Boosting Joint Health Improvement Through Supplements

Joint supplements present an effective way of benefiting your existing joint health improvement efforts. These natural products can reduce inflammation, improve flexibility, support joint structure and long-term function, and more.

In today’s SiR article, I cover how joint supplements boost joint health improvement, as well as how to find the right supplement for your goals, and other factors you should consider apart from supplements to make sure you give your joints the best treatment possible.

How Supplements Can Boost the Joint Health Improvement Process

Supplements offer a safe and effective way of improving your existing joint health improvement efforts. They work in a number of ways, but three in particular stand out:

1. Reducing inflammation. Joint supplements such as fish oil and curcumin inhibit molecules that cause inflammation. In doing so, they reduce the damage and pain linked to that inflammation, and may accelerate the healing process of your joints.¹
2. Lubricating joints. Hyaluronic acid and chondroitin are two joint supplement ingredients commonly used for the purpose of improving joint health.² They may contribute to enhancing synovial fluid, which is a lubricating component of your joints. These ingredients nourish and hydrate your joint tissues, including cartilage which ensures smooth movements of joints.
3. Providing joint building blocks. MSM and glucosamine are examples of joint supplement ingredients that help to protect and repair your joints. They not only boost your joint health improvement but also aid in fighting joint degeneration as you grow older.³

Joint supplements are generally safe. People with health conditions and those who take medications should speak with their doctor before taking a supplement just to be on the safe side.

Ensuring the risk of side effects is minimal and the effectiveness optimal comes down to picking a high-quality joint supplement that uses studied ingredients in right dosages. This brings me to the following section…

Finding the Right Supplement for You

To find the best joint supplement that will give you concrete results, you should first determine what your goal is. If pain is your main problem, then a joint supplement with ingredients that focus on reducing inflammation and pain might be the best. For example, Boswellia Serrata is one of the most effective natural solutions for joint pain. Coupled with omega-3s, MSM, and curcumin it may work wonders for some people.

Once you know what ingredients you’re looking for, you have two options:

1. Buy those ingredients seperately
2. Buy a premade joint supplement that already contains the ingredients that you’re interested in

Usually the number 2 is the easiest and most time-efficient option for most people, especially those new to joint supplements. Once you find a supplement that interests you, check its label for transparency. Does it show all ingredient doses, or does it hide them behind a proprietary blend as a single-dosage mixture?

Also, make sure the product is produced in cGMP or FDA-approved facilities. For more info check my supplement buying guide.

It also comes down to trial and error. While I can give you a fairly accurate picture of how a supplement will work for you, the outcome depends on your unique physiology and lifestyle factors.

Traditional Ways of Improving Joint Health

Let’s look at some fundamental ways you can improve your joint health. These should be your foundations before considering a joint supplement.

Maintaining Healthy Weight

The less weight, the less strain on your joints.

Each pound of extra weight adds almost four pounds of stress to your knees. And it raises pressure on your hips six-fold.⁴

This can lead to inflammation which causes pain and stiffness. In the long run, your cartilage and other connective tissues might wear down quicker.

Three ways you can maintain a healthy weight:

1. Track your calories. Find your maintenance calorie intake; then, aim to eat 100 calories less than that per day.
2. Exercise. Any exercise is better than no exercise. But if you can, try HIIT exercises like sprints twice per week. Strength training or weightlifting is also effective. These exercises increase your basal metabolic rate so you burn more calories even at rest.
3. Sleep well. Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep per night. If you neglect sleep, you can train and diet all you want, but your hormones such as cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin will be out of balance, causing you crave unhealthy foods, overeat at times, and have low energy and slow metabolism. Too much sleep can also be harmful; the goal is to go to bed and get up naturally without needing an alarm clock.

Improving Your Posture

A slouchy posture is unhealthy for your bones and joints.⁵ It puts extra pressure that can, over time, lead to joint wear.

Keeping a healthy posture can be hard at the beginning, but if you start small and stay disciplined, reminding yourself throughout the day of your posture, a good posture will become natural.

This allows your muscles to work efficiently at supporting your spine and joints and protecting them from excess physical stress.

