Bone and Joint Health

Do you experience swollen and painful joints? Do your knees, hips and knuckles feel like they are on fire? Are you finding it harder to be active and agile? These complaints are common symptoms of arthritis.

The word arthritis, when translated from the Greek words, arthron and itis, simply means “joint inflammation”. There are many different types of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a debilitating condition that is commonly seen in middle aged and older people; the constant pain and reduced mobility can make simple, everyday tasks more challenging and greatly impair quality of life.

The Impact of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressing disease that involves degradation of the soft cushioning around the joints. It can lead to significant pain and inflammation in the joint, as well as loss of movement. The condition commonly targets the hips and knees, however many smaller joints such as the fingers and spine can also be affected. Unfortunately, the damage may already be done by the time you notice the discomfort.

With the aid of quality nutrients and dietary advice the symptoms of arthritis can be reduced and managed more effectively, enabling you to do things that may have been previously limited.

Nutrients for Knees and Hips

The following nutrients are a fantastic way to provide therapeutic benefits to help alleviate pain, swelling and inflammation in your joints:

Glucosamine: Is a key building block for your joints.  It may stimulate the production of substances which lubricate and act as shock-absorbers for the joints. Glucosamine encourages the rebuilding of cartilage that has been damaged and can be used as long-term support to protect against joint degeneration.

Gelatin: Supports healthy joint structure and connective tissue repair. Gelatin may help reduce the pain of osteoarthritis and reduce requirements for pain relief medication.  Patients with osteoarthritis noticed an increase in mobility and strength in affected knees after gelatine supplementation.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM): Is a naturally-occurring nutrient found in small amounts in fruits and vegetables.  As well as having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, MSM is an essential building block especially for joints and cartilage. Combining glucosamine and MSM has been shown to be superior compared to using either nutrient alone, resulting in greater reductions in the pain and swelling of osteoarthritis.

EPA/DHA: The omega-3 essential fatty acids (EPA/DHA) from fish or krill oil can help to reduce the intensity of pain, inflammation and morning stiffness associated with arthritis.

The effect of Exercise on your Joints

Does the thought of squats or a jog make your knees ache?  Do you avoid exercise because you’re worried about damaging your joints?  You’re not alone in that thought – many people avoid exercise in the fear that it will damage their joints.  Recent research has shown that this is not the case(1), as exercise is actually quite beneficial(2), having been shown to improve joint health and reduce pain in several ways.

According to Dr Mercola:

“There are some factors to consider, particularly if your pain worsens with movement, as you do not want to strain a significantly unstable joint. Pain during movement is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of osteoarthritis, and typically this is the result of your bones starting to come into contact with each other as cartilage and synovial fluid is reduced.

If you find that you’re in pain for longer than one hour after your exercise session, you should slow down or choose another form of exercise. Assistive devices are also helpful to decrease the pressure on affected joints during your workout. You may also want to work with a physical therapist or qualified personal trainer who can develop a safe range of activities for you. Your program should include a range of activities, just as I recommend for any exerciser. Weight training, high-intensity cardio, stretching and core work can all be integrated into your routine.”(3)

Muscle strengthening vs. Surgery for knee pain

Did you know that exercises which strengthen your quadriceps and the muscle supporting the knee is AS EFFECTIVE as arthroscopy for several knee problems such as osteoarthritis?

Several studies have been conducted on people with conditions such as osteo-arthritis, torn meniscus or chronic pain in the front part of their knee (known as chronic patellofemoral syndrome, which is also frequently treated with arthroscopic surgery).  These studies compared arthroscopy and a program of physical therapy sessions along with at home exercises.  In the longest study (6 months) thirty percent of the people who were in the exercise group chose to have surgery instead, but had no greater improvements than those who persevered with the exercise and physical therapy program.  The similarity of symptom relief between the two groups was consistent among all the studies examined.(3)(4)

Looking After Your Joints

Adopting the following simple dietary and lifestyle tips, can help keep your joints healthy and happy for years to come:

–          Stay active. Exercising is essential to keep those joints mobile so try activities such as swimming, walking, running, cycling, yoga and daily stretching as these are great ways to keep your joints moving.

–          Maintaining a healthy weight is essential for supporting joint health.  Carrying extra weight can put pressure on your joints, especially hips and knees.

–          Enjoy at least eight glasses or two litres of pure water each day. Reduce caffeinated beverages to one to two per day and minimise alcohol intake.

–          Ensure you get plenty of sunlight.  Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cartilage loss in the knees.  This can be tested for and supplemented accordingly.  Other nutrients to ensure you get enough of are Vitamin K and Vitamin C.

–          Eating a diet that is full of anti-inflammatory foods can optimise your long-term health and vitality, as well as support your joints from top to toe.  Aim for a diet plentiful in fruits and vegetables, unrefined grains and protein-rich foods such as fish, poultry, nuts and seeds.  Also remember to limit red meats and sweets.

What NOT to do.

–          Drink too much caffeine -1 coffee can cause the body to leach about 40 mg of Calcium from bones in order to balance our plasma pH

–          Drink soft drinks – These alter our calcium and phosphorus balance.  The extra phosphorus binds with calcium making calcium less available to the body, so calcium is drawn from bones to balance this.

