in measures of arthritis and swelling of the hind paw compared to a control animals not supplemented with EPA and DHA. The effects were greater for the krill oil than fish oil ... the arthritis score was reduced by 47 percent in the krill oil group compared with 26 percent for animals in fish oil group" - [Abstract] - See krill oil products at iHerb.
  • Supplementation of diet with krill oil protects against experimental rheumatoid arthritis - BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2010 Jun 29;11:136 - "Consumption of krill oil and supplemented diet significantly reduced the arthritis scores and hind paw swelling when compared to a control diet not supplemented with EPA and DHA. However, the arthritis score during the late phase of the study was only significantly reduced after krill oil administration. Furthermore, mice fed the krill oil diet demonstrated lower infiltration of inflammatory cells into the joint and synovial layer hyperplasia, when compared to control. Inclusion of fish oil and krill oil in the diets led to a significant reduction in hyperplasia and total histology score. Krill oil did not modulate the levels of serum cytokines whereas consumption of fish oil increased the levels of IL-1alpha and IL-13 ... The study suggests that krill oil may be a useful intervention strategy against the clinical and histopathological signs of inflammatory arthritis" - See krill oil products at iHerb.
  • Eating broccoli could guard against arthritis - Science Daily, 9/15/10 - "a compound in broccoli called sulforaphane blocks the enzymes that cause joint destruction in osteoarthritis -- the most common form of arthritis" - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.
  • The effects of vitamin C supplementation on incident and progressive knee osteoarthritis: a longitudinal study - Public Health Nutr. 2010 Aug 16:1-7 - "In the present prospective cohort study, we found no evidence to support a protective role of vitamin C in the progression of knee OA. However, after controlling for confounding variables, these data suggest that vitamin C supplementation may indeed be beneficial in preventing incident knee OA. Given the massive public health burden of OA, the use of a simple, widely available and inexpensive supplement to potentially reduce the impact of this disease merits further consideration"
  • Individual Isomers of Conjugated Linoleic Acid Reduce Inflammation Associated with Established Collagen-Induced Arthritis in DBA/1 Mice - J Nutr. 2010 Jun 23 - "corn oil (CO) ... Dietary c9t11- and combined-CLA similarly decreased the arthritic score (29%, P = 0.036, P = 0.049, respectively, when normalized to initial score) and paw thickness (0.11 mm, P = 0.027, P = 0.035, respectively) compared with CO. Dietary t10c12-CLA reduced the arthritic score (41%, P = 0.007 when normalized) and paw thickness (0.12 mm, P = 0.013) relative to CO. Reduced interleukin-1beta on d 7 and 21 for all CLA treatments (n = 3) relative to CO suggested that antiinflammatory effects of CLA isomers might work by common mechanisms of known pathways involved in chronic inflammation. In conclusion, dietary CLA reduced inflammation associated with CIA, and both c9t11-CLA and t10c12-CLA exhibited antiinflammatory effects" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.
  • Alcohol consumption lowers risk of developing several arthritic conditions, study finds - Science Daily, 6/16/10 - "Alcohol consumption is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing several arthritic conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA), reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondylarthropathy ... alcohol consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing RA (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.27 (0.22-0.34), Osteoarthritis (OR 0.31, (0.16-0.62), spondylarthropathy (OR 0.34, 0.17-0.67), psoriatic arthritis (OR 0.38, 0.23-0.62), and reactive arthritis (OR 0.27, 0.14-0.52)"
  • Vitamin D deficiency confirmed as common across a range of rheumatic conditions - Science Daily, 6/18/10 - "Two separate studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with a range of rheumatic diseases, with over half of all patients having below the 'normal' healthy levels of vitamin D (48-145 nmol/L) in their bodies. A further study assessing response to vitamin D supplementation found that taking the recommended daily dose did not normalise vitamin D levels in rheumatic disease patients" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Gut-residing bacteria trigger arthritis in genetically susceptible individuals - Science Daily, 6/17/10 - "A single species of bacteria that lives in the gut is able to trigger a cascade of immune responses that can ultimately result in the development of arthritis ... In the absence of all bacteria, these mice didn't develop arthritis, but the introduction of a single bacterium was enough to jump-start the immune process that leads to development of the disease ... bacteria in the gut could influence the development of an autoimmune disease affecting tissues distant from the gut. Diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome have been linked to gut-residing bacteria" - See Garden of Life Primal Defense HSO Probiotic Formula at Amazon.com.  Also see my section in last week's newsletter on making you own Activa.
