Collagen Vs. Joint Pain & Arthritis
A number of clinical studies have shown that collagen supplements may support pain relief for arthritis sufferers and help improve joint health.
Research is ongoing and will likely continue for many years.
In the meantime, early results while still inconclusive, are providing evidence of individuals reporting benefits from collagen supplementation.
Some detractor's will rightly point out that research is still at an early stage or limited in number. Or that some trials results have contradicted others.
However, the fact remains that a number of clinical trials have resulted in participants showing a measurable improvement in reduced pain or increased mobility.
Joint Pain Clinical Trial Results
Here are the results and conclusions of just a few of the published trials:
This meta report summarises:
"they showed collagen hydrolysate to be safe and to provide improvement in some measures of pain and function in some men and women with OA or other arthritic conditions."
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in healthy subjects who had no prior history of arthritic disease or joint pain at rest but experienced joint discomfort with physical activity.
"In conclusion, daily supplementation with 40 mg of UC-II* supports joint function and flexibility in healthy subjects as demonstrated by greater knee extension and has the potential both to alleviate the joint pain that occasionally arises from strenuous exercise as well as to lengthen periods of pain free exertion."
*UC-II: Undenatured type II collagen
Analysis indicated that treatment with collagen for 90 days significantly improved WOMAC scores at all treatment time points measured.
(WOMAC is widely used by health professionals to evaluate the condition of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, including pain, stiffness, and physical functioning of the joints.)
The abstract concludes that; "UC-II treated subjects showed significant enhancement in daily activities suggesting an improvement in their quality of life."
"There is some evidence that suggests oral collagen is effective for OA* and has shown to be tolerable and safe for the patient. Oral collagen’s efficacy against RA** is to a certain extent still questionable, given that it has shown a better response in comparison to a placebo control, but perhaps not so when compared with methotrexate, an existing therapy for RA. However, oral collagen stands out in its superior tolerability and safety for patients, thus making it a potentially more attractive therapy in the future."
*Osteoarthritis
**Rheumatoid Arthritis
Our views are biased...
We sell a collagen product.
Collagen certainly is not a cure for arthritis or other joint pain related conditions.
However clinical evidence suggests that in some cases for some people collagen will provide a benefit.
Perhaps in time the science will provide a better understanding of the types of cases that are more or less likely to see the benefits reported from some of these joint pain trials.
We hope this article helps you consider whether a collagen supplement might be worth testing for yourself in the meantime.
