The bone, muscle and joint supplement segment presents plenty of demand, and manufacturers are working on developing improved solutions.

There is no doubt that one’s bones, muscles and joints are important parts of the human body. On the surface, these parts in tandem define movement, and unfortunately, if there is a break in one of the chain’s links, issues can ensue.

From 2013-2015, an estimated 54.4 million U.S. adults had been diagnosed with arthritis by a doctor (22.7 percent of the population), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And perhaps as people would expect, the risk for arthritis increases with age—in that same time frame, 49.6 percent of those age 65 and older reported having doctor-diagnosed arthritis. One form of arthritis—osteoarthritis—is the leading disability in people over the age of 50, said Phil Bolden, co-president of California-based Vida Lifescience, a U.S. distributor for Aurora Nutrascience, a Canadian supplements manufacturer.

By the year 2040, 78 million U.S. adults are estimated to have arthritis, which raises the question, how far down the timeline would this number continue to rise?

Manufacturers of supplements are continuing to develop new products in this field with aspirations that these statistics will improve for the better.

The Impact of Collagen

There are quite a few options when it comes to improving bone, muscle and joint health, but collagen could be a starting point.

“Collagen is a big deal and tends to address connective tissues that hold together various parts of our body, including joints and bones,” said Neil Levin, CCN, DANLA, senior nutrition education manager with Illinois-based NOW, which offers BioCell Hydrolyzed Type II from chicken sternum as a capsule and Collagen Peptides Powder from Bovine Hydrolyzed Collagen).* “While collagen’s benefits are well documented in supporting joint health and moisture retention in mature skin, its role in muscles is not as strong, as collagen lacks one of the essential amino acids—tryptophan—which actually plays an important rate-limiting role in protein synthesis (especially muscle protein synthesis) due to its relative scarcity in the diet.* All proteins are not equal; as mentioned, collagen (protein-containing connective tissue) simply doesn’t contain all of the right amino acids to fully support muscle protein synthesis. Ironically, plant proteins do, as do meat, egg and milk proteins. The trick is looking at essential amino acids in each protein. At about 10 percent of daily calories, plant protein won’t provide enough of these components to adequately stimulate muscle protein synthesis, but at 30 percent of daily calories, rice protein (for example) will do the job as well as whey protein.”

Richard Passwater Jr., product education director for Bio Minerals, the maker of BioSil, a specialty line from Washington-based Natural Factors, which produces the collagen booster, noted the increased interest in products capable or generating and protecting collagen.

He pointed to various parts of the body that are made of collagen that rely on the quality and quantity of it:

• Cartilage (about 70 percent collagen)

• Tendons (about 80-90 percent collagen)

• Ligaments (generally 70-90 percent collagen)

• Bones (about 30 percent collagen)

• Muscles (2-20 percent collagen)

• Nerves and the blood vessels bringing nutrients to these tissues (about 40 percent collagen and elastin)

Passwater Jr. said four of the leading causes of collagen damage throughout the body are homocysteine, stress hormones (such as cortisol), free radical damage and sugar (through the glycation reaction and then from advanced glycation end products (AGEs)). BioSil, he noted, is proven to protect the body.

“Collagen is a strong fibrous [protein] that pound-for-pound is stronger than steel but much more flexible,” Passwater Jr. said. “Collagen forms the frameworks off all these tissues and gives them their unique strength and flexibility properties. And in bone, collagen fibers also serve as a template, or the ‘binding sites’ or ‘parking spaces,’ for bone minerals, such as calcium and phosphorous. Cartilage, tendons, ligaments and bones are constantly going through stages of degradation, synthesis and remodeling throughout someone’s life.

“ … Collagen production is a multiple step process requiring at least 32 genes to control,” he continued. “In addition, a variety of enzymatic reactions are required to make collagen. Enzymes require cofactors to function. There seems to be increasing interest in nutrients that can support the activity of collagen generating enzymes. We call BioSil the ‘Advanced Collagen Generator’ because its choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid is clinically proven to activate, support and protect enzymes the body uses to make new collagen. BioSil can also help protect bone collagen by neutralizing collagen-destroying homocysteine.