  • Glucosamine sulphate in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: cost-effectiveness comparison with paracetamol - Int J Clin Pract. 2010 May;64(6):756-62 - "The results of the present cost-effectiveness analysis suggested that GS is a highly cost-effective therapy alternative compared with paracetamol and PBO to treat patients diagnosed with primary knee OA" - See glucosamine products at Amazon.com.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis linked to vitamin D deficiency, study suggests - Science Daily, 4/10/10 - "There's higher risk in the northern latitudes ... This might be related to the fact that there's less sunlight in these areas, which results in a vitamin D deficiency ... long term exposure may be more important than recent exposure" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Flip-Flops, Flat Shoes Relieve Arthritic Knees - WebMD, 3/29/10 - "If you have knee pain from arthritis, wearing flat, flexible shoes may reduce the stress on your joints and keep you more comfortable" - Click here for my favorite flip-flops at Amazon.com.
  • Omega-3 plus glucosamine ‘superior’ for joint health: Study - Nutra USA, 11/30/09
  • Why Fish Oils Help With Conditions Like Rheumatoid Arthritis How They Could Help Even More - Science Daily, 10/28/09 -"New research from Queen Mary, University of London and Harvard Medical School has revealed precisely why taking fish oils can help with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis ... researchers describe how the body converts an ingredient found in fish oils into another chemical called Resolvin D2 and how this chemical reduces the inflammation that leads to a variety of diseases" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Effect of glucosamine sulfate with or without omega-3 fatty acids in patients with osteoarthritis - Adv Ther. 2009 Sep 4 - "The aim was to see if a combination of glucosamine sulfate (1500 mg/day) and the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (group A), showed equivalence (noninferiority) or superiority as opposed to glucosamine sulfate alone (group B) ... OA symptoms (morning stiffness, pain in hips and knees) were reduced at the end of the study: by 48.5%-55.6% in group A and by 41.7%-55.3% in group B" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com and glucosamine products at Amazon.com.
  • Treating Gum Disease May Help Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 6/12/09 - "It was exciting to find that if we eliminated the infection and inflammation in the gums, then patients with a severe kind of active rheumatoid arthritis reported improvement on the signs and symptoms of that disease"
  • Omega Fatty Acid Balance Can Alter Immunity And Gene Expression - Science Daily, 5/29/09 - "Anthropological evidence suggests that human ancestors maintained a 2:1 w6/w3 ratio for much of history, but in Western countries today the ratio has spiked to as high as 10:1. Since these omega fatty acids can be converted into inflammatory molecules, this dietary change is believed to also disrupt the proper balance of pro- and anti- inflammatory agents, resulting in increased systemic inflammation and a higher incidence of problems including asthma, allergies, diabetes, and arthritis ... many key signaling genes that promote inflammation were markedly reduced compared to a normal diet, including a signaling gene for a protein called PI3K, a critical early step in autoimmune and allergic inflammation responses" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Exercise Plays Large Role in Recovery From Knee Replacement, Occurrence of Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 1/31/09
  • Chondroitin Slows Progression And Relieves Symptoms Of Knee Osteoarthritis - Science Daily, 1/29/09 - "long-term administration of CS over 2 years can prevent joint structure degradation in patients with knee OA ... Joint space loss was significantly reduced in the CS group, fewer patients had progression of joint space width, and CS reduced pain in those taking it compared to the placebo group. CS was well-tolerated and there were no significant differences in the frequency of adverse events between the two groups" - See chondroitin sulfate at Amazon.com.
  • Exercise No Danger For Joints, Review Suggests - Science Daily, 1/27/09 - "There is no good evidence supporting a harmful effect of exercise on joints in the setting of normal joints and regular exercise"
  • Pine bark extract may help joints and hearts: Study - Nutra USA, 12/11/08 - "The decrease of systemic inflammatory markers, particularly CRP, suggests Pycnogenol properties may be potent enough to arrest the spread of inflammation from osteoarthritic joints to the whole organisms ... subjects received either two daily doses of 50 mg Pycnogenol or placebo for three months ... people receiving the pine bark extract experienced significant reductions in CRP levels from an average of 3.9 mg/L at the start of the study to 1.1 mg/L after three months. This is equivalent to a 71 per cent reduction ... Moreover, a reduction in the blood levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) of 30 per cent was recorded" - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.
