For more than twenty years freeze-dried concentrated mussel powder has been used as a natural food supplement for the prevention of pain normally associated with older individuals’ experiencing joint discomfort.
Following many years of international scientific research by independent scientists, the goal of identifying the principal components responsible for the extract's high potency was achieved. What resulted was New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel Oil.
Green Lipped Mussel Oil is:
- 250 times more potent than the original Green Mussel Extract.
- 350 more potent than Evening primrose Oil.
- 400 times more potent than flax oil.
NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil has been clinically trialed in a number of countries around the world. It has been available to the public for 3 years and the only reported side effect from the clinical studies was one case of nausea. When taken at the recommended dose rates NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil appears to be remarkably free of side effects.
What are the advantages of NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil over mussel powder?
- Mussel powders contain proteins, which can cause allergic reactions in some people. Since NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil is oil all the proteins have been removed
- Mussel powders contain sea salt, which can be a problem for people needing to stay on a low salt diet. NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil contains no sea salts
- Because NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil is a potent concentrate, the dose rate is far lower and the capsules are easier to take.
- The unpleasant odours associated with encapsulated mussel powders have been removed.
LANDMARK STUDY ON NZ GREEN LIPPED MUSSEL OIL
The first double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil in patients with Osteoarthritis (OA) confirms its effectiveness in the treatment of pain and in increased mobility in patients suffering from OA and other chronic inflammatory diseases. Professor C.S. Lau, co-chief; Division of Rheumatology, the Dept. of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, facilitated the study.
The clinical trial was conducted from 2001-2003 at the Queen Mary Hospital of the University of Hong Kong . Eighty patients with knee OA were randomized to receive either NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil or placebo for six months. All were allowed paracetamol/acetaminophen rescue treatment during the study and were reviewed at week 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 for arthritis assessment and safety evaluation. Assessment of the patients' arthritis included the use of a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, patient's and physician's global assessment of arthritis, a validated Chinese version of the Oxford Knee Score (COKS), a validated Chine version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2-short form (CAIMS2-SF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP).
Clinical Trial Results
There was a greater improvement in the perception of pain as measured by the VAS. Patients' global assessment of arthritis in those who took NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil when compared with controls from week four following adjustment for the change in the amount of paracetamol/acetaminophen used between study visits. Patients who took NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil but not placebo also had improved scores in the CAIMS2-SF physical function and psychological status domains from week four.
When used over six months, NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil was safe and well tolerated with no serious side effects reported.
How NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil Works?
The process of inflammation is highly complex and is defined as the body's reaction to physical, chemical or biological injury which, in a normal healthy individual, results in the localization of the problem and regeneration or repair of the damaged tissue. Unfortunately, inflammatory response is not always beneficial to the individual.
A prime example is that of osteoarthritis, an inflammatory disease which can effect all the bone joints of the human body but primarily affects the "wear and tear" joints of the feet, knees, hands, hips, shoulders, elbows and back which have usually had the effects of many years of work and sometimes injury.
In certain circumstances, the process itself can cause damage and injury. The auto-immune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, where the body attacks itself, and the hypersensitive states leading to asthma and anaphylactic shock, are examples of uncontrolled inflammatory responses.
Initiation and control of the inflammatory process is complex and governed by an array of biomolecular mechanisms. One important pro-inflammatory mechanism is closely associated with cell-membrane bound arachidonic acid, which becomes converted into other compounds in the body which are potent inflammation-supporting substances.
This occurs by two major pathways in our metabolism:
The 5-lipoxygenase pathway leading to the formation of leukotrienes, and
The cyclo-oxygenase pathway which leads to the formation of prostaglandins and thromboxanes
Many of the products of these pathways have potent inflammation-supporting properties. For instance, LTB 4 is a potent chemotactic agent capable of attracting large numbers of leucocytes (white blood cells), to the site of the injury. LTC 4, LTD 4, and LTE 4, which are metabolites of LTB 4, are potent bronchoconstricting agents and were formerly identified as SRS-A's (slow reacting substance of anaphylaxis), a key factor in anaphylactic shock.
Currently used anti-inflammatory drugs function mainly by inhibiting the cyclo-oxygenase pathway. In view of the important functions of the inflammatory process ascribed to the lipoxygenase pathway, there has been considerable scientific effort to develop a 5-lipoxygenase pathway inhibitor over the past decade. NZ Green Lipped Mussel Oil is a 5-lipoxygenase pathway inhibitor which is both effective and safe.
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