Olives101.com

By Stephen Daniells,

Supplementation with an olive extract decreased pain and inflammation, and improved the quality of life of people suffering from osteoarthritis, claims a new study.

Writing in the new issue of the journal Nutrition Research, researchers from Arizona State University and California-based company CreAgri report that the supplements also had the added benefit of decreasing homocysteine levels, a marker of improved cardiovascular health.

“An 8-week treatment with olive extract improved daily living activities in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and significantly reduced plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine levels in patients with and rheumatoid arthritis (RA),” wrote lead author Catherine Bitler.

“Thus, introducing a natural and safe food extract into the diet may have the same or better beneficial effects as an intervention diet,” she added.

Bone health is set to become a major segment of the supplements and functional foods market, as ageing populations and the additional strain from obesity swell the numbers affected by osteoporosis.

But while the World Health Organisation calls the condition its biggest global healthcare problem, the main natural product targeted at bone health – calcium supplements – is entering a mature category, and a report from Frost and Sullivan warns that the supplements are set to see ‘fierce cannibalisation’ of sales from therapeutic drugs as consumers look for faster remedies.

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