Page 57 - FoodFocusThailand No.176 November 2020

SOMETHING ABOUT FOOD

Eggshell Membrane Extract-
An Alternative Way

to Support Joint Health

Eggshell membrane extract is a natural product obtained from white thin membranes attached
1
to the inner surface of the eggshells. The membranes were peeled-off and taken through
the production process until it comes out as an extract powder. Eggshell membrane
extract is composed of fibrous proteins that provide positive effects to joint health such
1
as collagen, elastin, glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, glycosaminoglycans, and chondroitin
sulfate.

Beneficial Effects of Eggshell Membrane Extract on Joint Health
Based on the scientific evidence and long historic consumption of eggs and egg products, eggshell membrane is
certified by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) that the inclusion of eggshell membrane in foods is safe,
1
suitable, and GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). Eggshell membrane is also recommended by Natural Health
Products Directorate of Canada (NHPD) as it helps to support joint health, reduce joint and knee pain/stiffness, and
also in knee osteoarthritis (OA) as early as 5 days.
Eggshell membrane extract is an alternative natural product for OA patients, with safety and efficacy reports in
1
alleviating OA symptoms (1,2). A clinical study performed with 20 OA medically diagnosed patients were assigned
to administer supplements containing eggshell membrane 300 mg/day for 50 days. The pain-stiffness-function of the
joint was evaluated at baseline and every 10 days until the end of the study, by using a standard questionnaire for
OA (The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index, WOMAC) (3). The patients had an improvement
in all dimensions of the WOMAC score. The WOMAC
indexes for pain, stiffness were progressively reduced
while the functionality of the joint was significantly
increased when compared to the baseline. (Fig.1) (1)
The pharmacological study of eggshell membrane
extract exhibited anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing
gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines e.g.
interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α. Therefore,
the released matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) from
chondrocytes, osteoclasts, synovial fibroblasts and
macrophages were decreased. Thus, it proves eggshell
membrane may help to reduce cartilage turnover and
1
synovitis symptoms. (4,5)

รูปที่ 1 การเปลี่ยนแปลงของ WOMAC score ในด้านต่างๆ ข้้อมููลเพิ่่่มูเติ่มู/Additional Information
A) pain (อาการปวด) B) stiffness (อาการข้อฝืด ข้อตึง) 1 ผลิตภัณฑ์ Ovomet นำาเข้าจากประเทศสเปน จัดจำาหน่ายโดย บริษััท เพีียวเคมีกัลส์ จำากัด สามารถประยุกต์ใช้ใน
®
C) function (ความสามารถในการใช้งานข้อ) ของอาสาสมัคร ผลิตภัณฑ์เสริมอาหารได้หลากหลาย
ที่ได้รับผลิตภัณฑ์ที่มีส่วนผสมของสารสกัดเยื่อหุ้มเปลือกไข่ 1 Ovomet is eggshell membrane extract, imported from Spain, and distributed in Thailand by
®
300 มก./วัน เป็นระยะเวลา 50 วัน (1) Pure Chemicals Co., Ltd. Ovomet is suitable and applicable in various types of food/dietary supplement.
®
เอกสารอ้างอ่ง/References
Fig. 1 Changing of WOMAC indexes for A) pain 1. Blasco JM-Í, Aguirre A, Quintana EG-, Fenaux M. The effect of daily administration of 300 mg of ovomet for
®
B) stiffness C) function of the joints of OA patients treatment of arthritis in elderly patients. International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. 2016;11(5):77.
receiving a 300 mg eggshell membrane supplement 2. EFSA NDA Panel, Turck D, Bresson J-L, Burlingame B, Dean T, Fairweather-Tait S, et al. Safety of egg membrane
daily for 50 days (1)
hydrolysate as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. EFSA Journal 2018;16(7):e05363.
3. Bellamy N, Buchanan WW, Goldsmith CH, Campbell J, Stitt LW. Validation study of WOMAC: a health status
instrument for measuring clinically important patient relevant outcomes to antirheumatic drug therapy in patients
with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. The Journal of rheumatology. 1988;15(12):1833-40.
4. Jerosch J. Effects of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate on Cartilage Metabolism in OA: Outlook on Other
Nutrient Partners Especially Omega-3 Fatty Acids. International Journal of Rheumatology. 2011;2011:969012.
5. Ruff K, Devore D. Reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines in rats following 7-day oral supplementation with a
proprietary eggshell membrane-derived product. Modern Research in Inflammation. 2014;3:19-25.

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