Non-Animal Chondroitin Sulfate Ingredient Supports Joint Health in New, Unpublished Study

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A non-animal chondroitin sulfate ingredient from Gnosis S.p.A (Milan), Mythocondro, may be effective in reducing the symptoms of moderate knee osteoarthritis, according to results from a new, unpublished study. In the study, Mythocondro reduced subjects’ knee pain and improved knee function over placebo.

Mythocondro’s anti-inflammatory and joint-health benefits have previously been studied in animal models. The company has also conducted a clinical pharmacokinetic study demonstrating Mythocondro’s bioavailability in humans. in the new study, researchers sought to establish whether Mythocondro could exert its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chrondroprotective properties over a short period of time, and at a low dosage, in human subjects.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which was conducted at University of Pavia (Italy), included 60 male and female participants. The subjects received a “low” daily dosage of 600 mg/day Mythocondro for a period of 12 weeks. Researchers assessed the following markers of moderate osteoarthritis: knee pain intensity, using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); knee function, using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis (WOMAC) Index; and how much the subjects’ knee pain “has affected the ability to manage in everyday life,” using the Tegner Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale. Secondary endpoints of the study included health-related quality of life and inflammation markers in blood plasma. All parameters were assessed at baseline, at week four, and at week 12.

According to Gnosis, all of the endpoint results demonstrated a “statistically significant modification of the parameters,” with notable decreases in the WOMAC score and the Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, in particular.

Mythocondro is currently the only non-animal, vegetarian, chondroitin sulfate ingredient available in the market formulated via a natural and proprietary fermentation process, the company says.

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