  • Green Tea Protects Rats against Autoimmune Arthritis by Modulating Disease-Related Immune Events - J Nutr. 2008 Nov;138(11):2111-2116 - "polyphenolic compounds from green tea (PGT) possess antiinflammatory properties ... Interestingly, PGT-fed rats had a lower concentration of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17 but a greater concentration of the immunoregulatory cytokine IL-10 than controls. PGT feeding also suppressed the anti-Bhsp65 antibody response. Thus, green tea induced changes in arthritis-related immune responses. We suggest further systematic exploration of dietary supplementation with PGT as an adjunct nutritional strategy for the management of RA" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
  • Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits IL-6 synthesis and suppresses transsignaling by enhancing soluble gp130 production - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Sep 16 - "Results from in vivo studies using a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis model showed specific inhibition of IL-6 levels in the serum and joints of EGCG-treated rats by 28% and 40%, respectively, with concomitant amelioration of rat adjuvant-induced arthritis. We also observed a marked decrease in membrane-bound gp130 protein expression in the joint homogenates of the EGCG-treated group. In contrast, quantitative RT-PCR showed that the gp130/IL-6Ralpha mRNA ratio increased by approximately 2-fold, suggesting a possible mechanism of sgp130 activation by EGCG. Gelatin zymography results showed EGCG inhibits IL-6/soluble IL-6R-induced matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity in RA synovial fibroblasts and in joint homogenates, possibly via up-regulation of sgp130 synthesis. The results of these studies provide previously undescribed evidence of IL-6 synthesis and transsignaling inhibition by EGCG with a unique mechanism of sgp130 up-regulation, and thus hold promise as a potential therapeutic agent for RA" -  See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
  • Oily Fish Can Protect Against Rheumatoid Arthritis, But Smoking And Psychosocial Stress Increase Its Risk - Science Daily, 6/13/08 - "For the first time, the intake of oily fish has been demonstrated to have a protective effect against the development of RA, reducing an individual's risk by 20-30%" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
  • Pomegranate extract shows joint health potential - Nutra USA, 6/5/08 - "The severity of arthritis was significantly decreased in the animals receiving POMx, with a reduction of 69.2 and 76 per cent in the groups consuming 13.6 and 34 mg per kg of POMx" - [Abstract] - See pomegranate at Amazon.com.
  • Consumption of hydrolyzable tannins-rich pomegranate extract suppresses inflammation and joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis - Nutrition. 2008 May 17 - "collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) ... Consumption of POMx potently delayed the onset and reduced the incidence of CIA in mice. Severity of arthritis was also significantly lower in POMx-fed animals. Histopathology of the arthritic joints from POMx-fed mice demonstrated reduced joint infiltration by the inflammatory cells, and the destruction of bone and cartilage were alleviated. Levels of IL-6 were significantly decreased in the joints of POMx-fed mice with CIA. In mouse macrophages, POMx abrogated multiple signal transduction pathways and downstream mediators implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis" - [Nutra USA] - See pomegranate at Amazon.com.
  • Pine bark extract's osteoarthritis potential expanded - Nutra USA, 4/17/08 - "Using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index as a measure of arthritis symptoms, the researchers report a 56 per cent reduction in the global WOMAC score for people in the Pycnogenol group, compared to only 9.6 per cent for people in the placebo group. Scores for stiffness were reduced by 53 per cent" - [Abstract] - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.
  • Treatment of osteoarthritis with Pycnogenol((R)). The SVOS (San Valentino osteo-arthrosis study). evaluation of signs, symptoms, physical performance and vascular aspects - Phytother Res. 2008 Apr;22(4):518-23 - "The global WOMAC score decreased by 56% (p < 0.05) in the treatment group versus 9.6% in the placebo group. Walking distance in the treadmill test was prolonged from 68 m at the start to 198 m after 3 months treatment (p < 0.05), under placebo, from 65 m to 88 m (NS). The use of drugs decreased by 58% in the treatment group (p < 0.05) versus 1% under placebo. Gastrointestinal complications decreased by 63% in the treatment group, but only 3% under placebo. Overall, treatment costs were reduced significantly compared with placebo ... After 3 months edema decreased in 79% of Pycnogenol patients (p < 0.05) vs 1% in controls" - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.
