Beneficial effects of natural eggshell membrane versus placebo in exercise-induced joint pain, stiffness, and cartilage turnover in healthy, postmenopausal women

Abstract

PurposeDespite its many health benefits, moderate exercise can induce joint discomfort when done infrequently or too intensely even in individuals with healthy joints. This study was designed to evaluate whether NEM® (natural eggshell membrane) would reduce exercise-induced cartilage turnover or alleviate joint pain or stiffness, either directly following exercise or 12 hours post exercise, versus placebo.Patients and methodsSixty healthy, postmenopausal women 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 (50–100 steps per leg) on alternating days. The primary endpoint was any statistically significant reduction in exercise-induced cartilage turnover via the biomarker C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type-II collagen (CTX-II) versus placebo, evaluated at 1 and 2 weeks of treatment. Secondary endpoints were any reductions in either exercise-induced joint pain or stiffness versus placebo, evaluated daily via participant questionnaire. The clinical assessment was performed on the per protocol population.ResultsNEM produced a significant absolute treatment effect (TEabs) versus placebo for CTX-II after both 1 week (TEabs −17.2%, P=0.002) and 2 weeks of exercise (TEabs −9.9%, P=0.042). Immediate pain was not significantly different; however, rapid treatment responses were observed for immediate stiffness (Day 7) and recovery pain (Day 8) and recovery stiffness (Day 4). No serious adverse events occurred and the treatment was reported to be well tolerated by study participants.ConclusionNEM rapidly improved recovery from exercise-induced joint pain (Day 8) and stiffness (Day 4) and reduced discomfort immediately following exercise (stiffness, Day 7). Moreover, a substantial chondroprotective effect was demonstrated via a decrease in the cartilage degradation biomarker CTX-II. Clinical Trial Registration number: NCT02751944.

Preparation and characterization of a soluble eggshell membrane/agarose composite scaffold with possible applications in cartilage regeneration

“…The presence of this multitude of components makes the eggshell membrane an ideal candidate as biomaterial for tissue engineering applications, and specifically for the connective tissue repair. In particular, as a dietary supplement, the eggshell membrane has been proved effective in the treatment of joint‐pain and cartilage turnover, but it was rarely used as a starting material for the production of cartilage scaffold (Adali et al., 2019; NCT03769857, 2018; Pillai et al., 2015; Ruff et al., 2018). Proteins from membrane can be easily extracted and then processed to produce eggshell membrane‐based materials (Long et al., 2008).…”

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Prospective Clinical Trial Evaluating Water-Soluble Chicken Eggshell Membrane for Improvement in Joint Health in Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis

“…13 Studies have demonstrated that EM leads to a reduction in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha both in vitro 14 and in vivo . 15 EM has been shown to improve recovery from exercise-induced joint pain (day 8), decrease stiffness (day 4), and reduce discomfort immediately after exercise (stiffness, day 7) in postmenopausal women taking 500 mg once daily for 2 weeks. In the same study, a decrease in the cartilage degradation biomarker CTX-II occurred.…”

“…Examples include hyaluronan, chondroitin, dermatan, heparin/heparan, and keratan, some of which have been shown to benefit joint health in multiple studies. 9–11,13,15–18…”

The effect of oral hydrolyzed eggshell membrane on the appearance of hair, skin, and nails in healthy middle‐aged adults: A randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled clinical trial

“…Prior multiple published studies have not reported any safety concerns or adverse events. Those with an allergy to egg or egg products should not consume eggshell membrane …”