“As the importance of collagen in overall bone quality is becoming clearer, there is an increasing trend to study how these common collagen destroyers are impacting bone health. And more importantly, how neutralizing these collagen destroyers or at least trying to limit their impact can positively impact bone quality and quality of life.”

More Category Trends

Another trend includes delivery options that stray from the conventional approaches, such as soft chews. NEM Natural Eggshell Membrane can help tackle joint pain and is currently being offered by Illinois-based Redd Remedies in both a one-a-day capsule, as well as a one-a-day black cherry flavored soft chew.

“Trends in bone muscle and joint health products follow those of other categories: delivery formats and improvements to ease of use for the consumer,” said Dan Chapman, founder and CEO of the company. “Many consumers suffer with ‘pill-fatigue’ and alternatives to traditional capsules and tablets are an attractive option for many individuals. NEM Natural Eggshell Membrane for joint health continues to gain popularity in the joint health category. We feel this is due to its low dose of 500 mg, taken just once daily; furthermore, unlike glucosamine/chondroitin, NEM Natural Eggshell Membrane can provide improvements in as little as four to 10 days.”

Aurora Nutrascience’s exoFlex utilizes eggshell membrane in a liquid formula and is said to help to reduce pain, stiffness and joint pain associated with osteoarthritis, among other features, according to the company.

“exoFlex is the only product to combine BiovaFlex egg [shell] membrane, curcumin, boswellia, and MSM,” explained David Johnson, CEO of Aurora Nutrascience. “Add the benefit of liposomal delivery, and you have a very powerful product.”

And consumer education has resulted in customers expanding their horizons, turning to plant-based products, too.

Retailer Jennifer Emplit, owner of Eucalyptus Wellness Co. in South Carolina, noted that, “Algae-based calcium products have been gaining popularity for bone health. Customers are becoming more educated and are turning to plant-based options when available.”

Market Status

Some may argue that the market for this field continues to be “stable” overall, due to the “well-known” ingredients being the main headliners.

“Growth in the joint care category continues at about 5 to 6 percent as it has done for the last several years,” said Amanda Orloske, senior director of marketing and international sales for Biova (Iowa), marketer of the branded ingredient BiovaFlex. “Innovation overall has been limited, with the dominant ingredients maintaining their position (calcium, glucosamine, chondroitin, etc.).”

Passwater Jr. acknowledged this sentiment. “The business reports that I’ve seen reviewing dietary supplements in the bone and joint health products generally suggest these categories are growing modestly at best,” he said. “But I don’t think these reports are telling the whole story.”

A transformation is occurring.

“Research in the bone, muscle and joint health is evolving,” he continued. “Much of the modern research is now including a broader spectrum of nutrients than traditionally researched in the past. It appears to me that sales of dietary supplement products are following along this same trajectory. Some of these nutrients now being proven beneficial for musculoskeletal system health haven’t historically viewed as being ‘bone and joint products’ per se. These nutrients are now being used to support musculoskeletal health, but the sales of these nutrients often aren’t getting properly included in musculoskeletal system related market reports. Also, I certainly see some products and subcategories of products growing very dynamically. As an example, magnesium, vitamin K2, collagen and collagen generating products such as BioSil are becoming increasing popular for bone, joint and muscle health applications.

“In my opinion, the musculoskeletal supplement market is driven primarily by three sets of people; (1) those wishing to stay active as they age, (2) those managing ‘side effects’ of physical activity either from wear and tear or injury, and (3) those desiring to proactively improve their athletic or physical abilities … The U.S. population is aging, is getting heavier and is generally trying to be active. Also, competitive sports are alive and well. So, the core drivers of consumer demand are all increasing. I think there is huge potential for this category for those who evolve their product offerings to follow where the science is leading.”

Advice for Retailers

To help retailers market these bone, muscle and joint-related products, Levin recommended various tips surrounding strategic placement and item location in one’s store:

• Muscle support products tend to be sold primarily as sports nutrition, though plant proteins are also found in vegan nutrition sections focusing on plant-based diets. Placing amino acids and sports products near the proteins is a good way to focus attention on the related products if someone is just looking at proteins.