  • Cod liver oil (n-3 fatty acids) as an non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sparing agent in rheumatoid arthritis - Rheumatology (Oxford). 2008 Mar 24 - "Out of 49 patients 19 (39%) in the cod liver oil group and out of 48 patients 5 (10%) in the placebo group were able to reduce their daily NSAID requirement by >30% ... This study suggests that cod liver oil supplements containing n-3 fatty acids can be used as NSAID-sparing agents in RA patients" - See cod liver oil at Amazon.com and Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin B6 and Homocysteine Changes Seen in Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis - Medscape, 3/25/08 - "those with rheumatoid arthritis are deficient in vitamin B6 and have elevated levels of homocysteine ... The vitamin B6 deficit appears to be the result of altered metabolism, not reduced dietary intake ... dietary intake of B vitamins is not decreased in rheumatoid arthritis patients, yet they still show a deficit of vitamin B6. Consistent with this finding, rheumatoid arthritis was also associated with increased levels of homocysteine. None of the subjects in the study were using B vitamin supplements ... Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis may need to get more B vitamins through diet, supplements, or fortified foods"
  • Elevated plasma homocysteine and low vitamin B-6 status in nonsupplementing older women with rheumatoid arthritis - J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Mar;108(3):443-53 - "Poor vitamin B-6 status and elevated plasma homocysteine concentrations were seen in older women with rheumatoid arthritis compared to healthy controls and may contribute to their increased risk of cardiovascular disease"
  • Pine bark extract shows arthritis benefits - Nutra USA, 11/20/07 - "after 90 days of Pycnogenol supplementation the WOMAC scores for self-reported pain, stiffness, and physical function were reduced by 43, 35, and 52, respectively" - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.
  • Low Vitamin D Levels May Worsen Osteoarthritis Of The Knee - Science Daily, 11/15/07 - "Researchers studied 65 women and 35 men in their sixties who showed signs of having knee OA by measuring blood levels of vitamin D, their baseline knee pain, the time needed for arising several times from a chair, and the time needed to walk 20 meters ... Of the 100 participants, 47 percent were vitamin D deficient, with vitamin D levels below 30 ng/ml. This deficiency contributed to increased pain and difficulty walking among the participants" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Low Vitamin D Raises Pain and Functional Impairment in Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 11/12/07 - "Low levels of vitamin D are associated with more knee pain and walking difficulty in persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA)" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate as therapeutic agents for knee and hip osteoarthritis - Drugs Aging. 2007;24(7):573-80 - "glucosamine sulfate (but not glucosamine hydrochloride) and chondroitin sulfate have small-to-moderate symptomatic efficacy in OA ... glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate may interfere with progression of OA"
  • Rose-hip 'remedy' for arthritis - BBC News, 6/18/07 - "Just under half took the rose-hip remedy LitoZin while the others took a placebo ... Activity among the first group improved by 20-25%"
  • Increased Alcohol Intake Associated With Decreased Risk Of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis - Science Daily, 6/15/07 - "An increased alcohol (ethanol) consumption of three or more units per week was associated with a decreased risk of developing RA (odds ratio 0.5, 95%; confidence interval 0.4 -- 0.7)"
  • Current Role of Glucosamine in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis - Medscape, 6/5/07 - "These results suggest that patients with a less severe radiographic knee OA will be particularly responsive to GS as a structure-modifying drug"
  • Green Tea vs. Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 4/30/07
  • Green Tea Compound, EGCG, May Be A Therapy For People With Rheumatoid Arthritis - Science Daily, 4/29/07 - "the compound -- called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) -- inhibited the production of several molecules in the immune system that contribute to inflammation and joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis" - See Jarrow Green Tea at Amazon.com.
  • Green Tea And EGCG May Help Prevent Autoimmune Diseases - Science Daily, 4/19/07 - "The group treated with green tea had significantly fewer lymphocytes, Dr. Hsu says. Their blood also showed lower levels of autoantibodies, protein weapons produced when the immune system attacks itself, he says" - See Jarrow Green Tea at Amazon.com.
  • Arthritis supplements often come up short - MSNBC, 4/11/07 - "All the problems popped up among products that claimed to contain chondroitin, a key — and pricey — ingredient. Of 11 such brands, eight came up short on the substance, which is purported to inhibit enzymes that break down the cartilage in joints"
  • A meta-analysis of the analgesic effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for inflammatory joint pain - Pain. 2007 Feb 28 - "The results suggest that omega-3 PUFAs are an attractive adjunctive treatment for joint pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and dysmenorrhea" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.
