Eggshell Membrane Review

Eggshell Membrane is a new joint treatment that has outperformed glucosamine in recent scientific studies.

Find out if Eggshell Membrane is the right joint support supplement for you today in our review.

What is Eggshell Membrane?

Eggshell membrane is exactly what it sounds like: it’s the membrane found between the egg white and the mineralized egg shell.

Just like eggshell membrane acts as a protective barrier for eggs, it can act as a protective barrier for your joints.

You can see the eggshell membrane of the egg when you peel a boiled egg. It’s the filmy, protective coating you see just beneath the shell.

What Are Eggshell Membrane Supplements?

Today, a few major pharmaceutical companies now sell eggshell membrane supplements as joint pain relief medications. Mercola’s BiovaFlex formula, Jamieson’s Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM) supplement, and the Natural Factors NEM capsules are three of the best-known supplements widely available today.

These supplements are made in a few different ways. Every year, the egg industry in America alone generates 24 billion eggshells.

After the eggs are broken, their shells can be boiled and steamed to separate the membrane from the shell. Some manufacturers also put the eggshells through a chemical or mechanical separation process.

After the membrane has been separated, manufacturers hydrolyze the membrane, which basically means they reduce it and eliminate the filler. Then, they dry the resulting mixture to form a powder extract.

This eggshell membrane powder extract is what you find in eggshell membrane supplements.

How Does Eggshell Membrane Work?

Eggshell membrane has proven to be a good natural source of collagen, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid. Together, these compounds help “lubricate” the joints of your body. They strengthen the connective tissue. As your body ages, your joints contain less and less of each essential nutrient. By supplementing your diet with eggshell membrane, you can force your body to add essential compounds back into your joints.

But eggshell membrane also works in another way: it’s also been shown to reduce your body’s production of inflammatory compounds – including interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a). Doctors refer to these compounds as “the two primary mediators of inflammation.”

Ultimately, the active ingredients in eggshell membrane include:

— Glycosaminoglycans
— Dermaton Sulfate
— Chondroitin Sulfate
— Sulfated Glycoproteins
— Hexosamines (Particularly Glucosamine)
— Hyaluronic Acid
— Trace amounts of other ingredients include sialic acid, desmosine, isodesmosine, ovotransferrin, lysyl oxidase, lysozyme, and hexosaminidase.

Eggshell Membrane Studies

Some of the best evidence for eggshell membrane supplements comes from Natural Factors, which has published the results of numerous clinical studies. In one clinical study, patients received NEM Natural Eggshell Membrane made by Natural Factors.

Participants were able to “reduce joint pain by 20% or more within 7-10 days of taking the supplement. After 30 days of taking the supplement daily, patients experienced an average of 73% reduced pain in their joints.

Other clinical trials from Natural Factors also demonstrated significantly reduced stiffness and a vastly improved range of motion. Researchers concluded that eggshell membrane protected against the deterioration of cartilage in the joints.

NEM also went through another clinical study involving patients with osteoarthritis. That study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study involving 67 patients with osteoarthritis in their knees.

These patients either received 500mg of NEM daily or a placebo. After 10 days, participants who took the NEM supplements reported a 12% reduction in pain and 17% less stiffness. After 60 days of daily usage, patients observed 15% reduced pain and 31% less stiffness. One third of the participants taking NEM also experienced pain reduction greater than 40%, and half of them at least 50% less stiffness. — Source: NaturalFactors.com

The Journal of Clinical Interventions in Aging published a study in 2009 that explored the possibility of using eggshell membrane as a “new natural therapeutic for joint and connective tissue disorders.” After performing two open-label pilot studies, researchers concluded that “NEM may be a viable treatment for the management of JCT disorders.”

Patients took 500mg of the supplement once per day and were observed to experience reduced pain and reduced stiffness.

More eggshell membrane studies are being released every month. Searching for eggshell membrane on PubMed.gov reveals a total of 485 studies performed between 1965 and May 2015.

How to Buy Eggshell Membrane Supplements

Eggshell membrane supplements are a proven joint pain treatment. There are currently two major eggshell membrane supplements on the market today, including:

— Jamieson NEM Natural Eggshell Membrane
— Natural Factors NEM Natural Eggshell Membrane

Both supplements are very similar. They both contain 500mg servings in each pill and promise to provide “relief from joint discomfort” in 7-10 days.

There’s also a third popular eggshell membrane supplement called Dr. Mercola Joint Formula. That supplement contains four different chemical compounds, including Astaxanthin, Boswellia, hyaluronic acid, and BiovaFlex. That fourth ingredient, BiovaFlex, is a water-soluble eggshell membrane extract.

A typical eggshell membrane supplement costs between $10 and $20 for a one month supply.

Who Should Use Eggshell Membrane?

Eggshell membrane is a unique joint treatment method that has proven to be effective in numerous clinical trials and scientific studies.

The ingredients in eggshell membrane – like hyaluronic acid – are the same ingredients found within other joint treatment medications. That means eggshell membrane is like a natural relief from the joint pain many people experience as they age. For all of these reasons, you may be able to experience relief from your joint pain – including osteoarthritis and other conditions – by taking eggshell membrane supplements.