• Most joint support products focus on mobility and flexibility, which are functional markers of movement and comfort.* These are fine for short-term benefits, but long-term stability and maintenance of joint structures should not be ignored.* Curcumin and boswellia products would fall into the short-term functional benefit area while glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM products would fall more into the long-term structural support area.* There are so many products in the joint health category that I recommend splitting the section into three areas: long-term structural support to maintain the structures of the joint and distances between bones, short-term functional support to aid in minor pain and maintain mobility and flexibility and combination formulas.

• Bone support formulas are increasingly using more absorbable forms of minerals that don’t require them to be taken with meals or to use hydrochloric acid (HCl) to digest them. The forms requiring them to be taken with meals and that use HCl for processing include the carbonates and oxides. By contrast, pre-acidified/pre-digested forms include fully reacted citrates, malates, amino acid chelates and ascorbates. Non-fully reacted blends exist; one way to tell is that most contain more than the 10-20 percent elemental mineral allowed in a true chelate. Blending calcium carbonate with citric acid, for example, does not react to make calcium citrate; however, it does contain more than the 21 percent maximum strength of calcium content in a fully reacted calcium citrate.

Research’s Impact

Chapman noted that Redd Remedies is intrigued by the role that the “hidden gems” play in promoting bone health, such a vitamin K2 and boron. And as expressed previously, NEM’s affect on the joints appeals to the manufacturer as well.

“As it pertains to bone health,” said Chapman, “we are looking for research focused on co-factors and other micronutrients that impact bone development and remodeling in a research environment dominated by calcium. We feel people are well aware of the needs of calcium for bones; however, people may not be as aware of the needs of co-factors, such as vitamin K2 and boron. In regards to joint health, our research interest remains on easy-to-use, low-dose ingredients, such as natural eggshell membrane (NEM). This ingredient provides a great alternative to the traditional high-dose glucosamine/chondroitin products, and the most current human research is confirming NEM’s beneficial impacts on joint health across a wide sample of different populations.”

Bio Minerals looks for and sponsors what many may consider to be the “gold standard” of studies—double-blind and placebo-controlled—which help the company determine how and why an ingredient acts that way it does.

“At Bio Minerals, we particularly like to sponsor double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies investigating consumer relevant clinical end points, and also containing measurements to help understanding the various mechanisms of action involved,” Passwater, Jr. explained.

“As an example, we sponsored a clinical study published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders investigating BioSil choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA). This study shows that in just 12 weeks, this specific complex reduces discomfort and stiffness and improves physical function in men with moderate to moderately severe knee osteoarthritis, and decreases biomarkers of cartilage degradation in these men.”1

Body maintenance is critical—research also ought to revolve around preserving aging.

“Since supplements can only claim to support already healthy body structures and functions by maintaining what we’ve got rather than correcting disease states, the most important research for our purposes is on healthy populations supplementing and thus prolonging their health or slowing declines related to normal aging,” Levin said.

As Emplit observed, over time, research has developed to the point that many times, delivery systems are taking precedence.

“Research in this field has evolved from ‘Why should we take calcium, joint health, muscle supplements?’ to ‘What form of these supplements should we take?’” she noted. “Customers are aware that they need to take these products—now, they are curious to what is the most absorbed form.”

And down the road, studies may be able to determine the most effective ingredients (and causes) to provide consumers with the best results, whether it be for bone aches, joint pain or muscle discomfort.

“Research in these areas has driven deeper into the biochemical physiology of these body systems to examine and elucidate the particular mechanisms of actions on particular ingredients,” offered Chapman. “As this research develops, we can all gain greater insight into what ingredients will have the greatest impact on bone, muscle and joint health.” VR

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References

1 Geusens P, Pavelka K, Rovensky J, Vanhoof J, Demeester N, Calomme M, Vanden Berghe D (2017). A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 18:2 DOI 10.1186/s12891-016-1370-7

For More Information:

Aurora Nutrascience, www.auronutrascience.com
Bio Minerals, www.biosilusa.com
Biova, www.biova.com
Natural Factors, www.naturalfactors.com
NOW, www.nowfoods.com
Redd Remedies, www.reddremedies.com
Vida Lifescience, www.vidalifescience.com

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