  • Tasty curry might have a fringe benefit - USA Today, 1/7/07 - "turmeric, one component of curry spice, almost completely prevented joint swelling in rats with arthritis. Other studies have suggested that the spice could protect against diseases such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's ... many people with arthritis take over-the-counter supplements that contain curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric ... The curcumin in curry seems to shut down genes that trigger the development and the spread of breast cancer" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
  • Alcohol 'may prevent arthritis' - BBC News, 12/19/06 - "mice whose water contained 10% alcohol had a lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis ... alcohol can increase testosterone and increased testosterone may protect against development of rheumatoid arthritis"
  • Turmeric Supplements Show Promise in Treating Arthritis - Medscape, 11/17/06 - "This version was used in subsequent experiments and was shown to prevent acute and chronic arthritis ... In addition, turmeric significantly inhibited joint destruction due to arthritis, and inhibited NF-κB, a protein that controls the gene expression of substances that produce an inflammatory response. Turmeric also altered the expression of hundreds of genes involved in joint swelling and destruction and prevented an increase in osteoclasts (cells that break down bone) in joints" - See iHerb turmeric products.
  • Curry spice extract may have anti-arthritis potential - Nutra USA, 10/30/06 - "Cartilage destruction in the tibia of the rats was reduced by 66 per cent, and thigh bone mineral density (BMD) destruction was also reduced by 57 per cent, compared to the control solution"
  • Curry spice 'help for arthritis' - BBC News, 10/30/06 - "The extract appears to work by prevent a protein that controls when genes are switched on or off from being activated in the joint" - See curcumin supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Spicy Spin on Easing Arthritis - WebMD, 10/30/06 - "Over the next 28 days, the mice in the turmeric group showed less joint inflammation and less joint damage than those in the comparison group ... The turmeric extract apparently curbed certain genes involved in joint inflammation ... The mice in the turmeric group also showed better bone mineral density than those in the comparison group"
  • More support for vitamin K’s protection from osteoarthritis - Nutra USA, 4/12/06 - "Higher intake of vitamin K, found naturally in cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, and other green leafy vegetables, could reduce the risk of osteoarthritic knee problems by 40 per cent"
  • Pycnogenol reduces osteoarthritis pain, study - Nutra USA, 2/6/06 - "300 mg pine bark extract supplements ... Thirty minutes after taking the supplement, the mean inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 was 22.5 and 15 per cent"
  • MSM Alleviates Arthritis Pain - Healthwell, 2/2/06 - "reports Osteoarthritis and Cartilage (2005 Nov 22 ... The level of pain decreased significantly and physical functioning improved after 12 weeks in the MSM group compared with the placebo group" - See iHerb MSM products.
  • NSAIDs Somewhat Better than Tylenol for Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 1/25/06
  • Exercise Prevents Arthritis Disability - WebMD, 1/6/06 - "Those who reported getting the recommended amount of physical activity -- at least 30 minutes per day, five days per week -- were least likely to become more disabled by arthritis during the study"
  • People with Rheumatoid Arthritis Underuse Prophylactic Aspirin - Doctor's Guide, 11/21/05
  • Low Selenium Levels Might Raise Odds of Knee Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 11/21/05 - "low toenail selenium levels correlated positively to increased risk of radiographic knee osteoarthritis" - See selenium at Amazon.com.
  • New NIH Study Confirms that Chondroitin and Glucosamine Are Effective Against Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 11/16/05 - "the combination of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine is effective in treating moderate to severe knee pain due to ostearthritis"
  • Supplements May Help Knee Arthritis - WebMD, 11/14/05 - "patients with more severe arthritis pain got significant relief from the glucosamine-chondroitin combination"
  • Low selenium linked to higher risk of osteoarthritis - Nutra USA, 11/14/05 - "Those with the highest selenium levels faced a 40 per cent lower risk of knee osteoarthritis than those in the lowest-selenium group" - See selenium at Amazon.com.
  • Exercise Good for Early Knee Osteoarthritis - WebMD, 10/28/05
  • Brightly-coloured Fruit And Veg May Protect Against Arthritis - Science Daily, 9/27/05 - "eating more brightly-coloured fruits and vegetables like oranges, carrots and sweetcorn may help reduce the risk of developing inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis ... the average daily beta-cryptoxanthin intake of the 88 patients who had developed inflammatory polyarthritis was 40% lower than those who hadn't, and their intake of another carotenoid, zeaxanthin, was 20% lower"
  • 'Modest' Arthritis Benefit Seen From MSM - WebMD, 8/24/05 - "Patients who got MSM reported 12% less pain and 14% more knee function than those who got the placebo" - See iHerb MSM products.
