Editing Il Fatto Alimentare 6 May 2019 Nutrition CommentsSeveral issues related to the indiscriminate use of some supplements that have no proven scientific value have recently been brought to light.Il Fatto Alimentare also talked about it, with an article signed by Agnese Codignola and entitled “Food supplements for cartilage are dangerous for diabetics, asthmatics and allergic to shellfish.Anses's opinion ".It should be emphasized that the alarm refers to two specific substances, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.On the subject I intend to bring the opinion of the National Arthrosis Center (Cna), where protocols for the treatment and prevention of forms of osteoarthritis and arthritis have been applied for several years, which include the adjuvant use of completely natural food supplements.The key points on which the choice to use some specific active ingredients in degenerative skeletal pathologies is based are many.First, osteoarthritis and arthritis, even if they have completely different origins, share the characteristic of being chronic inflammatory forms.However, a traditional drug therapy based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (the so-called Fans) or cortisone does not make any sense, since it can only be used for a very short time, given the unwanted side effects to which it leads if it continues beyond time. limit of a few weeks.There is therefore an underlying flaw in treating pathologies that in theory last a lifetime with drugs that are useful in the short term.Some of the side effects are very serious.More than 20 years ago, epidemiological studies in the US had revealed the deaths of 16,500 people per year from complications resulting from the prolonged use of these osteoarthritis drugs (1).As has already been pointed out, both Anses and EFSA have taken a clear position in communicating the possible adverse reactions deriving from the use of glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.Not only that, but also that these substances of animal origin (with all the possible contaminations related to this) should be considered real drugs and not supplements.Finally, many important studies have shown a poor action of these two substances, so much so that even the Arthritis Foundation in the USA does not recommend their use (2)In accordance with Arthritis Research UK and based on the scientific evidence in the literature, at the headquarters of the National Arthrosis Center at the moment we therefore use protocols for the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis which among other things (personalized anti-osteoarthritis diet , intra-articular transplantation of mesenchymal cells of adipose derivation, laserphoresis, minimally invasive surgical reconstructions) involve the use of some supplements containing the following active ingredients:It is very important to underline that the efficacy of these active ingredients is synergistic and therefore dosages and methods of administration must be identified that optimize their adjuvant action (7-8)As highlighted by Anses, there is a risk in taking supplements that do not contain what is stated on the label, both as an active ingredient and as a quantity.Furthermore, if the substances do not come from organic crops or have been prepared in countries where there are no controls on their purity and reliability, they can contain various pollutants and be harmful.For this reason it is advisable to pay close attention to the products you choose, and if in doubt, consult your doctor or orthopedic specialist.Marco Lanzetta - Scientific Director of the National Arthrosis Center... you are one of the 40 thousand people who read our news every day without limitations because we give everyone free access.Il Fatto Alimentare, unlike other sites, is an independent online newspaper.This means not having a publisher, not being linked to political lobbies or parties and having advertisers who do not interfere with our editorial line.This is why we can write articles in favor of the tax on sugary drinks, counter the exaggerated consumption of bottled water, report food alerts and report misleading advertisements.All this is also possible thanks to donations from readers.Support Il Fatto AlimentareTagarthrosis National Center for Osteoarthritis food supplements Marco LanzettaThe Mediterranean Diet was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco on November 16, 2010…The professor.Lanzetta is an example of a luminary of surgery who proposes innovative and alternative ideas compared to the usual drugs.All is well, except for the attribution of specific qualities to products as they are of "natural" origin.Not so: everything is chemical, and everything has an effect.If a synthetic product has the same molecular chemical composition as one of natural origin, they are identical.It is no coincidence that we can take the example of acetylsalicylic acid mentioned in the article.In Italy there are over 100 poisonous spontaneous plants (source: TV intervention by Dr. Caramelli Director of the Zooprophylactic Institute of Piedmont and co., And in any case on the web the subject is treated in many videos), some with even deadly effects.Others can be confused with edible herbs, such as hemlock, mandrake, etc.Nature is not a mother, but a stepmother.Another problem with natural products is the composition.An industrial product has a precise composition.A product that derives from plants probably has a set of components: sometimes it can be good (it can happen that the beneficial effect is due to the secondary components), other times not, because for example one can be allergic.Furthermore, the natural product has unstable active ingredient contents, since the climate, soil, etc. are unstable.etc.Beyond this, giving greater validity to a product just because it is natural, in the end, is an error of scientific method.I'm sorry, but science as that said is not democratic, chemical laws are what matterI must honestly say that the definition of "supplements" seems to me right on the edge.The use thus described by prof.it seems to me to be of a "pharmacological" type, it is no coincidence that he writes about active ingredients and associated use of products.Good morning Osvaldo, I disagree.All supplements have active ingredients and the fact of studying and explaining the active ingredients they contain does not