Eggshell membrane cuts osteoarthritis knee discomfort in large scale clinical trial

05-Dec-2019 - Last updated on 05-Dec-2019 at 18:12 GMT

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Eggshell membrane could be the key ingredient to help the sufferers of knee pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis. Nearly one quarter of US adults struggle with the condition.

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects millions of people worldwide and according to The World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, hip and knee OA is the 11th leading cause of disability. The number of people affected with symptomatic OA is only expected to increase due to the aging population and the obesity epidemic.

With no standard treatment of OA, Stratum Nutrition announced that their joint health eggshell ingredient was recently supported in a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Turkey.

Study details

The independent, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of the ingredient supplier’s flagship ingredient, NEM brand eggshell membrane, was published in the Journal of Arthritis. At eight different university medical centers, 166 subjects diagnosed with grade 2 or grade 3 osteoarthritis of the knee were studied.

Researchers utilized the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), a widely used questionnaire that evaluates the condition of patients with osteoarthritis.

This study found that after a 7 day treatment period, the WOMAC-stiffness score in the NEM group improved by approximately 24% and was significantly lower compared to the placebo group. Similarly, the WOMAC-pain score at the end of the 7-day treatment period in the NEM group improved by about 22% from baseline.

By day 30, both knee pain and stiffness had improved by over 30% in the subject treated with NEM.

Taking it a step further

For good measure, the study also conducted a blinded, single-crossover design to compare subjects taking NEM for 90 days compared to subjects taking NEM for 60 days (the former placebo subjects who began taking NEM after day 30). An analysis found a significant difference between the number of patients having at least a 15% decrease in pain, which was greater in the 90-day NEM® group (71% of subjects) compared to the 60-day NEM® group (53% of subjects).

The study concluded that NEM reduced pain and stiffness within 7-30 days in subjects with grade 2 and 3 knee OA and these benefits persisted for 90 days.

“This is the largest study conducted to date involving NEM and we are pleased that it was supportive of its fast time to efficacy, even in subjects with moderate to severe arthritis. This, combined with its cartilage protecting effects recently demonstrated in healthy individuals, makes NEM the perfect adjunctive therapy for those with joint issues,” stated Kevin J. Ruff Ph.D., MBA, Sr. Director of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for Stratum Nutrition.

Source:

J Arthritis, an open access journal

Vol.8, Issue 4 (2019)

“Efficacy and Safety of Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM®) in Patients

with Grade 2/3 Knee Osteoarthritis: A Multi-Center, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Single-crossover Clinical Study”

Authors: N. Eskiyurt, et al.