NXT USA, a new nutraceutical ingredients supplier, recently announced the launch of a new joint health ingredient called TamaFlex, which was evidenced by a 2019 study to significantly improve comfort, flexibility, and joint function as quickly as 14 days.
 
TamaFlex is a patent-pending combination of two herbal extracts, one sourced from Tamarindus indica (tamarind) seeds and the other sourced from curcumin (turmeric), formulated to target two enzymatic pathways which cause joint inflammation: the COX-2 and 5-LOX pathways. Most joint health products, according to NXT USA, only address one of these two pathways. The company reports that the tamarind seed extract used in the formula is the first of its kind available globally which is backed by published safety data.
 
“We’re excited to bring TamaFlex to market because we believe it fills an unmet need in the joint health market that products like glucosamine and chondroitin just can’t address, namely consumer demands like clean label, vegan, and non-GMO,” Eric Anderson, managing director of the company, said. “TamaFlex is also clinically validated in healthy participants, while most joint products rely on data from folks with health conditions.”
 
Reduced Joint Pain and Stiffness
A 2019 double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on TamaFlex recruited 90 non-arthritic, healthy participants who were experiencing knee pain. The participants were randomized into groups over a period of 90 days in which they either received 250 mg of TamaFlex, 400 mg of TamaFlex, or a matching placebo daily. At the beginning and throughout the clinical trial, the researchers evaluated a number of performance-based metrics by participating in a six-minute walk or stair climb test, and participants’ self-assessment of knee pain and joint discomfort followed.
 
Subjects in both of the groups which received supplementation saw significant improvements in walking speed in both the six-minute walking test and stair test, demonstrating substantial relief from knee pain after physical activity and improved joint function in non-arthritic adults. A second study nearing publication provides evidence that TamaFlex may begin working as soon as five days after daily supplementation begins, NXT USA said in the announcement.
 
The company identified a number of mechanisms of action by which TamaFlex’s benefits appear to be achieved. In addition to inhibiting 5-LOX and COX-2 activity, the ingredient downregulates the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduces the endogenous production of MMP-3 and MMP-13, two compounds which break down connective tissues, improves the collagen index in human primary chondrocytes, and controls peroxynitrite content in H202 induced human synovial cells (synovial fluid).