–          Eat too much sugar – Eating excessive amounts of sugar reduces our ability to absorb calcium and magnesium.

–          Eat too much salt – This increases calcium excretion. For each 6 g of salt, 24-40 mg of calcium is excreted into the urine.

–          Drink too much alcohol – Excessive about of alcohol is toxic to osteoblasts (a type of bone cell) and interferes with our ability to absorb calcium.

–          Eat too much or too little protein – Inadequate protein intake is associated with poor recovery from osteoporotic fractures, and too much protein increases calcium loss.  To work out how much protein you need contact your healthcare practitioner, or for a rough guide use this calculator.

Inflammation

Inflammation is a major influence on reduced bone density and joint problems.  If we’re too inflamed our bone metabolism is affected, which increased fracture risk.  Inflammation also contributes to joint degeneration and pain.

Several inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis etc., have been associated with poor joint and bone health.

There are several factors which can cause inflammation to be worse than it should be, such as diet imbalances, hormone problems, genetics, stress and more.  If you think inflammation is a problem for you, contact your health care practitioner for testing and treatment options.  There are several herbal and nutritional remedies which are safe and effective anti-inflammatories and don’t have the negative side effects of conventional anti-inflammatory medicines, such as gastro-intestinal damage.

Use It or Lose It

There is a great deal of truth in the old adage “use it or lose it”. Stay active and take positive dietary and lifestyle steps to keep you and your joints healthy and happy. Looking after the nutritional needs of your joints can help minimise their degeneration, as well as improve the pain, inflammation and impaired mobility of arthritis. If your joints have worn a little thin over the years, contact me today for an appointment.  You can optimise your joint health, reclaim your freedom and live the life you deserve to lead.

Works Cited

1. Long distance running and knee osteoarthritis. A prospective study. Chakravarty, E F, et al. 2, 2008, American Journal of Preventative Medicine, Vol. 35, pp. 133-8.

2. Harvard Medical School. The secret to joint pain relief — exercise. [Online] September 21, 2013. [Cited: September 25, 2013.] http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-secret-to-joint-pain-relief-exercise?e=mkester%40nci.com&j=28081960&l=16278673_HTML&mid=148797&u=323662523&jb=0.

3. Mercola, Joseph. Peak Fitness. [Online] Mercola.com, April 5, 2013. [Cited: June 3, 2013.] http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/04/05/unnecessary-knee-surgery.aspx#.

4. Surgery versus physical therapy for a meniscal tear and osteoarthritis. Katz, J N, et al. 18, 2013, The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 368, pp. 1675-84.

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When I first read about the health benefits of gelatin a few months ago, I began recommending the consumption of bone broths to my patients with degenerative and inflammatory conditions, knee and joint pain, as well as my patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  Broths and stocks are healing foods for the musculoskeletal system and are also alkalizing, making them helpful for these types of conditions.  However, I am now even more excited about gelatin, having discovered an even wider range of health benefits that gelatin and its set of amino acids (in particular glycine and proline) provides us.

What is Gelatin?

Gelatin is a protein substance – essentially it is collagen.  Collagen is sourced from non-muscle animal parts (varying from ligaments, tendons, bone and skin) which are dried and ground into powder.  Because the western diet has veered away from eating these parts of the animal (which our ancestors prized) our protein intake usually consists solely of muscle meats.  Because of this we are not obtaining the balance of amino acids that our body craves which can result in some health problems.

Nose-to-tail eating is a concept which involves not wasting any of the animal by making use of all of it parts (usually by eating them) – this not only reduces food wastage, but is also economical and pays more respect to the animal. Some celebrities and chefs such as Carlo Petrini and his Slow Food Movement, Fergus Henderson, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from River Cottage, Anthony Bourdain, Colin Fassnidge from restaurant Four in Hand, and Masterchef contestant Chris Badenoch have been promoting this concept for the above reasons, however many people still find that the whole concept makes them squeamish.  If you are one of those people, please read on and I hope I can change your mind.

Benefits of gelatin

From reducing inflammation in joints to promoting thick hair and reducing cellulite and stretch marks, gelatin has a wide range of benefits.