  • How Fruits, Veggies May Fight Arthritis - WebMD, 8/19/05 - "a modest increase in antioxidants from brightly colored fruits and vegetables -- equivalent to a glass of orange juice a day -- was associated with a lower risk of inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis"
  • Treating and Beating Arthritis - US News, 6/27/05 - "One popular supplement, called glucosamine-chondroitin, really seems to work"
  • MSM provides pain relief for OA sufferers, says study - Nutra USA, 5/23/05 - "MSM was seen to deliver a significant reduction in pain scores (P=0.019) and physical function impairment"
  • Magnets to Ease Arthritis Pain? - Dr. Weil, 5/6/05
  • Celadrin for Inflammation - Dr. Murray, 4/27/05 - "As consumers are searching for alternatives to Vioxx, Celebrex, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, one product seems to be attracting the most attention. This product, Celadrin®, is an all-natural matrix of special cetylated, esterifed fatty acids" - See Celadrin products at iHerb.
  • Oily fish helps cut inflammation - BBC News, 3/13/05 - "We always suggest that people with arthritis eat two or three portions of oily fish a week, or take 1,500mg fish oil capsules a day" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
  • Arthritis Patients Can Seek Natural Pain Relief - CBS Chicago, 1/15/05 - "They placed 120 patients on fish oil supplements. About 59 percent of reported decreased joint pain, and 68 percent were able to discontinue prescription drugs entirely" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
  • Study: Acupuncture Effective for Arthritis - WebMD, 12/20/04
  • Magnetic Bracelets Reduce The Pain Of Osteoarthritis, Study Finds - Science Daily, 12/17/04
  • Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis May Benefit from Increased Levels of Vitamin D - Doctor's Guide, 10/18/04 - "Higher levels of vitamin D appear to increase muscle strength, improving physical function for knee-osteoarthritis patients who are vitamin-D deficient ... increasing serum vitamin D over 30 months correlated directly with an improvement in WOMAC [Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index] disability measures" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin C May Fight Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 6/9/04 - "people who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables had double the risk of developing inflammatory arthritis ... People who got the least vitamin C in their diet had three times the risk of developing inflammatory arthritis than those who got the most"
  • Excess Vitamin C May Worsen Osteoarthritis - WebMD, 6/3/04
  • Good News for People with Osteoarthritis - Healthwell, 5/20/04 - "People who experience pain and poor joint function in the knees due to osteoarthritis (OA) may reduce symptoms by intermittently taking oral chondroitin sulfate"
  • Chondroitin Sulfate Decreases Pain and Improves Knee Function in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 3/31/04 - "Oral chondroitin sulfate (CS) appears to decrease pain and improve knee function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), say researchers. In addition, CS may inhibit medial femoro-tibial joint space narrowing, suggesting that the treatment has structure-modifying properties" - See iHerb chondroitin products.
  • Got Arthritis? Fresh Cherries May Help - Science Daily, 5/10/04
  • Use of Glucosamine Sulphate for Osteoarthritis Appears to Have Disease-Modifying Effect in Postmenopausal Women - Doctor's Guide, 3/24/04 - "After 3 years, postmenopausal participants in the glucosamine sulphate group showed no joint space narrowing (joint space change of +0.003 mm), whereas participants in the placebo group experienced a narrowing of -0.33 mm" - See iHerb glucosamine products.
  • Glucosamine Stops Knee Arthritis in Women - WebMD, 3/15/04 - "The popular supplement glucosamine could do more than just ease arthritis knee pain. New research indicates that it may actually stop disease progression -- and possibly reverse it" - See iHerb glucosamine products.
  • Vitamin D Appears Beneficial In Reducing The Risk For Rheumatoid Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 2/12/04 - "Vitamin D has immunologic activity independent of its role in calcium regulation ... overall, greater intake of vitamin D was inversely associated with risk of RA (relative risk [RR] 0.67"
  • Arthritis Relief: Combining Ibuprofen and Glucosamine - Physician's Weekly, 2/2/04
  • Ginger Extract Effective against Knee Osteoarthritis - Healthwell Exchange Daily News, 1/29/04
  • Vitamin D May Prevent Arthritis - WebMD, 1/9/04 - "women whose diets were highest in vitamin D had the lowest incidence of rheumatoid arthritis ... Holick says most people need to take 1000 IU of vitamin D each day. And he says even this amount may be inadequate in people who have no exposure to the sun" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Treatment with B-Vitamins Can Reduce Homocysteine Levels in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 12/10/03 - "In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), treatment with B-vitamins can reduce homocysteine levels, which appear to be related to markers of inflammation"
  • Child Exercise Prevents Adult Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 9/29/03
  • Long-Term High-Intensity Exercise May Improve The Functional Ability of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 9/25/03
  • Intense Exercise Helps Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 9/12/03
  • Intensive Exercise Helpful in Rheumatoid Arthritis - Medscape, 9/10/03 - "Half of the subjects received an intensive exercise program, Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients In Training (RAPIT), consisting of biweekly one-hour sessions including 20 minutes of bicycling, 20 minutes of an exercise circuit to build muscle strength and endurance as well as joint mobility, and 20 minutes of high impact sports activities such as badminton, volleyball, soccer, and basketball ... the RAPIT group had greater improvement than did the usual care group in functional ability, including climbing stairs as well as repetitive and complex tasks ... The RAPIT group also fared better than the usual care group in physical capacity, determined by aerobic fitness and muscle strength, and in feeling more optimistic and capable of coping"
  • Inadequate antioxidant nutrient intake and altered plasma antioxidant status of rheumatoid arthritis patients - J Am Coll Nutr. 2003 Aug;22(4):311-5 - "RA patients had a decreased mean plasma alpha-tocopherol level. The activity of plasma SOD and GPx in patients was significantly lower than that in control subjects. CONCLUSION: These results suggest proper antioxidant nutrient intake management may reduce free radical generation and improve antioxidant status in RA patients"
  • Glucosamine Has Structural/Symptomatic Efficacy while Chondroitin Has Symptomatic Efficacy in Knee Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 7/17/03 - "Glucosamine has structural efficacy and both glucosamine and chondroitin have indistinguishable symptomatic efficacies in knee osteoarthritis" - See iHerb glucosamine/chondroitin products.
