Joint relief innovations: Science-backed ingredients for an expanding global market

27 Jul 2023 --- Joint health continues to be a major trend in the supplement, F&B and nutraceutical space as the consumer demand grows beyond skin and beauty and healthy aging into sports and active nutrition. In this special report, we look at the trends, innovations and science driving industry growth in conversation with several leading suppliers.

Douglas Jones, the head of sales and marketing at BioCell Technology, offers a potential reason for the growth in the joint relief segment. One thing he notes is that from a consumer perspective, Z and Gen X seem to be more focused on lifetime wellness as opposed to generations before them who may have been more focused on healthy aging.

“It is not surprising that we’re seeing the younger generation, as they age and begin experiencing joint issues or see their friends experience these issues, that they are looking at approaching joint health in a different manner,” Jones explains. “That’s the difference between aging, healthy aging and lifetime wellness. With the younger populations, we hear about the desire for lifetime wellness more often.”

According to Innova Market Insights, joint health in F&B and supplement product launches grew 15% from 2018 to 2022.

Supplements being the leading product category at 84% in 2022. Skin health is the leading co-claim for joint health supplements, followed by bone and immune health. Followed by mental acuity and pregnancy and breastfeeding which also grew by 101% and 73%, respectively, in the same five-year period.BioCell Technology’s hyaluronic acid and collagen matrix is made with naturally occurring bioactives from sternal chicken cartilage.

Expanding markets
Oliver Wolf, the marketing EMEIA at Gelita, says he has also seen this trend among the younger generation. However, he adds that he has also seen a deepening of joint health demand within the older generations as well.

“With the increase in life expectancy over the past few decades, there has been a demographic shift toward an older population,” says Wolf. “To stay fit and mobile and prevent age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis, elderly people are taking a proactive approach to supplementation.”

“But they won’t just take any supplements,” he further notes. “They only want those that are scientifically proven and, at Gelita, we combine these two trends – healthy aging and science-based ingredients – in our special Fortigel collagen peptides for joint health.”

Antonio Vendrell, the marketing manager at Bioiberica, highlights how “proactive consumers” are also driving growth and innovation in the segment.

“Rather than seeking supplements for ‘joint relief’ after a problem has arisen, many are taking preventative steps from a younger age to maintain joint health and support overall mobility,” he outlines. “As such, we’re seeing rising demand for multi-ingredient solutions that support several areas of mobility in lieu of targeting specific aspects of joint health in isolation.”

Moving forward for mobility
Florencia Moreno Torres, the health and nutrition global business development manager at Rousselot, says that safety and science are critical for both consumers and customers.Rousselot’s Colartix has been shown to reduce issues such as joint stiffness and discomfort at a dose of 1 g per day. Image Credit: Rousselot

“Any nutraceutical solution should, first and foremost, deliver its health benefits in a completely safe way,” Torres underscores. “That’s why, from the sourcing of raw materials to finished products, we practice comprehensive quality management and intensive testing to comply with the highest international standards.” 

For this reason, Torres states that it is important for nutraceutical manufacturers to choose carefully tested ingredients that have been shown to be both highly bioavailable and bioactive. Torres further highlights a recent Rousselot-led study, which confirmed the efficacy of its collagen peptide solution Peptan. 

“Targeted analysis of human serum drawn after Peptan intake showed increased levels of hydroxyproline-carrying dipeptides, well-known in scientific literature as markers for collagen bioavailability and described to confer bioactivity,” Torres explains.

“This means that, upon being absorbed by the body, this bioactive ingredient is able to trigger the synthesis and reorganization of new collagen fibers, bolstering the collagen matrices found in joints, bones, muscles and skin.”

Jones from BioCell Technology also touts the wealth of studies conducted on the company’s collagen offerings.

“We knew that it could help with the skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles and actually increase the production of type one collagen in the dermis,” Jones underscores. “What makes BioCell Technology so interesting is that we found that our product could help patients suffering from joint pain and osteoarthritis through our own studies.”

“We have also done a double-blind pilot study looking at muscle recovery that included eight people and now we know there is an effect and that we need to do more research in that area. But what we say and what experts have been saying is that we are seeing a systemic effect with BioCell collagen – the body does not operate in isolation.

Science-backed efficacy
Jones at BioCell Technology further highlights the need for a scientifically comprehensive approach since the impact of many collagen-based joint relief supplements goes beyond isolated benefits for the skin. 

Gelita’s Fortigel stimulates the cartilage cells to increase production of the two main components that make up around 90% of cartilage. Image Credit: Gelita“As the skin is the body’s largest organ, supporting it positively affects the overall dermis,” he explains. “Similarly, observing improvements in muscle recovery suggests the ingredients are effectively reaching essential areas of the body. For Biosolids, the bioactive component indicates a systemic effect, leading to overall enhancements.”

Dr. Reyhan Nergiz-Unal, the health and nutrition science lead at PB Leiner, along with Yingying Wu, the company’s global product manager for health and nutrition, call attention to a recent clinical study PB Leiner conducted in partnership with Florida State University (FSU), which focused on investigating physically active middle-aged consumers, ranging from 45 to 65 years old.

