By 2040, an estimated 78 million (26%) American adults are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For the 23% of all adults in the United States who have arthritis, new research may provide some hope.
The supplements and CurQfen used in the study were manufactured in Akay’s GMP-certified plant in Kerala, India.
Study details
A combination of curcumagalactomannosides (CGM) with glucosamine hydrochloride (GLN) was evaluated against a standard dietary supplement combination chondroitin sulfate (CHN) /GLN for their effectiveness in alleviating the pain and symptoms among 80 subjects with confirmed osteoarthritis.
The subjects were split into two randomized parallel groups designated as Group I (CGM-GLN) and Group II (CHN-GLN). The subjects were supplemented with their corresponding intervention capsules (ether CGM along with GLN or CHN along with GLN), as a single oral dose twice a day for 84 days.
The subjects walked uphill on a treadmill to measure the effectiveness.
The efficiency of supplementation was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire at the baseline, 28th, and 84th day following the treatment.
Mechanism of action of CGM-GLN combination was analyzed by measuring the levels of serum inflammatory markers interleukin 1 beta (IL-1b), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM) at the baseline and 84th day.
Findings
The combination of curcumagalactomannoside complex with glucosamine hydrochloride was found to be highly effective in alleviating the pain and joint flexibility among osteoarthritic subjects, according to the authors.
At the end of the 84-day study, the CurQfen–Glucosamine (CGM-GLN) combination showed almost double the efficiency, as compared to the popular standard treatment drug Glucosamine-Chondrotin sulfate (GLN-CHN). The researchers noted that the improvement in joint symptoms was visible within two weeks when compared to CGM-CHN.
CGM-GLN was found to improve pain, stiffness, and physical function compared to CHN-GLN, which was evident from the improvement in walking performance, VAS score, KPS score, and WOMAC score.
According to the researchers, by the end of the study the efficiency of CGM-GLN was nearly double compared to the CHN-GLN. A significant reduction of inflammatory serum marker levels was also observed among CGM-GLN subjects compared with CHN-GLN subjects.
The authors conclude “CGM-GLN combination possesses remarkable benefits over the standard dietary supplement chondroitin, in the managing of pain and inflammation of OA patients with an added advantage of plausible weight reduction. More studies in a large and diverse osteoarthritic population with longer duration and X-ray analysis of the knee would add more value to the results of the present study. Experiments should also be planned to discover other possible mechanisms of CGM with particular emphasis on different inflammatory and metabolic pathways.”
Source: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
14 Jul 2020, ahead of print, doi.org/10.1089/acm.2020.0128
“Curcumagalactomannoside/Glucosamine Combination Improved Joint Health Among Osteoarthritic Subjects as Compared to Chondroitin Sulfate/Glucosamine: Double-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Study”
Authors: A. Khanna et al.