3 Miracle Ingredients for Joint Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control, by the year 2030, an estimated 25% of the population is expected to be diagnosed with arthritis. That’s 67 million adults compared to the 52 million diagnosed in 2012. Also by 2030, an estimated 37% of those diagnosed will report arthritis-attributable activity limitations.

Although early diagnosis may help some people have a better quality of life, more often than not, the pain and stiffness of arthritis negatively impacts the majority of sufferers. In fact, a study published in 2011 in Arthritis Care & Research found that measures of physical and mental health were consistently two to three times lower in arthritis patients than in those without the disease.

Some specific findings of the study:

• 1 in 4 adults with arthritis rated their health as either “fair” or “poor.”
• Individuals with arthritis reported feeling physically unwell, on average, for at least 7 days out of the month.
• Those with arthritis also reported feeling depressed, on average, at least 5 days out of the month.
• Many said their poor health prevented them from participating in day-to-day activities, even going to work.

3 Miracle Ingredients for Joint Health

If you’ve been nodding your head so far then you, or someone close to you, suffer from joint pain associated with arthritis and are likely looking for natural ways to alleviate your pain and stiffness. This is great. Since many pharmaceutical treatments come with their own nasty side effects, it’s always best to take a natural approach to health and healing.

With that in mind, here are three miracle ingredients for joint health:

Boron

Studies have shown boron is a safe and effective treatment for 95% or more in relieving certain forms of arthritis pain. Beyond its role in alleviating arthritis, Boron plays a crucial role in the integration of calcium into bones and cartilage, which is vitally important as we age, even for those people who never develop arthritis. Weakening of the bones, which is the result of bones becoming increasingly porous, is one of the biggest aspects of aging. Boron can prevent this aging effect.

Collagen

When you think about collagen, do you think about that “stuff” that makes our skin look taught and youthful instead of old and saggy? While collagen does play an important role in renewing skin cells, it plays an equally-important role in the development and maintenance of bones and joints.

Collagen can restore the elasticity of the joints and help alleviate arthritis symptoms by reducing inflammation. Studies have shown the benefits of collagen supplementation for joint pain and stiffness.

In 2002, researchers at Creighton University Medical Center found that overall joint pain and stiffness was reduced when women took collagen supplements. In 2009, researchers from the InterHealth Research Center found that supplementing with collagen was more effective than taking glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis pain.

Selenium

The researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Thurston Arthritis Center have been investigating osteoarthritis for the past 15 years, specifically its effect on the knees. One of the things they have discovered is the critical role selenium plays in joint health.

They found that for every additional tenth of a part per million of selenium in study participants’ bodies, there was a 15% – 20% decrease in their risk of knee osteoarthritis. Those individuals who had less selenium than normal in their systems were at higher risk of developing osteoarthritis in one or both knees. Basically, the severity of their arthritis was directly related to how low their selenium levels were.

“We are very excited about these findings because no one had ever measured body selenium in this way in relationship to osteoarthritis,” said study leader Dr. Joanne Jordan of UNC. “Our results suggest that we might be able to prevent or delay osteoarthritis of the knees and possibly other joints in some people if they are not getting enough selenium. That’s important because the condition, which makes walking painful, is the leading cause of activity limitation among adults in developed countries.”

Jordan and her team have discovered a direct correlation between selenium deficiency and osteoarthritis, that much is clear. What’s not so clear is why Americans are becoming increasingly deficient in this vital nutrient.

For this answer we need only look to the poor diets of most Americans, and the fact that many fruits and vegetables are grown in soil that is depleted of selenium and other important nutrients. This can perhaps explain why diagnoses of osteoarthritis are on the rise in this country.

Now you know three very important, natural ingredients you should be including in your diet or supplement plan if you want to protect yourself from joint pain and stiffness and enjoy your life to its fullest potential.

You’ll definitely want to read my next blog post where I share 3 more miracle ingredients that promote joint health. Hint: Two of them might be in the back of your spice cabinet right now!