Here's a story we are working on at Healthy Living magazine
No doubt, hyaluronic acid is one of the most sought after anti-aging molecules today. Ever since 2002 when Connie Chung of ABC News aired her story about the village of longevity in Japan, “HA has catapulted from obscurity to mainstream store shelves rapidly,” according to Luke Bucci, Ph.D., and Amy Turpin, M.Sc., writing in 2004 in the
Journal of Applied Nutrition.
That growth noted some six years ago has continued, and consumers seeking a healthy active lifestyle are finding that HA whether used orally or applied topically is a miracle of nature that can truly turn back the hands of time. A water loving molecule, HA forms the cushioning matrix between your cells and is the basis of the lubricating fluid in your joints and skin. HA is marketed primarily because of its powerful health benefits for the eyes, skin and joints, but it is also being recognized for helping the body’s pain, inflammation, and healing responses.
Hyaluronic acid is a special protein occurring naturally throughout the human body. One of the most heavily researched substances in medicine today with thousands of clinical trials mostly in the fields of orthopedics and eye surgery. Its function in the body is, amongst other things, to bind water and to lubricate movable parts of the body, such as joints and muscles. Its consistency and tissue-friendliness allows it to be used in skin-care products as an excellent moisturizer. Hyaluronic acid is one of the most hydrophilic molecules in nature and can be described as "nature’s moisturizer".
Hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by the body as a constituent of synovial fluid that lubricates the cartilage between the joints. As we age, the body produces less and less HA and it becomes more and more difficult to replenish it. With osteoarthritis, the cartilage and other structures of the joint begin to break down. In some people, a small amount of inflammation breaks down the hyaluronic acid so that proper lubrication is lost. Joints become stiff and movement is painful. HA supplements pick up where our bodies fail us.
No wonder doctors use what is known as high molecular weight very pure HA for osteoarthritis of the knee with such wonderful results. Michael Loes, M.D., M.D.(H.), a leading pain management specialist, says, “All of the available evidence shows us that HA works great whether injected, taken orally, or applied topically. Each contributes to the healing response.” Dr. Loes extols the virtues of HA for maintaining healthy knees and staying active.
However, many different kinds of HA supplements are sold today, and they have very different properties—depending as their molecular weight. So if you want a great product for your needs, listen up!
“There is something fundamentally different about the biological response to high (megadaltons) and lower molecular weight HA,” says a report in the October 2000 issue of Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. “In essence, bigger is better for health benefits from HA, and smaller fragments have very different or opposite properties than native, high molecular weight HA,” according to the Journal of Applied Nutrition report.
Many of the products we found contained low molecular weight. This is particularly true for animal-based HA derived from chicken sternal cartilage or rooster combs, two popular source. The low-molecular weight HA fragments “have either lost anti-inflammatory effects or instigate proinflammatory catabolic properties compared to native HA in several biological systems.” Other studies show that collagen-based formulas have benefits in rebuilding tissue and can be used for connective tissue, but these are not the anti-aging benefits to be obtained from pure high molecular weight HA, the reports suggest.
From looking at the product comparisons, high molecular weight HA offers the anti-aging benefits first described in the ABC news report. When HA reaches 460,000 to 2.8 million or more Daltons, good things begin to happen. Inflammation and pain response both stay healthy in the low normal range while joint cushioning is supported nicely by the same kind of HA that is used professionally in the medical profession. All sorts of positive anabolic benefits also appear, including increases synthesis of proteoglycans, the building blocks of connective tissue, improved bone minerzation, and, of course, the water capturing benefits. The body can begin to rebuild. But this comes only with the highest levels.
So if you’re looking for the anti-aging benefits for your eyes, joints, skin and more, high molecular weight bio-identical HA is your best choice. The lower weight collagen formulas have benefits too—but again there are all sorts of collagen formulas as well, each with different profiles, and they are not going to offer these anti-aging benefits seen in the village of longevity. In this case, the real HA is the high molecular weight bio-identical form.
Resources
We also found Synthovial 7 from Hyalogic, a very popular brand that stands out for purity, innovation and quality. The HA in the Synthovial 7 formula has a molecular weight between 2.4 and 2.8 million Daltons, the highest molecular weight for oral HA in the market.
Synthovial 7 is a liquid solution of hyaluronic acid. Oral liquid solutions by nature are absorbed by the body easier and quicker than tablets and capsules, particularly so for HA, which is well absorbed sublingually.
Synthovial 7 is available at health food stores, natural pharmacies and other retialers. For all of the anti-aging benefits, this is the formula to choose. Be sure to visit
www.hyalogic.com to find a store near you or call them at
866-318-8484.