  • Glucosamine, Chondroitin Seem to Work - WebMD, 7/17/03
  • A New Era for SAMe - Life Extension Magazine, 6/03
  • Arthritis Treatment Cream [Celadrin] Shows Promise - WebMD, 6/4/03
  • Does acupuncture relieve the pain of arthritis? - Dr. Weil, 5/23/03
  • Mediterranean Diet Eases Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 2/19/03 - "significant improvement was reported by most of the 26 arthritic patients who followed the well-studied dietary regimen for three months. The Mediterranean diet includes olive and canola oils as the primary dietary sources of fat -- along with plenty of fish, poultry, produce, and legumes ... In addition to being good sources of heart-healthy fats, olive and canola oils are rich in oleic acid and vitamin E. Like vitamin E, oleic acid has an anti-inflammatory effect and is thought to reduce inflammatory protein levels ... Those on the Mediterranean diet first began to experience relief after six weeks (although their cholesterol levels dropped after three) and improvement continued throughout the study ... They lost an average of seven pounds by study's end" - See the tables on my fatty acids page for other sources of oleic acid (omega-9).
  • Glucosamine for Knees -- Evidence Builds - WebMD, 1/27/03 - "the biggest benefits of glucosamine seemed to be in reducing the amount of perceived pain. By the end of the study, 88% of the glucosamine group said their knee pain had improved compared to only 17% in the placebo group ... After four weeks of treatment, only 36% of users reported some pain relief, but that number grew to 68% at week eight and 88% by week 12" - See iHerb glucosamine products.
  • SAMe Beneficial in Treating Osteoarthritis, Depression, and Liver Disease - New Hope Natural Media, 12/12/02 - "More than 100 human studies have been published in medical journals showing that SAMe is a safe, effective treatment and, in the cases of depression and osteoarthritis, works as well as conventional medications"
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: Natural Remedies? - Dr. Weil, 12/14/02
  • Expert Panel Finds SAMe Promising - WebMD, 10/10/02 - "As a treatment for osteoarthritis, SAMe had fewer digestive side effects than anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, yet was effective in relieving pain ... SAMe is a natural substance for the body, it's not a designer drug, and therefore can be carried in, absorbed into pathways," - See SAM-e at Amazon.com.
