Article Summary:
- The efficacy of a joint health supplement depends on the absorption and bioavailability of its active nutrients.
- The limited absorption and bioavailability make most commercially available joint supplements ineffective.
- TetraCumin® combines the physiological benefits of tetrahydrocurcumin with Tesseract’s proprietary nutrient delivery technology to support your bone and muscle health.*
Although widespread, joint and muscle soreness can impact your regular lifestyle and activities. And although tender and sore joints can indicate that your immune system is working toward addressing the situation and promoting the growth of new tissues, an overactive inflammatory response by the immune system can result in progressive damage to bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
A nutrient-rich diet and exercise are proven ways to maintain healthy joints. Joint health supplements are also an additional approach to promote musculoskeletal health.* But are joint health supplements effective? Let’s understand how joint health supplements work and why you should include one in your diet.
How Do Joint Health Supplements Work?
Several natural substances are considered beneficial to joint health and are widely used as ingredients in nutritional supplements. The following table highlights some of the common ingredients in commercially available joint health supplements, their dietary sources, and how they work toward maintaining bone and muscle health.
Joint Health Supplements: Working Mechanism |
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Ingredient |
Dietary source |
How it works |
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Curcumin |
Roots of the turmeric (Curcuma longa) plant. |
The antioxidant properties of curcumin and its ability to help maintain the body’s natural inflammatory response address joint and muscle soreness.* |
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Glucosamine and Chondroitin |
These compounds are found in the healthy cartilage of cattle or sharks and shells of shellfish (shrimp, oysters, crabs). |
Glucosamine and chondroitin protect cells called chondrocytes that maintain cartilage structure. By maintaining a healthy inflammatory response, these compounds help maintain cartilage structure in the joints. |
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Vitamin D |
Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna), egg yolks, red meat, and liver. |
Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and helps maintain adequate calcium and phosphate concentrations in the blood to enable normal bone mineralization. Optimal bone mineral content is vital to limit conditions such as soft bones, muscle weakness, spasms, and cramps. |
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Fish Oil |
Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, trout, and shellfish. |
The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil modulate natural inflammatory responses through various signaling pathways, helping to alleviate sore and tender joints. |
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As an ingredient in joint health supplements, curcumin is recognized for its immense therapeutic potential1. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognizes curcumin and two other curcuminoids as ‘Generally Recognized As Safe’ (GRAS). The tolerability and safety profile of curcumin is well established, even when ingested in amounts up to 4000 – 8000 mg/day.
However, the naturally poor bioavailability and absorption of curcumin result in the ineffectiveness of most curcumin supplements. In this situation, a significantly high amount of curcumin must be ingested to achieve the desired results. The intense bitter taste of curcumin makes it difficult to ingest orally, posing challenges to consumer compliance with a daily supplement regimen.
Tetrahydrocurcumin, a curcumin metabolite, exhibits pharmacological activities similar to curcumin but is a more potent antioxidant than curcumin.* Tetrahydrocurcumin has a well-known modulatory effect on signaling pathways and molecules associated with balancing the inflammatory response.* This effect translates to tetrahydrocurcumin being more effective than curcumin when used as an ingredient in a joint health supplement.*
Including A Curcumin Supplement in Your Diet to Promote Joint Health*
TetraCumin® is a breakthrough bioactive tetrahydrocurcumin formulation developed by Tesseract Medical Research. The formulation is available in sustained-release (SR) and quick-release (QR) formats to promote joint and muscle health.*
- TetraCumin-SR®: Provides Tetrahydrocurcumin, the bioactive curcumin metabolite, in a 12-hour sustained-release format, utilizing a proprietary, clinically-researched plant-based cellulose to enable optimal absorption of the active nutrient.
- TetraCumin-QR®: It provides a quick-release alternative for a more immediate or short-term benefit of tetrahydrocurcumin to address joint and muscle soreness.*
Tesseract’s proprietary CyLoc® – DexKey® nanotechnology delivery enables maximum absorption and enhanced palatability of tetrahydrocurcumin to make curcumin absorption a therapeutic reality. The CyLoc® technology encases each tetrahydrocurcumin molecule, and the DexKey® reactors release the molecules at the desired point in the intestinal tract. The smart delivery system protects the integrity of the active ingredient molecules as they transit through the gastrointestinal tract and ensures targeted delivery. The unprecedented absorption and enhanced bioavailability of tetrahydrocurcumin make the formulation an effective joint health supplement that yields the desired rapid beneficial response.*
The power of Tesseract supplements lies in enhancing palatability, maximizing absorption and bioavailability, and micro-dosing multiple nutrients in a single, highly effective capsule. Shop products on our website and learn more about how they support musculoskeletal health.*
Citations:
1Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Foods (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 6,10 92. 22 Oct. 2017, doi:10.3390/foods6100092
