Ultra Joint Flex

Ultra Joint Flex: Key Ingredients

Evidence tier: Emerging to Moderate, by ingredient

What it is: Glucosamine and chondroitin, two building blocks of cartilage, combined with boswellia, turmeric, and other botanicals traditionally used for joint comfort. Every ingredient amount is listed on the label.

What the research shows: The research below is for individual ingredients, strongest first. The formula as a whole has not been studied. Most joint research has been done in older adults with knee osteoarthritis, not in people with healthy joints.

• Glucosamine sulfate (Moderate): results are mixed. A 3-year placebo-controlled trial of 212 adults found it helped maintain joint-space width, comfort, and function. A larger 24-week trial of 1,583 adults found no overall benefit over placebo. This formula supplies the same 1,500 mg/day used in both.
• Boswellia (Moderate): a meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials (545 adults) found boswellia improved joint comfort, stiffness, and function when taken for at least 4 weeks.
• Chondroitin sulfate (Moderate, at studied amounts): in the 24-week trial above, glucosamine plus chondroitin outperformed placebo in a subgroup with more pronounced discomfort. That trial used 1,200 mg/day; this formula supplies 150 mg.
• Turmeric (Emerging): a meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials found turmeric extracts improved joint comfort and function at about 1,000 mg/day of curcumin. The authors said the trials were too few and too small for firm conclusions.

We have not reviewed research for the formula's smaller ingredients (quercetin, methionine, MSM, and bromelain, at 25 mg each).

Typical study dose: 1,500 mg/day of glucosamine; 1,200 mg/day of chondroitin; about 1,000 mg/day of curcumin from turmeric extract; boswellia extract for at least 4 weeks. These describe what the studies used, not a recommended amount. Per three-capsule serving, this formula supplies 1,500 mg of glucosamine sulfate, 200 mg of boswellia, 150 mg of chondroitin sulfate, and 150 mg of turmeric root. The glucosamine matches the studied amount; the chondroitin and turmeric are below it.

Reginster JY, Deroisy R, Rovati LC, Lee RL, Lejeune E, Bruyere O, Giacovelli G, Henrotin Y, Dacre JE, Gossett C. "Long-term effects of glucosamine sulphate on osteoarthritis progression: a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial." The Lancet, 2001. PMID: 11214126.

Clegg DO, Reda DJ, Harris CL, et al. "Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis." New England Journal of Medicine, 2006. PMID: 16495392.

Yu G, et al. "Effectiveness of Boswellia and Boswellia extract for osteoarthritis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis." BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2020. PMC7368679.

Daily JW, Yang M, Park S. "Efficacy of Turmeric Extracts and Curcumin for Alleviating the Symptoms of Joint Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials." Journal of Medicinal Food, 2016. PMID: 27533649.