by Dr. Stephen Sinatra
Almost every day of my career, at least one patient who came in to see me said, “Oh boy, am I stiff. I just dread getting out of bed in the morning.” Waking up with joint discomfort and other everyday aches and pains is one of the many signs of aging. At least 80 percent of people over age 50 experience some joint pain, which can interfere with everyday activities—whether it’s walking the dog, or playing with the grandchildren.
But while the lifestyle aspect of joint pain concerns me greatly, as a cardiologist I can also tell you that joint pain isn’t good for the cardiovascular system. That’s because joint pain is usually accompanied by inflammation, and as you know keeping inflammation down is important for heart health. Also joint pain can jack up your autonomic nervous system—affecting your heart rate, anxiety, and blood pressure.
So, what can you do about joint pain? First off, I recommend taking a combination of turmeric and omega-3s which help to suppress the fires of inflammation. That’s a combination I take myself because I have joint discomfort as a result of participating in high school and college athletics. But now I’ve added a third nutrient to the mix, called UC-II®, which has been getting a lot of research attention lately for good reason—it helps to relieve joint pain.
UC-II is a special, patented form of undenatured type II collagen. It works by deactivating collagen-specific T cells, which are the cells that release enzymes that break down collagen.
But what really impressed me was the research showing UC-II is more effective than glucosamine and chondroitin for reducing joint pain.
In a study published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, researchers studied 52 adults with joint pain. Half were given 40 mg of UC-II for 90 days, and the other half received 1,500 mg of glucosamine and 1,200 mg of chondroitin. Then, they tested their pain, physical function, and stiffness on three different scales—and the UC-II group won out on pain relief and improved mobility.
I also like the fact that UC-II can help with joint pain during, and after, exercise. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 55 healthy who had joint pain after strenuous exercise—those given 40 mg/d of UC-II (versus a placebo) fared far better. The UC-II group had less joint discomfort both during and after exercise. Plus, they had better flexibility and mobility.
UC-II is such a huge breakthrough for joint pain that I recently reformulated my Omega-3 Joint Solutions formula and renamed it Omega-3 Joint Relief with Turmeric to include the full 40 mg research dose of UC-II, along with omega-3s, and a special form of turmeric clinically shown to relieve joint pain.
Now it’s your turn: Has joint pain been an issue for you?
