Strengthening Joints With Natural Supplements

Why Joint Strength Is Important

Joints are behind our every movement.

When our joints are healthy and strong, we’re able to enjoy our life and activities. But when we have arthritis or weak joints, the most basic daily activities can be like a mountain to climb.

Whether you’re an athlete looking to maximize recovery and results in sports. Or an average person suffering from joint function loss… Improving your joint strength will improve your success and quality of life.

At SiR, we believe one of the most effective ways you can improve joint strength is by incorporating natural supplements.

Natural Supplements for Strengthening Joints

Natural supplements can strengthen your joints by:

• Providing basic building blocks for joints and other connective tissues to repair themselves
• Reducing inflammation that wears joints down
• Lowering pain that limits movement and joint function
• Relieving swelling associated with arthritis symptoms, such as inflamed and weak joints
• Lubricating joint tissue for smoother movement and an increased resilience against physical stressors
• Protecting joints from long-term weakening from impacts and shocks

So, what are some joint supplements that can provide these effects and in doing so, strengthen your joints?

Let’s have a look.

Glucosamine+Chondroitin

Glucosamine and chondroitin are natural components of cartilage, rubbery tissue that cushions and protects your joints.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are commonly supplemented together for their purported benefits for joint pain and stiffness. They are also said to delay the degradation of joint tissues, helping to keep your joints strong in the long run.

However, the evidence on glucosamine and chondroitin is mixed. More quality human studies are needed to say how effective they are.^{1 2}

MSM

MSM is another natural building block used for different connective tissues including your joints. This sulfur-type compound is known for alleviating pain, protecting joints from oxidative stress, and relieving inflammation—all of which are important for maintaining optimal joint strength and structural integrity.³

Boswellia Serrata

Boswellia, or Indian Frankincense, is known for its anti-arthritis and anti-inflammatory properties.

These make Boswellia effective at reducing wear and tear of your joints, as well as reducing symptoms of joint pain. This, in turn, can help you exercise and keep your joints strong through physical activity.

In addition to these benefits, Boswellia has been shown to improve joint function.⁴

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is an important component of your joint tissues, particularly your synovial fluid, which cushions your joints and absorbs impacts.

This bioactivity makes hyaluronic acid supplements (and injections) effective at reducing symptoms of arthritis and protecting joint strength and integrity from degradation due to wear and tear.^{5 6}

Omega-3s

Omega-3s are known for many health benefits—perhaps the most important one in the context of joint health is inflammation reduction.

Chronic inflammation can weaken your joints over time. Omega-3s hinder this process. As a result, omega-3s may help to protect joint strength from damaging effects of inflammation.⁷

Omega-3s can come from fish oil or vegan sources like chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, brussels sprouts, and algae (original omega-3 source in marine ecosystems, even fish get omega-3s from algae).

Curcumin

Curcumin is another potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant joint supplement. An active compound of the turmeric spice, curcumin has been shown to improve joint function and reduce pain similarly to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This, in turn, helps you keep active to keep your joints strong.⁸

Type-II Collagen

Collagen supplements might improve joint strength in two ways:

1. By reducing joint inflammation, protecting your joints from weakening and getting damaged as you age.
2. By providing building blocks for your body to rebuild and strengthen joints.⁹

Collagen comes in different forms, but the one recommended for joint strength is hydrolyzed collagen, about 10 grams per day.

For arthritis, undenatured collagen is preferred, with the dosage being a far lower 40 milligrams per day.

Advantages of the Natural Route

As you can see, joint supplements can benefit your joint strength in a direct and indirect way.

Some of them may enhance joint strength directly by providing essential elements for repair and growth of joint tissue. Others combat inflammation and other damaging factors that weaken human joints.

The good news is that natural supplements like these are very safe; assuming you take a premium supplement that is manufactured in cGMP and/or FDA-approved facilities, using science-backed ingredients in optimal dosages!

Improving joint strength with supplements is just one piece of the puzzle, though. Make sure you avoid ultraprocessed foods (which are pro-inflammatory). At the same time, aim to consume anti-inflammatory foods like berries, cruciferous vegetables, fish, ginger, and garlic daily.

If possible, getting enough sunlight daily is another way to optimize joint strength (through vitamin D which increases bone strength and density). And sleep which is crucial for keeping inflammation levels down and allowing your joints, bones, and the rest of the body recover and grow stronger from exercise.

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
• Boosting Joint Health Improvement Through Supplements
• Benefits of Supplements for Bone Health

References

1. Zhu X, Sang L, Wu D, Rong J, Jiang L. Effectiveness and safety of glucosamine and chondroitin for the treatment of osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Orthop Surg Res. 2018 Jul 6;13(1):170. doi: 10.1186/s13018-018-0871-5. PMID: 29980200; PMCID: PMC6035477. ↩︎
2. Fernández-Martín S, González-Cantalapiedra A, Muñoz F, García-González M, Permuy M, López-Peña M. Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate: Is There Any Scientific Evidence for Their Effectiveness as Disease-Modifying Drugs in Knee Osteoarthritis Preclinical Studies?-A Systematic Review from 2000 to 2021. Animals (Basel). 2021 May 29;11(6):1608. doi: 10.3390/ani11061608. PMID: 34072407; PMCID: PMC8228516. ↩︎
3. Toguchi A, Noguchi N, Kanno T, Yamada A. Methylsulfonylmethane Improves Knee Quality of Life in Participants with Mild Knee Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2023 Jun 30;15(13):2995. doi: 10.3390/nu15132995. PMID: 37447322; PMCID: PMC10346176. ↩︎
4. Yu G, Xiang W, Zhang T, Zeng L, Yang K, Li J. Effectiveness of Boswellia and Boswellia extract for osteoarthritis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Jul 17;20(1):225. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-02985-6. PMID: 32680575; PMCID: PMC7368679. ↩︎
5. Sprott H, Fleck C. Hyaluronic Acid in Rheumatology. Pharmaceutics. 2023 Aug 30;15(9):2247. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15092247. PMID: 37765216; PMCID: PMC10537104. ↩︎
6. Oe M, Tashiro T, Yoshida H, Nishiyama H, Masuda Y, Maruyama K, Koikeda T, Maruya R, Fukui N. Oral hyaluronan relieves knee pain: a review. Nutr J. 2016 Jan 27;15:11. doi: 10.1186/s12937-016-0128-2. PMID: 26818459; PMCID: PMC4729158. ↩︎
7. Zivkovic AM, Telis N, German JB, Hammock BD. Dietary omega-3 fatty acids aid in the modulation of inflammation and metabolic health. Calif Agric (Berkeley). 2011 Jul;65(3):106-111. doi: 10.3733/ca.v065n03p106. PMID: 24860193; PMCID: PMC4030645. ↩︎
8. Paultre K, Cade W, Hernandez D, Reynolds J, Greif D, Best TM. Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2021 Jan 13;7(1):e000935. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000935. PMID: 33500785; PMCID: PMC7812094. ↩︎
9. Martínez-Puig D, Costa-Larrión E, Rubio-Rodríguez N, Gálvez-Martín P. Collagen Supplementation for Joint Health: The Link between Composition and Scientific Knowledge. Nutrients. 2023 Mar 8;15(6):1332. doi: 10.3390/nu15061332. PMID: 36986062; PMCID: PMC10058045. ↩︎