Clinical Evidence
CLINICAL EVIDENCE
In addition to the positive reports gathered from medical practices on the benefits of CH-Alpha, there is a series of clinical studies showing the effects of Collagen Hydrolysate (CH) in enhancing joint function by its effects on cartilage in patients with thinning joint cartilage and osteoarthritis especially the Rippe Lifestyle Institute study. The research study on athletes, including the Fernandez study on the Spanish Basketball League and Mountain Bike Association athletes, showed positive results on cartilage thickness for those who were treated with CH-Alpha.
Positive results were also noted in the Tufts & Harvard’s affiliated hospital research study using the active ingredient in CH-Alpha that’s supported by a patent. Special protocol MRI scans for cartilage evaluation over 11 months showed positive cartilage changes in many people using it versus the patient group not using it.
The Flechsenhar study at the German Olympic training facility, Rhein-Rhur showed improvement in exertional joint pains involving the shoulder, hip, and knee joints with CH-Alpha.
In the Penn State CH-Alpha study on University athletes done by Dr. Kristine Clark, Director of Sports Nutrition Penn State University and adviser to the US Women’s Soccer Olympic team from 1995 to 2007, also showed positive results on athletes taking CH-Alpha.
Tufts Harvard Affiliated Hospital Study:
The natural Bioactive Collagen Peptides Collagen Hydrolysate (CH) stimulates the regeneration of cartilage. This has been confirmed by the results of two independent investigations which were presented at the congress of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) in Montreal. A clinical trial performed by Harvard Medical School Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center demonstrated the efficacy of Bio Active Collagen Peptides on the basis of magnetic resonance images (MRI). Working in collaboration with Kiel University, scientists at the Kiel-based Collagen Research Institute (CRI) then gathered experimental evidence of the effects of Bioactive Collagen Peptides on cartilage cells. These have been developed by GELITA AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of collagen peptides. The study showed detectable MRI scan changes in knee osteoarthritis cartilage at 24 weeks following treatment with Bioactive Collagen peptides CH.
Dr. Kristine Clark Penn State Athletes study:Leading the study were Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor of nutrition at Penn State University and director of sports nutrition for the Penn State athletic department & the US Olympic Committee for US Womens Olympic Soccer team 1997-2005, and Wayne Sebastianelli, M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Harrisburg, Pa., and head team physician for the department of athletics at Penn State. The study showed positive support of joint health and possibly reduction of the risk of joint deterioration in a high-risk athletic group with Bioactive Collagen Peptides CH. The results suggest that athletes consuming Bioactive Collagen Peptides CH can reduce parameters (such as pain) that have a negative impact on athletic performance.
Additional Studies Involving Collagen Hydrolysate
Adam
This randomized, double-blind study involving 81 patients assessed changes in symptoms after patients received collagen hydrolysate (CH), gelatin, egg albumin, or gelatin + glycine + calcium hydroxylate. A two month washout phase alternated with a therapy period of two 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 CH 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 different sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany over 24 weeks. 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 a placebo. CH 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
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Mean score differences from baseline showed that collagen hydrolysate offered a statistically significant advantage over placebo when physical function was assessed.
Rippe et. al.
The results of a randomized, prospective, double-blind study in 250 (190 evaluable) patients, with mild osteoarthritis, showed that the administration of CH considerably improved the function of the knee joints. The effect of CH was examined over a period of 14 weeks, in comparison to a control group given a placebo. Please note, in this study, CH was given in conjunction with calcium and vitamin C. Many parameters were assessed relating to joint function and mobility. The findings suggest CH may contribute to early improvement in knee function.
In an additional, similar study by Rippe et. al., they showed that the administration of CH also considerably improved knee joint function in osteoarthritis patients.
Götz
This non-randomized study tested the effect of CH in 60 patients over three months. Subjective and objective measures were investigated to evaluate the effect of CH. After one month, 56 percent of patients had improved considerably. At the end of the study, 75 percent of patients were either symptom-free, or had clearly improved symptoms.
Fernández et. al.
To evaluate the effects of CH in athletes, a six month study was conducted on a 16 member team of mountain bike competitors, and 10 individuals from a basketball team out of the first division from a Spanish league. Each study participant was given a single daily dose of 10 grams of CH 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 (shoulder) joint and the femoral-tibial (knee) joint. The average increase in cartilage thickness was 14 percent in the study group.
Conversely, not only was there no increase in cartilage thickness in the control group after six months, significant decreases were observed. In the control group, the lateral and medial scapula-humeral joint cartilage showed a 16 percent and 13 percent decrease in thickness respectively.
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. Subjects took 10 grams of CH-Alpha daily for 12 weeks. They were then 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, four to six weeks later, and at the end of the study. Significant improvements were reported for the clinical parameters.