“What is unique about the study is that the participants are everyday fit and active persons, not suffering from any specific condition such as osteoarthritis, joint stability problems, injured joints, or exercise-induced issues,” Dr. Nergiz-Unal reveals. 

“No previous research had proven long-term impact on both joint pain and everyday activities in the healthy and active middle-aged population, but this study does – it shows that a daily intake of 10 g of Solugel collagen peptides brings about significant pain relief and improvement in knee functionality, already after six months.”

Additionally, Wu reveals that the age group often finds themselves in a “catch-22.”

“They want to exercise – 87% of middle-aged adults think that exercising or improving physical fitness is very important to create a feeling of well-being –  but they are also apprehensive about exercising, as 93% of them indicate concern about joint and muscle pain. Two-thirds of this category actually say it has a moderate to severe impact on their health.”

Reliable solutions
BioCell Technology says its collagen stands out due to its distinctive approach, beginning with sourcing high-quality chicken cartilage, specifically the sternal cartilage. The company also holds patents and intellectual property rights for its advanced extraction and manufacturing techniques.Bioiberica’s Mobilee supports muscle and joint health at a dose of 80 mg per day. Image Credit: Bioiberica

“What we end up with at the end of the day is a hydrolyzed collagen powder with type II peptides, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate. The bioactives in this matrix occur naturally. We don’t do anything to manipulate or change them, but these elements are designed so they can be easily absorbed into the body and then absorbed into the parts of the body in which they can provide the most benefit.”

PB Leiner’s Solugel focuses on types I and III collagen peptides, which it says are easily incorporated into diverse applications including the fortified and functional F&B categories.

“This potential for applications is where the growth lies for our Solugel products – the awareness of collagen contributing to joint health is growing and so the demand for a more varied application portfolio grows as well,” Wu emphasizes.

Targeted relief
Maja Orešnik, the science and research director at PharmaLinea, says its products are based on clinically-backed branded ingredients, utilizing natural extracts that have demonstrated effectiveness, especially among populations facing joint health challenges. She further adds that, although these consumers haven’t progressed to more severe conditions like osteoarthritis, proving efficacy in such cases would provide stronger evidence of their benefits.

“Joints have a complex structure and the issues related to them are also complex,” Orešnik elaborates. “ We thus like to combine ingredients with various mechanisms of action – anti-inflammatory, pain modifying, providing building blocks for better joint regeneration, for example.”

“Ingredients that we use in our joint relief-supporting products were proven to reduce knee discomfort, reduce knee swelling index, improve pain tolerance, improve joint regeneration and support healthy aging, contribute to normal collagen formation, and reduce the use of rescue medication. We combine various ingredients in relevant and scientifically supported dosages.”

Wolf from Gelita spotlights that the company’s Bioactive Collagen Peptides are derived from safe, natural sources and supported by decades of research. Fortigel has been on the market for two decades, is backed by around 20 clinical studies and comes with health claim approvals in Canada and Brazil.

PB Leiner’s Solugel contains types I and III collagen peptides which it says make it ideal for the functional F&B category.“When ingested, Fortigel collagen peptides pass through the mucous membranes, enter the bloodstream intact and begin to accumulate in the articular cartilage,” he explains.

“Once inside the cartilage, they stimulate the cells known as chondrocytes, to increase production of both collagen and proteoglycans – the two main components that make up around 90% of the dry mass of cartilage.”

“This mechanism helps to address both the symptoms and cause of joint problems, thus reducing pain and improving mobility,” Wolf adds.

Selected ingredients
Bioiberica emphasizes Collavant n2 and Mobilee. Collavant n2 provides native type II collagen which has been shown to regulate the body’s response to support healthy joints with a low dose of 40 mg daily. Vendrell also spotlights its Mobilee hyaluronic acid, collagen and polysaccharide matrix ingredient.

“These three naturally-occurring components work synergistically to support muscle and joint health at only 80 mg daily by increasing the synthesis of endogenous hyaluronic acid and enhancing muscle cell proliferation,” he reveals.

To address the rising consumer demand for premium products supporting joint health, Rousselot says it has developed Colartix, a hydrolyzed cartilage matrix made up of naturally occurring collagen peptides and chondroitin sulfate. 

“Together, these molecules help reduce issues such as joint stiffness and discomfort with a low dose of 1 g, taken daily,” Torres explains. “While further investigation is needed to fully unveil the mechanism of action of combined collagen and chondroitin sulfate, several studies have already suggested direct joint protective properties.” 

“In addition, hydrolyzed collagen is a source of bioactive peptides which have been shown to trigger their own list of health benefits,” she concludes. “Another great example of bioactive peptides is our flagship solution Peptan, which is also a popular nutraceutical ingredient for multiple benefits, including joint health and overall mobility and has been shown to support the reduction of joint discomfort, promoting joint function and reducing inflammation.”

By William Bradford Nichols