Joint
problems afflict a large proportion of the population in the UK,
particularly the elderly.
Conventional treatment is aimed at decreasing pain and improving
function through the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs), which can have serious side effects, including stomach
bleeding. Hence, taking a safe, natural alternative such as
bromelain would be a welcome option for many people.
Inflammation is the dominant feature of all types of arthritis.
Hence, reducing the body’s anti-inflammatory tendency is key
to combating joint problems and there are several ways if doing
this, including eating a healthy diet. Plenty of oily fish for
omega 3 and fruit and vegetables for antioxidants are recommended.
Many people also find dietary supplements of omega 3, antioxidants
and glucosamine to be helpful.
Several herbal medicines are highly anti-inflammatory and
increase the potency of a nutritional approach. Examples are
devil’s claw, willow bark and bromelain. Bromelain is
extracted from the stem of the pineapple plant and its active
compounds – enzymes – are unusual. Although enzymes are
proteins and normally subject to digestive breakdown, those in
bromelain have tightly-bonded structures that make them resistant
to digestion, so they are absorbed intact. Fresh pineapple fruit
contains similar, but not identical, enzymes, which have yet to be
clinically investigated.
Research shows that bromelain has strong anti-inflammatory and
painkilling properties and there are additional benefits: it can
reduce swelling and lower risk of blood clots. This is why it is
widely used for acute inflammation and sports injuries, but it is
likely to be of help in other inflammatory conditions, including
catarrh and bladder inflammation1. The painkilling
effects of bromelain are produced because its enzymes operate
through a reduction in bradykinin – a substance released by
damaged tissues which causes pain and ‘leaky’ blood
vessels, leading to swelling. Bromelain’s anti-inflammatory
action also reduces levels of the prostaglandins responsible for
the body’s inflammatory response.
While no studies have looked at benefits of bromelain for
reversing the changes of long-established osteoarthritis,
small-scale studies have shown it to be of benefit for reducing
swelling in rheumatoid arthritis2 and reducing acute
knee pain3. When combined with other enzymes, it appears
to be as good as diclofenac (a NSAID) for improving pain and
mobility in osteoarthritis4.
People prescribed warfarin should avoid bromelain because of
possible anticoagulant effects; otherwise it is well tolerated and
not known to interfere with modern drugs. Bromelain is effective
from a dosage of as little as 160mg daily, although doses up to 2g
a day are reported to have been used. In our study at the
University of Reading3, we showed that a daily dose of
400mg was more effective than 200mg for reducing acute knee pain,
although both doses improved knee health significantly.
For many years there have been anecdotal reports that bromelain
is a useful natural weapon to combat joint problems; modern
research is now beginning to bear this out.
1 Lotti T et al. (1993). Drugs. 46:144-6
2 Cohan et al. (1964). Penn Med J. 67: 27-30.
3 Walker AF et al. (2002). Phytomedicine. 9:681-6.
4 Klein et al. (2000). Clin Drug Invest. 19:15-23.
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