1. 1.  It helps to reduce inflammation (1)(2), by balancing some of the hormones which when too high can cause excess inflammation (oestrogen and serotonin).
2. 2.  It assists in wound healing (3).  Our body will break down our collagen to release glycine which helps to initiate wound healing, and supplementing with gelatin can speed the healing process.  Gelatin has been used traditionally for wound healing and reducing excessive bleeding (e.g. nosebleeds) by consuming gelatin and even by applying it directly to wounds.(4)
3. 3.  It supports digestive health by protecting and healing the digestive lining (5)(6), making it a fantastic dietary addition for people with digestive problems and multiple food intolerances.  Gelatin also contains glutamine, an amino acid which acts as fuel for our intestinal cells.  Our digestion also benefits from adding gelatin rich foods to cooking, as when we cook muscle meats along with gelatin rich parts or meat that’s attached to bone, it helps the breakdown of protein and fat making it easier to digest and absorb.  Gelatin also improves the passage of food through the intestines.
4. 4.  Healthy bones and joints (7).  When gelatin is used as a supplement for knee pain or osteoarthritis, pain relief is usually within a few days.  This fast result is due to its anti-inflammatory properties, but with continued use gelatin can also help to repair small tears in the joint cartilages.  Consider adding gelatin to your post workout protein shakes, or even using it instead of your normal protein shake (glycine and proline are essential for muscle development, and gelatin contains about 6 gram of protein per tablespoon).  There have been claims that when taken 3 hours after dinner, before bed, gelatin helps to boost human growth hormone making it helpful for muscle recovery as well as weight loss (the weight loss could also be due to its protective effect on the thyroid, see below).  Gelatin is also considered beneficial for growing children’s bone health and to promote healthy development.
5. 5.  Better sleep.  Drinking 1-2 tbsp of gelatin or 3g glycine before bed helps your sleep hormones, helping you sleep more soundly and reducing sleepiness the next day(8).  Try adding 1 tbsp of gelatin into some chamomile tea for an awesome before bed beverage.
6. 6.  Beauty.  When you think of collagen, it might conjure up images of women applying ‘plumping/anti-aging/anti-wrinkle’ facial creams.  Collagen is actually poorly absorbed through the skin, but when ingested it does help to improve skin quality.  It tightens skin, reduces/prevents cellulite, and supports hair skin and nail growth(9).  It has been recommended for pregnant women to consume 1 cup of bone broth per day to reduce stretch marks.  Including it in your diet will help your skin to remain youthful a little longer, as well as look more vibrant and heal better.  Some bloggers recommend adding 1 tsp of gelatin into your shampoo to make your hair more voluminous, and it can also strengthen your hair. 

Getting a bit more technical…

Most of what we know about the gelatins’ health benefits is from research done on Glycine, the main amino acid in gelatin (35% of the amino acids in gelatin are glycine, 11% alanine, and 21% proline and hydroxyproline(4)).  Glycine has been shown to have a lot of benefits when supplemented in isolation or in the form of gelatin.  Glycine is a non-essential amino acid, which means that we can make it ourselves in the liver from other amino acids, however by increasing its consumption in supplemental or dietary form via gelatin, we can help to address imbalances and use it as a therapeutic tool.

As mentioned earlier, when we’re not eating in a nose-to-tail method, our amino acids can get out of balance.  The main issue is that we get too much of the amino acid tryptophan, which can affect thyroid function, energy production within our cells (mitochondrial health) and reduces our body’s ability to deal with stress.  Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, which can increase inflammation and upset the immune system when too high(4).  Gelatin contains virtually no tryptophan, and can help to restore the balance.

According to Ray Peat, a health researcher and PhD in Biology/Endocrinology :

“When we eat animal proteins in the traditional ways (for example, eating fish head soup, as well as the muscles, or “head-cheese” as well as pork chops, and chicken-foot soup as well as drumsticks), we assimilate a large amount of glycine and gelatin. This whole-animal balance of amino acids supports all sorts of biological process, including a balanced growth of children’s tissues and organs.

When only the muscle meats are eaten, the amino acid balance entering our blood stream is the same as that produced by extreme stress, when cortisol excess causes our muscles to be broken down to provide energy and material for repair. The formation of serotonin is increased by the excess tryptophan in muscle, and serotonin stimulates the formation of more cortisol, while the tryptophan itself, along with the excess muscle-derived cysteine, suppresses the thyroid function.”(4)

Further reading –

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful

How to take it

While you’ve been reading this, you’ve probably thought ‘isn’t gelatin what jell-o is made from?’  Well, yes it is!  But I’m definitely not recommending you consume jell-o, which contains too many icky artificial colours, sweeteners and flavours.  As you know, gelatin comes from cows (or pigs), so it is beneficial to ensure the gelatin is sourced from cows that are grass-fed and free from unnecessary harmful chemicals.  I recommend Great Lakes gelatin (use the green bottle for mixing into liquids as it won’t congeal, and the orange one for making jellies, lollies, marshmallows and other foods from).

You can buy it on iherb here.

There are plenty of ways in which you can incorporate gelatin into your diet:

• Mix powdered gelatin into liquid and drink it.  If you choose the hydrolysed gelatin you won’t taste the gelatin and it will mix in well to hot or cold liquids.
• Mix into chamomile tea for a great sleep tonic before bed.
• Opt for more gelatinous cuts (osso bucco, oxtail, beef cheeks, lamb shanks) of meat instead of just muscle meats (steak and chicken breast).  These go great in a slow cooker, and are also much cheaper!
• If you’re having muscle meats on their own, try  to consume some form gelatin alongside it (e.g. mint jelly as a topping, or make a dessert with gelatin for afterwards).
• Bone broths.  You can find some recipes here, here, here, here and here.
• My favourite: A myriad of sweets: Pudding,  Marshmallow,  Mousse, fruit snacks and more fruit snacks, gummies,and jelly.

So have I convinced you on the wonders of gelatin?  Do you have another browser open ordering some gelatin right now?

 Let me know your thoughts, and I would love to hear if you discover any more ways to increase gelatin.

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