By Robert Schinetsky

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disorder that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide every year. The disorder can affect the knees, hips, hands, feet and spine, resulting in stiffness, reduced mobility, pain, and loss of function. Collectively, this can negatively impact mood, productivity, and overall quality of life.[1,2,3]

The development and progressive deterioration of joints results from a combination of factors, including: 

• Age
• Genetics
• Physical activity level
• Types of exercise
• Exercise execution
• Body weight (BMI)
• Inflammation
• Diet

Contributing Factors of Osteoarthritis

Age

Father Time is undefeated and untied. In other words, time catches up with us all sooner or later. The longer something is in use (including your body) the more wear and tear it encounters, which can lead to joint degradation.

Now, there are a number of lifestyle habits you can practice to stave off the effects of aging, or at the very least slow it down (which we’ll address throughout this article), but even then there’s only so much you can do to slow the inevitable decline that comes with increasing age.

Genetics

Genetics is one of the newer areas of research concerning the development and progression of osteoarthritis. Previously, it was known that lifestyle factors have a significant impact on the genesis of the disorder, but only recently have researchers started to identify specific genetic markers that may increase the likelihood of developing OA or it worsening.

A 2021 cohort study identified 52 previously unknown osteoarthritis genetic risk variants. Based on their findings, researchers were able to establish molecular links between OA and its main symptom, pain.[3] 

The genetic component of OA is still being investigated, and while it may open up some intriguing avenues for management of the disorder, your efforts (at present) are better spent focusing on the other lifestyle factors, including…

Body Weight & BMI

It’s no secret that rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome continue to climb as does the burden placed on the global healthcare system.

One lesser-discussed consequence of burgeoning waistlines are increasing wear & tear on joints, which is a direct contributor to OA. The more body weight an individual carries the more force and pressure is exerted on their joints, ligaments and connective tissues, no matter if they’re moving or at rest.

Another concern of carrying around excess body fat is increased inflammatory markers, which are commonly associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but have also been identified as a contributor to the development and progression of OA.[4]

Cartilage, bone, and the synovial membrane can release inflammatory mediators, and systemic low-grade inflammation can be induced by metabolic syndrome, innate immunity, and aging.[5]

As such, it is imperative that if you’re looking to support long-term joint health (as well as overall cardiometabolic health), maintaining a healthy body weight and BMI is paramount!

Physical Activity (aka Exercise)

Building off of the previous point, one of the fundamental pillars of achieving/maintaining a healthy body composition is physical activity, preferably intense exercise (e.g. resistance training, interval training, etc.).

The reasons for this are manifold, but in regards to how to improve joint health specifically, regularly engaging in rigorous activity helps:

• Increase calorie burning
• Build lean muscle
• Reduce body fat,
• Improve sleep
• Reduce stress
• Support a favorable body composition

All of these factors contribute to the health of joints now and over the long-term.

Furthermore, a sedentary lifestyle is a key contributor to expanding waistlines, escalating body weights, and all-around poor health in modern society.

Research also confirms that physical inactivity is a significant predictor of increased symptoms of osteoarthritis. In spite of this, infrequently engaging in physical activity, even less exhaustive forms such as low-level walking, is common among individuals with osteoarthritis as well as the overweight and obese. Also, keep in mind that aging is another contributor to reduced physical activity, which may exacerbate symptoms of OA.

Diet

As with numerous other facets of life, what you eat (as well as what you limit or avoid eating) has a direct and tangible impact on your physique, function, and overall quality of life. Certain foods are more “health-promoting” while others are not. Speaking plainly, eat more “real” foods (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc.) and less “junk” (most things found in a box, bag, or drive-thru window).

Abide by that simple rule and you’ll be orders of magnitude ahead of the average person.

One of the reasons that diet plays such an important role in overall health and well-being has to do with the fact that “real” foods (fruits, veggies, lean proteins, etc.) are more filling while being lower in calories, on average, than their ultra-processed counterparts.

This helps individuals to eat a more reasonable amount of daily calories in line with their actual energy requirements, thereby helping maintain a favorable body weight and BMI. In turn, individuals will avoid excess weight and shear stress being placed on your joints (as a result of carrying around a heavier bodyweight).

A healthy diet is also rich in polyphenols, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, such as the ones found in ginger and turmeric.

In addition to mechanical stress placed on joints, excess body fat also increases inflammatory status in the body, resulting in chronic low-grade inflammation. In case you weren’t aware, chronic inflammation has been found to be a key driver in the pathogenesis of OA.[6] It may also intensity pain severity and progression of arthritis.

Furthermore, research has found that decreased serum anti-inflammatory markers are in persons with osteoarthritis.[7] High-fat diets including higher amounts of trans fats and saturated fats are also known to increase risk factors and pain in OA patients.[12]

Individuals looking to clean up their eating habits, promote a healthy lifestyle, and support joint health need to look no further than the Mediterranean Diet.

The Mediterranean Diet is continually heralded for its health-promoting benefits especially in cases of[8]:

• Diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Cardiovascular disease
• Obesity
• Sarcopenia
• Osteoporosis

A growing body of evidence is highlighting yet another benefit of the Mediterranean -- promoting joint health and reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis.[8,9,10]

In fact, a recent literature review published in Clinics in Geriatric Medicine concluded that the Mediterranean diet should be recommended by healthcare professionals to their patients to help manage OA.[10]

A longitudinal study involving over 4,000 people, appearing in Clinical Nutrition, found that over a 4-year follow-up period, individuals with greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet were associated with a significantly lower risk of pain worsening and symptomatic knee OA.[8]

The diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts, fatty fish, and low-fat dairy. In addition to being rich in polyphenols, antioxidants, fiber, and anti-inflammatory fats, such as the omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon.

