How Metabolism Affects your Joints

When you have a joint problem Conventional Medicine goes like this ” Something is broken; therefore, something must be fixed. That is true if we have a trauma or a problem that goes on for too long. Then the only choice to improve quality of life is surgical repair.

However the health of our joints ” wear and tear” is most often due to poor metabolic health.

We mostly thought that pressure or weight caused arthritis.  Similarly, we blamed torn tendons on excess force. Perhaps you’re working out too much. Perhaps you should lift less weight etc ..”

Well, it turns out that the mechanisms leading to tendon-related disorders and osteoarthritis are far more complicated. Scientists are just starting to unlock some of the key contributors to joint health and they are saying that everything is the body is connected. Yeah!! Finally ! I am pleased to see that the thinking is becoming more and more main stream….

Metabolism affects your Joints

It turns out that running doesn’t cause arthritis, and lifting weights usually will not cause a normal tendon to fail. How we fuel, how we rest and how we think has a big effect. The ” Itis” or inflammation is the the result overtime of not so good choices. It is a body providing a signal that something needs to be changed.

Research into osteoarthritis and tendon-related dysfunction is starting to reveal that our diet and lifestyle—which is to say, our metabolic health—have a lot to do with many of the conditions we previously attributed to overload, age, genetics, and other mechanistic etiologies.

Keeping your joints healthy means keeping your metabolic systems healthy.

Reversing metabolic dysfunction can stop the inflammation cascade and stop further joint damage.

You have heard me say versions of this ” you can’t outrun, out-exercise, or medicate your way out of a bad diet.” It’s time that for us emphasize how important it is to provide our bodies with the right nutrients it needed to support joint health.

Your knees, shoulders, low back, and hips will thank you.

If you want to read on to learn more about how Metabolic Health affects your Joints please enjoy the science and my  top suggestions and keep reading the rest of the article.

If you want the whole food nutrients answer then here you go:

My Top Whole Food Nutrients for Joint Health are: 

Arthritis and Joint Stiffness :

It is a Liver problem. Betacol is a liver detoxifier and it helps remove Guanidine ( an alkaline solution that creates stiffness and constipation) from the body. Betacol 2/ per meal.  Milk Thistle Forte is the herbal partner for Betacol.

Osteo Arthritis:

Here we need to put calcium into the bones where it belongs and not in the tissues. You need good Stomach acid to be able to utilize calcium and essential fatty acids.  My go to is Zypan 2/ per meal and Cataplex F 2/ per meal.

Ligament and Tendon Issues:

Ligaplex II  2/ per meal and Collagen C. 2/per meal

Metabolic Health:

Diaplex:  2/per  meal. It is a combination formula that has support for Blood Sugar issues and it contain nutrients like Zypan and Betacol mentioned above for joint health.  The herbal partner would be Metabol Complex. 2/per meal.

You can order via your Patient Direct Account or via drpia.standardprocess.com

Three Ways Metabolic Mechanisms Affect Joints

Cholesterol

To understand how cholesterol affects tendons, it helps to know that tendons are a tight collection of collagen bundles, much like support cables on a bridge. Any break in those bundles, or alteration in their microscopic architecture, can lead to a weakening of those tendons.

Just as cholesterol deposits inside the walls can block our arteries, the same can occur in our tendons. Cholesterol deposits cause weakness in the tendon structure. Cholesterol can also be oxidized (OxPL) due to inflammation, further damaging the tendons.

Studies show an association between tendinopathy and abnormal cholesterol. Tendon pain may also be more common in people with hyperinsulinemia or type 2 diabetes.

Cholesterol can put people at higher risk for certain tendon injuries too. Studies show an association between rotator cuff tears and an abnormal lipid profile. Other papers found high cholesterol in patients with rotator cuff tears.

Many researchers are looking at tendinopathy as a risk factor for heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and hyperinsulinemia since all share metabolic changes and some degree of cholesterol deposits in the tendon and blood vessel walls.

Collagen damage

It turns out poor glucose regulation can affect our joint and tendon architecture by damaging the collagen. Excess glucose in the blood can lead to the production of damaging compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These AGEs can crosslink with collagen, increasing its stiffness and compromising the strength of the tendon.

Inflammation

Inflammation in the short term is very good for the body and is needed for healing. If you have metabolic dysfunction and inflammation becomes chronic then the reverse happens. This is where  we start to see breakdown and a build up of “Trash” that needs to be removed.

Healing is a complex topic and it requires a proper environment. To heal we need the appropriate cell types, the proper chemical mediators, and the proteins necessary to rebuild our physical health.

How to have Healthy Joints

Fuel

What you choose to eat plays a large role. If you develop insulin resistance, your muscles no longer take in glucose as well and do not process it into glycogen (stored glucose) as efficiently. That leaves the liver to deal with any excess, causing elevated triglycerides and dyslipidemia. A decrease in your HDL follows. Over time, those lipids will have effects throughout your body, including your tendons. The body need the right kind of fuel to keep your energy and joints healthy.

Movement

Movement is also needed. Studies done on normal weight, inactive college students reveal that a large percentage of them are insulin resistant. This is a big ah ha!!! Movement is necessary and with the increase in Tech more and more time is spend sitting on our Bum…😳

Exercise improves glucose metabolism. Exercise also promotes tendon health. Tendons will respond to load by increasing their cross-sectional area and improving the strength of their attachment to bone. Exercise may not be able to reverse 30 years of metabolic dysfunction, but it’s never too late to care for your current and future self.

Whole Food Support

Lastly, include whole food support as outlined above to help support both metabolism and support joint health.  The body systems are all connected and the influence each other via a network. Everything is connected.

Wellbeing is a fluid state and it changes throughout our life.  The physical expression that we get via our joints and tendons provides us with a signal that we need to pay attention to the everything we are doing and make some needed adjustments.

Every time you eat and exercise, you are making a short term investment in how you feel, a medium term investment in how you look, and a long term investment in how you perform.

Have a healthy week and as always I am available if you are looking for support on your journey

Dr Pia