How to Care for Your Joints?

Comfortable daily movement, free mobility, and body flexibility are significantly dependent on joint health, as joints allow our body to move, perform various physical activities, and ensure the integrity of the musculoskeletal system. With age, physical exertion, or an unhealthy lifestyle, cartilage loses its elasticity, pain appears, and movement becomes difficult.

When movement causes discomfort or pain, the reason is often one of the following joint diseases:

Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. In turn, there are many types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It is caused by the wearing down of cartilage and most often manifests as pain in the legs and hip joints. For more clarity, according to 2020 statistical data, 7.6% of the world's population, or 595 million people, suffered from osteoarthritis. This number has increased by 132% since 1990.
  

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease of the connective tissue, in which erosive arthritis (synovitis) develops, causing damage and deformation of the joints. It most often affects small joints, such as the fingers or wrists. According to statistics, every third person in the world has rheumatoid arthritis. There is an opinion that the recent younger onset and significant increase in the disease have been caused by increased daily stress and emotional tension.

Gout, also known as "rich man's disease," is arthritis caused by a metabolic disorder. This is when crystals accumulate in the joints, causing acute pain. Gout often develops in the big toe of the foot in people aged 35-50, mostly men, and in women during the post-menopausal period.

Bursitis and tendinitis are inflammatory conditions caused by excessive movement and physical exertion, which are common in the knees, elbows, or shoulders.

How to Protect Your Joints?

Healthy joints directly reflect our quality of life. Taking care of your joints is very important in the following ways:

• Regular physical activity, even light exercise or walking, will help you maintain joint flexibility.

• Weight control, as it reduces stress on the joints.

• Eating healthy foods that contain Omega-3, calcium, vitamin D, and other vitamins and minerals important for joint health.

• Hydration, drinking enough water has a great impact on the joints.

• Food supplements, because the necessary substances obtained from food are often insufficient, and they are what ensures the body is replenished.

Essential Substances for Joint Health

1. Hydrolyzed Collagen (Type II) is the main protein component of cartilage, which is responsible for its structural strength and elasticity. Type II collagen is especially important for joints because it makes up the main part of the intercellular mass of cartilage. Hydrolyzed collagen, a finely divided (peptide) form, is absorbed much better in the digestive system and is effectively distributed in the tissues where it is most needed - specifically in the joints and cartilage.
   

2. Glucosamine and Chondroitin have a complex effect on cartilage tissue. In turn, glucosamine helps maintain existing cartilage and regenerate damaged areas, while chondroitin helps the cartilage tissue retain moisture and elasticity, thereby reducing the wearing down of the cartilage. Their complex is often used as a preventative and auxiliary therapy for osteoarthritis and other degenerative processes.
   

3. MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), an organic sulfur compound, is essential for the human body to maintain the elasticity of various tissues, including joints and tendons. MSM is particularly known for its anti-inflammatory properties - it helps reduce pain and swelling and improves the range of motion. In food supplements, it is often found in combination with other ingredients, which increases the overall effectiveness of the formula.
   

4. Hyaluronic acid is a natural polysaccharide that is found in large quantities in joints, eyes, and skin tissue. In the joints, it participates in the formation of synovial fluid and also helps reduce pain and maintain joint flexibility.
   

5. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which are found in abundance in oily fish or fish oil supplements, are distinguished by their strong anti-inflammatory effect. EPA and DHA acids help reduce inflammatory processes in the joints, which is especially important in chronic joint diseases (for example, rheumatoid arthritis).

   
   

Vitamins and Minerals

• Vitamin D3 is an essential vitamin for calcium absorption and maintaining bone strength. Its deficiency directly affects the weakness of bones and joints.

• Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that actively participates in collagen synthesis.

• Manganese, zinc, and calcium are essential minerals for the stability of tissue structures.

Joint health is part of daily comfort - it affects our movement, mood, and quality of life. Since the wearing down of cartilage is inevitable with age, physical exertion, or other factors, it is important to think about prevention before discomfort turns into chronic pain.

Properly selected food supplements - including collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, and others - do not replace medical treatment in this process, but they give you the necessary support to help improve your quality of life. The main thing is to know what you are taking and why - an informed decision is the first step on the path to a healthy life.