  • SAMe aids arthritis without side effects - Life Extension Magazine, 10/02
  • Topical Pain Relief: Using A Novel Anti-Inflammatory Agent [Inflacin™] - Life Extension Magazine, 10/02
  • Study Suggests Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis And A Carbohydrate - Intelihealth, 8/22/02
  • Natural Remedies for Osteoarthritis: Now, More than Ever - New Hope Natural Media, 8/15/02 - "The most widely used product is glucosamine sulfate. Numerous studies have shown that this substance, which helps rebuild damaged cartilage, relieves pain at least as effectively as NSAIDs, and is relatively free of side effects ... Chondroitin sulfate, a component of the connective tissue that makes up joint cartilage, has also been studied extensively ... Some doctors recommend niacinamide (vitamin B3) ... Other natural substances that have been reported to relieve the symptoms of OA include vitamin E (600 to 1,200 IU per day), Devil's claw, cat's claw and ginger root"
  • Chinese Herb May Ease Arthritis - WebMD, 8/13/02
  • Omega 3: Implications in human health and disease - PowerPak (39 page CME course for Registered Dietitians), exp. 8/1/03 - "Arthritis—Fish oil supplementation has also demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
  • Extract of Cat’s Claw May Be Effective in Reducing Pain from Rheumatoid Arthritis - NewHope.com, 5/23/02
  • Exercising can help absorb the pain of arthritis - USA Today, 5/8/02
  • New Approaches To Joint Health And Arthritis - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 3/02
  • Patents File: Arthritis Tamers - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 3/02
  • Spirituality Linked With Better Health In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients - Intelihealth, 1/31/02
  • Tai Chi May Help People With Osteoarthritis - Intelihealth, 1/14/02
  • Magnetic Pulse Therapy Reduces Knee Osteoarthritis Pain - Doctor's Guide, 12/21/01
  • How Vitamin E Works - Nutrition Science News, 12/01 - "Researchers have found that vitamin E supplements can improve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and reduce markers of inflammation"
  • Vegan Diet Improves Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis - Intelihealth, 11/15/01 - "a vegan diet free of gluten (a protein found in wheat and related grains) improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis"
  • Exercise Can Reduce Arthritis Risk - Intelihealth, 10/29/01 - "The participants were divided into three groups. One walked for 40 minutes three times a week. Another spent the same amount of time on weight training - two sets of 12 repetitions of nine exercises, most of them for the legs. The third did no exercise and served as a comparison group ... After 18 months, 53 percent of the non-exercise group reported they had lost some or all ability to transfer from a bed to a chair, bathe, use the toilet or dress. In comparison, about 37 percent of exercisers did, and the difference between walking and weight training was so slight that researchers considered the benefits alike"
  • Exercise can help you recover faster from the discomfort of arthritis - Healthscout, 1/29/01 - "Not only is regular exercise the best way to prevent pain from occurring in arthritic joints in the first place, those who exercise regularly also recover faster from existing arthritic pain"
  • Robert Culp spies arthritis relief - USA Today, 7/20/01 - "The most common theory is that MSM relieves arthritic pain through anti-inflammatory processes, perhaps through stimulating the circulation of oxygen-rich blood ... Other experts theorize that DMSO and MSM may both owe their efficacy to rich organic sulfur compounds"
  • EFAs And Arthritis - Nutrition Science News, 8/01
  • Glucosamine Might Have A Role In Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 3/1/01 - "Glucosamine might actually be as beneficial as many widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis"
  • Bone Loss and Fatty Acids - Nutrition Science News, 2/01 - "People often use omega-3 fatty acids to reduce the inflammation associated with arthritis. As it turns out, these fatty acids may actually help prevent bone loss."
  • Omega-3s May Help Rheumatoid Arthritis - Nutrition Science News, 2/01 - "Omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish oil supplements may provide modest improvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at the University of Newcastle in Australia."
  • Supplement Slows Knee Arthritis, Relieves Pain, But Unregulated Glucosamine Products Vary in Quality, Experts Warn - WebMD, 1/25/01
  • Dona (Glucosamine Sulfate) Decreases Progression Of Knee Osteoarthritis - Doctor's Guide, 11/2/00
  • Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate Shown Effective - Medscape, 9/29/00
  • Native Americans Knew the Power of Herbs - WebMD, 8/21/00 - "As for stinging nettle, commonly used to relieve arthritis, Borchers says that preliminary studies indeed point to an anti-inflammatory effect.  . . . "There are some indications that it directly inhibits some of the enzymes that cause inflammatory responses," she tells WebMD.""
  • Natural COX-2 Inhibitors: The Future of Pain Relief - Nutrition Science News, 8/00
  • Arthritis and Aging - Life Extension Magazine, 7/00
  • Glucosamine Sulfate Treats Osteoarthritis - Nutrition Science News, 7/00
  • You Are What You Eat: New Theories About Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 4/18/00
  • Popular supplement may fight osteoarthritis - CNN, 11/15/99
  • Niacin for Achy Joints - Nutrition Science News, 11/99
  • A Novel Approach In The Treatment of Arthritis - Life Extension Magazine, 10/99
  • Persistent Pain - Nutrition Science News, 10/99
  • MSM Packs a Sulfuric Punch - Nutrition Science News, 5/99
  • Chronic Joint Pain - Nutrition Science News, 1/99
  • Seafood On The Menu For Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers - Doctor's Guide, 12/5/97
  • SAMe Part 4: Treatment for Arthritis - Life Extension Magazine, 9/97

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