A big welcome to the November 2024 edition of CMG Topic Series, where we look at bone health, with a particular focus on nutrients in bone health.
Bone Health
By Dr Brad McEwen PhD, MHSc (Hum Nutr), MPH, BHSc
CMG Head of Products and Innovation
The human skeletal system functions as a complex sophisticated organ that maintains a dynamic balance with other body systems.
Beyond providing structural support, bones serve as a primary storage site for various minerals and compounds crucial for sustaining an optimal pH level. As people age, the natural decline in bodily functions makes older adults especially vulnerable to issues related to bone health.
Conditions such as osteoporosis, which is marked by the degradation of the bone’s structural integrity, significantly heighten the likelihood of hip fractures. Bone mineral density (BMD) serves as a critical metric for assessing bone health. A diminished bone mineral density value signifies a heightened susceptibility or risk of osteoporosis or fractures.
Nutrition is the foundation of optimum health and wellbeing.
Essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals offer a wide range of health benefits, including promoting bone and joint health, improving cardiometabolic health, supporting energy metabolism, regulating immune system function, reducing inflammation, and having antioxidant effects.
UC-II®
UC-II® supplies a patented form of collagen with undenatured type II collagen for joint health support.
UC-II has undergone rigorous third-party research and testing for efficacy, safety and quality. The research path of UC-II began when researchers, including those at Harvard University Medical Center, found the benefits of undenatured type II collagen for joint health and published research in peer-reviewed journals. Please find below a summary of some of the research on UC-II®.
A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study found that after 24 weeks, there was a statistically significant increase in knee range of motion flexion observed in the UC-II® (undenatured collagen) group versus the placebo group (3.23° vs. 0.21°; p = 0.025).
In addition, there was an increase in knee range of motion extension by 2.21° over time in the UC-II® group (p = 0.0061), while the placebo group showed a nonsignificant increase by 1.27° (p > 0.05).
A randomised trial investigated the effect of UC-II® vs placebo on knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS). After 120 days of supplementation, subjects in the UC-II® group exhibited a statistically significant improvement versus the placebo in KOOS items which include reduced pain during standing upright and going up or down stairs, decreased discomfort in climbing ascending stairs or bending to floor to pick an object or squatting during period of high physical activity (p<0.05).
In a study of 226 people, 40 mg of UC-II® undenatured type II collagen for 90 days significantly improved joint function, mobility, and flexibility compared to baseline.
A study aimed to test the hypothesis that UC-II® relieves pain, improves health-related quality of life, and joint function of individuals aged from 60 to 80 years with osteoarthritis of the knee. The main results of the study indicated that UC-II® improved pain, joint stiffness, and quality of life (Physical domain).
A study assessed whether UC-II® I could improve joint symptoms in moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis. People consuming UC-II had better clinical outcomes versus those supplemented with placebo or glucosamine hydrochloride plus chondroitin sulfate. Analysis of the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) subscales showed that reductions in all three WOMAC subscales (pain, stiffness, physical function) contributed to the improvement in the overall WOMAC score observed in people supplemented with UC-II®.