Supplements^†

In addition to all of the other lifestyle factors impacting health, function, and longevity of joints, individuals should also consider dietary supplements. Numerous studies have been carried out over the past decades investigating the potential of various nutraceuticals, many of which we’ve discussed at length previously in the AML Articles section.^†

The very best of those supplements we’ve hand-selected and brought together in AML Joint Cocktail.^†

Most recently, a meta-analysis on the impact of dietary supplements on osteoarthritis found that curcumin and ginger supplementation can have a favorable impact on knee joint health. [11]^†

AML Joint Cocktail contains BOTH of these potent supplements at their research-supported dosages along with other evidence-based joint health supplements, including:^†

• Collagen Hydrolysate
• Glucosamine Sulfate
• Chondroitin Sulfate
• MSM
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Boswellia Serrata Extract (AprèsFlex®)
• Turmeric (curcumin) (Turmipure Gold®)
• Ginger Root Extract (5% Gingerols)
• Vitamin C
• UC-II Collagen
• Vitamin D-3 (as Cholecalciferol)

Every serving of Joint Cocktail supplies 17 grams of ingredients. Most joint formulas on the market supply (at most) 3-4 grams of active ingredients.

To put this into perspective, if AML Joint Cocktail was a capsule product (like the vast majority of joint products), you would have to take over 20 tablets or capsules to get the same research-backed dosages found in just one serving of our premium joint supplement!

Quite simply, Joint Cocktail is the most comprehensive crafted joint supplement on the market!^†

^{†These statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.}

^{© Published by Advanced Research Media, Inc., 2022
© Reprinted with permission from Advanced Research Media, Inc.}

References

1. Hawker GA. Osteoarthritis is a serious disease. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2019; 37(Suppl 120):3–6.
2. van Dijk GM, Veenhof C, Lankhorst GJ, Dekker J. Limitations in activities in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee: the relationship with body functions, comorbidity and cognitive functioning. Disability and rehabilitation. 2009;31(20):1685–1691.
3. Boer, C. G., Hatzikotoulas, K., Southam, L., Stefánsdóttir, L., Zhang, Y., Coutinho de Almeida, R., Wu, T. T., Zheng, J., Hartley, A., Teder-Laving, M., Skogholt, A. H., Terao, C., Zengini, E., Alexiadis, G., Barysenka, A., Bjornsdottir, G., Gabrielsen, M. E., Gilly, A., Ingvarsson, T., Zeggini, E. (2021). Deciphering osteoarthritis genetics across 826,690 individuals from 9 populations. Cell, 184(18), 4784-4818.e17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.038
4. Sokolove J, Lepus CM. Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis: latest findings and interpretations. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013 Apr;5(2):77-94. doi: 10.1177/1759720X12467868. PMID: 23641259; PMCID: PMC3638313.
5. Berenbaum, F. (2013). Osteoarthritis as an inflammatory disease (osteoarthritis is not osteoarthrosis!). Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 21(1), 16–21. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2012.11.012
6. Robinson W. H., Lepus C. M., Wang Q., et al. Low-grade inflammation as a key mediator of the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Nature Reviews Rheumatology . 2016;12(10):580– doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2016.136
7. Herrero-Beaumont G., Roman-Blas J. A., Bruyère O., et al. Clinical settings in knee osteoarthritis: pathophysiology guides treatment. Maturitas . 2017;96:54–57. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.11.013.
8. Veronese N, Koyanagi A, Stubbs B, Cooper C, Guglielmi G, Rizzoli R, Punzi L, Rogoli D, Caruso MG, Rotolo O, Notarnicola M, Al-Daghri N, Smith L, Reginster JY, Maggi S. Mediterranean diet and knee osteoarthritis outcomes: A longitudinal cohort study. Clin Nutr. 2019 Dec;38(6):2735-2739. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2018.11.032. Epub 2018 Dec 4. PMID: 30553579; PMCID: PMC6451631.
9. Sadeghi A, Zarrinjooiee G, Mousavi SN, Abdollahi Sabet S, Jalili N. Effects of a Mediterranean Diet Compared with the Low-Fat Diet on Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Feeding Trial. Int J Clin Pract. 2022 Jan 31;2022:7275192. doi: 10.1155/2022/7275192. PMID: 35685492; PMCID: PMC9159202.
10. Wei N, Dai Z. The Role of Nutrition in Osteoarthritis: A Literature Review. Clin Geriatr Med. 2022 May;38(2):303-322. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2021.11.006. PMID: 35410682.
11. Mathieu S, Soubrier M, Peirs C, Monfoulet LE, Boirie Y, Tournadre A. A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Nutritional Supplementation on Osteoarthritis Symptoms. Nutrients. 2022 Apr 12;14(8):1607. doi: 10.3390/nu14081607. PMID: 35458170; PMCID: PMC9025331.
12. Jungmann P. M., Kraus M. S., Alizai H., et al. Association of metabolic risk factors with cartilage degradation assessed by T2 relaxation time at the knee: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Arthritis Care & Research . 2013;65(12):1942– doi: 10.1002/acr.22093