Carthage, MO— Stratum Nutrition, an NSF-certified manufacturer of eggshell and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, announced a first-of-its-kind joint health study published in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging, evaluating its triple-action joint health ingredient, NEM brand eggshell membrane, in subjects with healthy joints.  The results of this peer-reviewed study were publishedonline.

This single center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate whether NEM would reduce cartilage turnover or alleviate joint pain or stiffness, either directly following exercise or 12 hours post-exercise, versus placebo.

Sixty healthy, post-menopausal women, who reported no prior persistent joint pain, were randomly assigned to receive either oral NEM 500 mg (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) once daily for two consecutive weeks while performing an exercise regimen (50 to 100 steps per leg) on alternating days. The primary endpoint for the study was any statistically significant reduction in exercise-induced cartilage turnover via the cartilage degradation biomarker, CTX-II, versus placebo evaluated at 1 week and 2 weeks of treatment.  Secondary endpoints were reductions in either exercise-induced joint pain or stiffness versus placebo, evaluated daily both immediately and 12 hours post-exercise (recovery) via participant questionnaire. A once-daily, small 500 mg dose of NEM rapidly improved recovery from exercise-induced joint pain (Day 8) and stiffness (Day 4), as well as significantly reduced discomfort immediately following exercise (stiffness, Day 7).

Moreover, a substantial chondroprotective effect was demonstrated from NEM supplementation through a lasting decrease in the cartilage degradation biomarker, CTX-II.  This patent-pending clinical trial design marks the first evidence suggesting the biomarker, CTX-II, can be used to evaluate the chondroprotective efficacy of joint therapeutics in healthy individuals, as well as other populations.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine April 2018