In addition to the positive reports gathered from medical practice on the benefits of CH-Alpha, there is a series of clinical studies showing the effects of CH-Alpha in enhancing joint function and improving joint health.

Adam

This randomized double-blind study involving 81 patients assessed changes in symptoms after patients received collagen hydrolysate, gelatin, egg albumin, or gelatin + glycine + calcium hydroxylate.¹ A 2-month washout phase alternated with a therapy period of 2 months. The study was conducted over 16 months. In all, 52 patients received the different treatment forms in a randomized, double-blind sequence. Evaluation showed that treatment with collagen hydrolysate produced a clear, statistically relevant improvement in test parameters, such as mobility, compared with the control group.

Moskowitz

This randomized multicenter study was conducted between 1996 and 1998 at 20 sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany over 24 weeks.² A total of 389 patients were assessed to determine if improvements in physical function or overall/global response were demonstrated after receiving collagen hydrolysate compared with placebo. Collagen hydrolysate was shown to have a positive effect even though there were considerable differences between the countries involved. In the German population, the positive results were particularly impressive: patients confirmed an improvement in physical function and there was a trend to significance in the patient global assessment. Concomitant medication (especially analgesics), as well as high dropout rates, may explain the different results obtained in the different countries.

Rippe et al

The results of a randomized, prospective, double-blind study in 250 (190 evaluable) mild osteoarthritis patients showed that the administration of collagen hydrolysate considerably improved the function of the knee joints.³ The effect of collagen hydrolysate was examined over a period of 14 weeks in comparison to a control group given placebo. (Please note, in this study, collagen hydrolysate was given in conjunction with calcium [300 mg] and vitamin C [60 mg]). Many parameters were assessed relating to joint function and mobility. The findings suggest collagen hydrolysate may contribute to early improvement in knee function.

An additional, similar study by Rippe et al, showed that the administration of collagen hydrolysate also considerably improved knee joint function in severe osteoarthritis patients.⁴

Götz

This non-randomized study tested the effect of collagen hydrolysate in 60 patients over 3 months.⁵ Subjective and objective measures were investigated to evaluate the effect of collagen hydrolysate. After 1 month, 56% of patients had improved considerably. At the end of the study, 75% of patients were either symptom-free (45%) or had clearly improved symptoms (30%).

Fernández et al

To evaluate the effects of collagen hydrolysate in athletes, a 6-month study of a 16-member team of mountain bike competitors and 10 individuals of a basketball team from the first division of a Spanish league.⁶ Each study participant was given a single daily dose of 10 g of collagen hydrolysate plus vitamin B and magnesium.

Upon completion of the study, patients in the study group demonstrated statistically significant increases in the thickness of cartilage of the scapula-humeral joint and the femora-tibial joint.⁶ The average increase in cartilage thickness was 14% in the study group. Conversely, not only was there no increase in cartilage thickness in the control group after 6 months, significant decreases were observed. In the control group, the lateral and medial scapula-humeral joint cartilage showed a 16% and 13% decrease in thickness respectively (P<0.05).

Flechsenhar et al

The effect of CH-Alpha™ on athletes reporting joint symptoms was also evaluated in this post-surveillance study of 100 athletes at the Rhein-Ruhr Olympic Training Facilities in Essen, Germany.⁷ Subjects took 10 g of CH-Alpha daily for 12 weeks and were asked to rate symptoms and functionality according to a 10-point scale. Assessments were gathered at the beginning of the study (to establish a baseline), 4 to 6 weeks later, and at the end of the study. Significant improvements were reported for the clinical parameters.

Additional Evidence

Empirical reports by Krug (1979) as well as others such as those by Seeligmüller et al (1989, 1993), Beuker et al (1996), and Weh (2001) indicate that collagen hydrolysate is a safe and efficacious supplement for use in patients suffering from chronic joint symptoms.^8-12

References:

1. Adam M. What effects do gelatin preparations have? Therapy of osteoarthritis [in German]. Therapiewoche. 1991;41:2456-2461.
2. Moskowitz RW. Role of collagen hydrolysate in bone and joint disease. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2000;30:87-99.
3. Zuckley L, Angelopoulou KM, Carpenter MR, et al. Collagen hydrolysate improves joint function in adults with mild symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee [abstract]. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004;36(suppl):S153.
4. Carpenter MR, Carpenter RL, McCarthy SM, Kline G, Angelopoulos TJ, Rippe JM. Collagen hydrolysate supplementation improve symptoms in patients with severe osteoarthritis [abstract]. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005;37(suppl):S91-S92.
5. Götz B. Well-nourished cartilage does not grind [in German]. Ärztliche Praxis. 1982;34:3130-3134.
6. Fernández JL, Pérez OM. Effects of gelatine hydrolysates in the prevention of athletic injuries. Archivos de Medicina del Deporte. 1998;15:277-282.
7. Flechsenhar K, Alf D. Results of a postmarketing surveillance study of collagen hydrolysate CH-Alpha [in German]. Orthopadische Praxis. 2005;41:486-494.
8. Krug E. On supportive therapy for osteo- and chondropathy [in German]. Ernährungsheilkunde. 1979;28:1-23.
9. Seeligmüller K. Help and support for cartilage [in German]. Therapiewoche. 1993;43:1810-1813.
10. Seeligmüller K, Happel HK. Can a mixture of gelatin and L-cystine stimulate proteoglycan synthesis? [in German]. Therapiewoche. 1989;39:3153-3157.
11. Beuker F, Eck T, Rosenfeld J. Biochemical and clinical examinations on the effects of regular applications of gelatine on degenerative damages of the motoric system [abstract]. Int J Sports Med. 1996;17(suppl 1):S67-S70.
12. Weh L. Changes in the properties of tissue through the administration of gelatine—a biomechanical in-vivo pilot study. Extracta orthopaedica. 2001;4:12-16.