make them medicinal.Ditto for the recommendations for hiring.The article is written by a doctor who therefore treats the issue in a medical way, advises and explores, which, honestly, I appreciated.Our body has needs for which we are often forced to resort to medicines.Honestly, if a conscious use of natural supplements leads to a reduction in the use of medicines, so be it!Mrs. Nina, by mere definition a "supplement" serves to "integrate" a deficiency: vitamins, minerals, aminoadics.Deficiencies due for example to poor or insufficient nutrition, digestive problems, specific diseases (for example anemia).When used for healing, they are not supplements.They are medicines, whatever it says on the label.The editorial team knows this because I had already written other comments currently moderated.Even the question of the "natural" is all debatable;everything is chemical, and very natural it is poisonous (in Italy there are over 100 poisonous vegetables in nature, starting from hemlock to go from the garden oleander to the colchicum identical to saffron and sometimes there are people who poison themselves).Nature is not a mother: if she, walking through a wood or a meadow, fed on herbs, leaves, berries taken at random without knowledge, she would probably die within 2-3 days… I hope that at least this comment will be published for me.The confusion that is made about the alleged lack of problems with "natural" products, for a technician like me, is unbearable… look for articles and videos by the well-known TV phytotherapist of Linea verde & co.Ciro Vestita.Or those of Dario Bressanini.ps - there are people who survive only thanks to medicines, may they be blessed ...I am frankly confused by the article.A supplement, by definition, would be a substance that responds to a deficiency: vitamins, minerals, amino acids.Here we are talking about a typically medicinal use: active ingredient, dose, anti-inflammatory effects… What is the problem?First of all the confusion (even the distinction between natural and not has no chemical meaning), and secondly there is a lack of "precautions" due to the use of medicines (side effects and co.)The confusion to which the reader refers is given by the fact that the natural active ingredients, components of the so-called "supplements", can have an efficacy comparable to synthetic drugs, but this efficacy is not recognized and regulated.On the contrary, a rift has arisen between drugs synthesized in the laboratories of pharmaceutical companies, often covered by industrial patents, and supplements derived from substances found in nature (from plants, fruits, herbs, roots, etc.), to the advantage of the former, which are the only ones who can be presented as being able to cure diseases.In fact, the reality is different, and that is that many natural active ingredients have stood the test of time, as they have been used for thousands of years by our ancestors (just think of Ayurvedic medicine), and therefore have their indisputable effectiveness.This effectiveness is in many cases documented by very rigorous scientific studies.Furthermore, these active ingredients are often free from side effects, which are typical of many drugs.In the case of our patients, who are suffering from osteoarthritis or arthritis, traditional anti-inflammatory drugs temporarily solve a problem (for example pain related to inflammation) but their prolonged intake affects important organs of our body (such as stomach and liver), which quickly show damage from side effects.For this reason, the National Arthrosis Center uses products that we have fully validated both from the point of origin and quality, as well as the content.It is therefore essential to rely on your doctor when in doubt for taking certified, tested and reliable supplements.Hello, I would like an opinion on the devil's claw, since it was not mentioned in the article.In natural medicine it is seen as an almost miraculous plant.I have just started a treatment, but it must be said that given my age the treating doctor thinks more of a tendinopathy.Thank youWe have published an article that you can find at this address (https://ilfattoalimentare.it/artiglio-del-diavolo-lanzetta-artrosi.html)I totally agree with Lanzetta, the use of drugs for chronic pathologies simply turns off the symptom, which reappears immediately after the suspension of the pharmacological chemical principle.To which pro?The fattening of the pharmaceutical sector and that's it.The only valid alternative is to set the diet correctly (something that few doctors know how to do because in the medical faculties they do not study nutrition and even less prevention) and use less harmful substances as possible, given the prolonged times of intake.Otherwise we turn off one symptom to turn on another.“… Many natural active ingredients have stood the test of time, as they have been used for thousands of years by our ancestors (just think of Ayurvedic medicine), and therefore have their indisputable effectiveness.This effectiveness is in many cases documented by very rigorous scientific studies ... "Well, then this INDISCUTABLE "time" effect (??? !!) is ALWAYS documented by very rigorous scientific studies and universally recognized and validated protocols that cannot be circumvented (ALWAYS, otherwise "shortcuts" are sought)Otherwise the INDISCUTABLE benefits on well-being, longevity and quality of life for billions of people will regress to the pre-Enlightenment until the Middle Ages when it was INDISCUTABLE for example that the bad air depended precisely on the unhealthy air of the swampy environments if not even on some superstitious jattura curable by the Wizard-Santone that I hope no one regrets.Post-truth is so vintage and fashionable… but scientific truth, albeit tiring, is the only one to provide credible, documented, rational and repeatable answers.It is well known that someone makes money or gets organized in search of business, both in the West and in the mythologized East.Both among the Synthetics and the "Naturals", indeed with a growing increase among the latter, given the good "fame" of the term.And finally, thousands of "natural" substances are toxic and have acute and chronic side effects.We have noticed this in recent decades by studying them WITH A STRICT SCIENTIFIC METHOD, in factBy clicking on Subscribe, you declare that you have read and accepted the information