Moving Beyond Glucosamine: The Future of Functional Joint Care

Osteoarthritis: A Growing Joint Health Crisis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating, chronic joint disease affecting about 33 million adults in the United States. As the aging population grows and obesity rates climb, this number is expected to surge. By 2030, nearly 67 million Americans will be living with arthritis, with OA being the most prevalent form. OA is not just a condition of the joints – it’s a systemic burden that increases the risk of serious comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression, significantly impairing quality of life and increasing healthcare costs.

 

The Evidence Gap for Glucosamine in Osteoarthritis Care

Despite the significant burden of OA, commonly used approaches for supporting patients remain limited in their effectiveness.

Glucosamine is the most widely used natural intervention, with approximately 6.5 million U.S. adults taking it annually. It’s also one of the most frequently recommended supplements by chiropractors. Yet, mounting evidence shows that glucosamine, which is often paired with chondroitin, offers negligible benefit. Several randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses demonstrate no meaningful relief from pain or improved joint function compared to placebo.

A 2024 review analyzing 10 RCTs echoed these findings, failing to identify any significant benefit with glucosamine or glucosamine and chondroitin. Most of the few positive studies suffer from limitations, such as poor methodology or small sample sizes, further weakening the case for glucosamine. The need for a more effective solution is clear.

 

Shifting Paradigms: Identifying the Root Causes of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is often thought of as the natural process of cartilage degeneration and joint damage that occurs with aging and wear-and-tear. But the roots of this dysfunction lie deeper. It is chronic systemic inflammation, often associated with gut dysfunction, that fuels joint degeneration. The gut-joint axis plays an important role in the development and progression of osteoarthritis, with intestinal hyperpermeability (the so-called “leaky gut”) being one of the root causes of chronic low-grade inflammation.

 

Deep Dive: Learn more about the interconnection between chronic inflammation, gut health and joint longevity on the New Frontiers podcast. In this episode, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald talks with microbiologist and Calroy Health Sciences advisor Kiran Krishnan about how chronic low-grade inflammation, also known as inflammaging, accelerates joint degeneration and contributes to cardiovascular disease.

New Research Evidence Reveals Plant Extracts Can Reverse Joint Damage

A recent clinical trial involving over 1,200 participants reported improvements in mobility and reductions in pain among individuals with OA who received a natural combination of boswellia and celery seed extract.

A subsequent randomized, placebo-controlled trial published this year (2025) found that within 90 days, participants in the intervention group demonstrated more than a 50% improvement in walk test performance, alongside a reduction in markers of cartilage degeneration by approximately half and a comparable increase in markers of cartilage regeneration.

 

Clinical Trial Results: Pain, Mobility, and Quality of Life

In the first RCT, Cartigenix HP was tested on 1,236 patients aged 19 to 75 who had not responded well to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Results after 90 days of Cartigenix HP supplementation showed:

• 5% improvement in WOMAC scores, which measure pain, stiffness, and physical function.
• 4% reduction in VAS pain scores, including:
  • 37% of participants experiencing a 90% or greater improvement in symptoms
  • and 85% reporting excellent to moderate overall improvement.

Importantly, Cartigenix HP was well-tolerated, with no reported adverse events, marking a significant breakthrough in natural joint support.

The second RCT evaluated Cartigenix HP in 62 adults aged 40 to 65 with clinically confirmed knee OA. Participants received either Cartigenix HP or a placebo for 90 days. The trial assessed pain, stiffness, mobility, radiological findings, and changes in select biomarkers.

The results from this follow up trial were striking:

On pain:

• Cartigenix recipients saw a 64% reduction in total WOMAC scores, with pain and stiffness scores dropping by 78.2% and 78%, respectively.
  • This number dropped just 4.4% and 0.7% in the placebo group.
• VAS pain scores reduced by 67.7%, declining from 6.4 to 2.1, while the placebo group saw only a 7.5% reduction.

Cartigenix HP versus Glucosamine

By contrast, glucosamine and chondroitin have consistently shown no meaningful effect on cartilage biomarkers. Multiple studies measuring before-and-after supplementation levels of three key joint health biomarkers – CTX-II, PIIANP, and PIICP – found no statistically significant changes, reinforcing the limited utility of these widely used supplements. Cartigenix HP demonstrates a reduction in pain as well as a reduction in inflammation and cartilage degeneration biomarkers, while also exhibiting an increase in cartilage regeneration biomarkers.

These biomarker shifts are critical because they signify real structural changes in the joint and not just symptom suppression. Cartilage is notoriously slow to regenerate, and interventions that meaningfully affect CTX-II, PIIANP, and PIICP represent a breakthrough by supporting regeneration, rather than masking degeneration. Patients in the Cartigenix HP group not only felt better, but they were also rebuilding their cartilage structure at the tissue level.

Moreover, radiological assessments supported these findings. X-rays revealed increased space between knee joints in several Cartigenix HP patients, consistent with reduced inflammation and early cartilage repair. This visual evidence aligned with both biomarker improvements and physical performance gains, forming a cohesive narrative of structural regeneration and recovery.

 

How Cartigenix HP Works at the Root Cause of Joint Pain

The efficacy of Cartigenix HP is attributed to the targeted biological activity of its components. Boswellia serrata acts by inhibiting the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme and modulating key inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1β. Apium graveolens (celery seed) offers complementary mechanisms, inhibiting oxidative stress pathways and blocking NF-κB signaling.

Celery seed also functions as a natural COX-2 inhibitor, reducing inflammation without gastrointestinal side effects. Finally, the unique active compounds serratol and tirucallic acid, which are only found in Cartigenix HP, help drive tissue repair.

This is powerful root-cause joint support.

 

Safety Profile: A Natural Supplement Without Adverse Effects

The implications of these results are far-reaching. As the number of people with joint challenges continues to rise globally, driven by sedentary lifestyles, longer life expectancies, and metabolic disorders, next-generation solutions like Cartigenix HP are true game changers.

Patients deserve more than symptom management; they deserve structural and functional restoration. Cartigenix HP supports key biological markers and improves quality of life. With its stellar safety profile, it’s poised to become the gold standard in natural joint care.