Stretching

Stretching is exercise of deliberately expanding and flexing a muscle or tendon.⁶ This has multiple benefits, including for your joint health:

1. It improves muscle elasticity and range of motion when you move
2. It enhances blood flow to joint tissue
3. It reduces the risk of injury

Exercise

Exercise supports your joints by increasing muscle size and strength. When muscles that surround your joints get stronger, the pressure and strain on your joints is reduced. Overall, exercise has been shown to reduce joint inflammation and improve other markers of joint health.⁷

Some exercises can worsen joint pain, though, so I recommend starting with light aerobic exercises, swimming, or even just stretching.

Following an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Inflammation is one of the main symptoms of arthritis alongside pain, stiffness, and swelling.⁸

Therefore, it makes sense to avoid foods that cause excess inflammation. These include:

• Ultra-processed foods (including packaged foods like salami, meat spread, chips)
• Excess sugar (chocolates, candy bars, fizzy drinks, etc.)
• Unhealthy fats (including trans fats and vegetable oils like sunflower oil that is cooked on high temperatures)

At the same time, you should follow an anti-inflammatory diet which includes:

• Olive oil
• Fatty fish
• Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and kale
• Antioxidant-rich fruits such as blueberries, oranges, as well as locally grown fruits if possible
• Spices like turmeric and black pepper

Also aim to get enough vitamin D, either through foods like fatty fish, fortified foods, or the best of all, from getting direct sunlight on your skin.

Avoiding Toxins

Completely avoiding toxins in today’s world is almost impossible. But the good news is you can minimize your exposure to them. Smoking doesn’t just affect your lungs but it also impairs bone growth and repair, as well as increasing inflammatory molecules that affect your joints.⁹

Avoid other toxins the best you can as well. These include aluminum, mercury, microplastics (including BPA), and excessive exposure to chemicals such as perfumes.

Further Reading

• How Joint Supplements Aid Mobility
• Joint Supplement Benefits for Arthritis
• Can Joint Supplements Benefit Athletes?
• Uncovering the Benefits of Natural Joint Supplements
• Boosting Your Sports Performance with Joint Supplements
• Pain Relief Benefits of Joint Supplements
• Unveiling the Benefits of Joint Supplements for Bone Health
• Strengthening Joints With Natural Supplements
• Understanding the Benefits of Supplements for Joint Inflammation

References

1. Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health. Foods. 2017 Oct 22;6(10):92. doi: 10.3390/foods6100092. PMID: 29065496; PMCID: PMC5664031. ↩︎
2. Singh JA, Noorbaloochi S, MacDonald R, Maxwell LJ. Chondroitin for osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jan 28;1(1):CD005614. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005614.pub2. PMID: 25629804; PMCID: PMC4881293. ↩︎
3. Butawan M, Benjamin RL, Bloomer RJ. Methylsulfonylmethane: Applications and Safety of a Novel Dietary Supplement. Nutrients. 2017 Mar 16;9(3):290. doi: 10.3390/nu9030290. PMID: 28300758; PMCID: PMC5372953. ↩︎
4. https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/more-about/slowing-osteoarthritis-progression ↩︎
5. Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y. Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Jun;27(6):1791-4. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.1791. Epub 2015 Jun 30. PMID: 26180322; PMCID: PMC4499985. ↩︎
6. Campbell TM, Westby M, Ghogomu ET, Fournier J, Ghaedi BB, Welch V. Stretching, Bracing, and Devices for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis-Associated Joint Contractures in Nonoperated Joints: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Health. 2023 Nov-Dec;15(6):867-877. doi: 10.1177/19417381221147281. Epub 2023 Jan 23. PMID: 36691685; PMCID: PMC10606959. ↩︎
7. Deng X, Xu H, Hao X, Liu J, Shang X, Xu T. Effect of moderate exercise on osteoarthritis. EFORT Open Rev. 2023 Mar 14;8(3):148-161. doi: 10.1530/EOR-22-0119. PMID: 36916731; PMCID: PMC10026061. ↩︎
8. Senthelal S, Li J, Ardeshirzadeh S, et al. Arthritis. [Updated 2023 Jun 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. ↩︎
9. Al-Bashaireh AM, Haddad LG, Weaver M, Kelly DL, Chengguo X, Yoon S. The Effect of Tobacco Smoking on Musculoskeletal Health: A Systematic Review. J Environ Public Health. 2018 Jul 11;2018:4184190. doi: 10.1155/2018/4184190. PMID: 30112011; PMCID: PMC6077562. ↩︎