An estimated 50 million adults in the United States have some form of arthritis or related inflammatory condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Arthritis wears down cartilage in the body's joints over time, and although there's no cure, certain supplements may help control symptoms. Bromelain is an all-natural supplement that has shown to have some benefits for controlling joint inflammation.
Identification
Bromelain is an enzyme found in the stems and juice of pineapples. It belongs to a group of plant-derived proteolytic enzymes, or those enzymes that help your body breakdown and assimilate proteins, that also includes papain found in papaya. Bromelain is sold in tablet and capsule forms by itself and also in combination with the protein trypsin and a substance called rutin, which is naturally found in buckwheat.
Benefits
Bromelain has the ability to make your body produce substances that fight pain and swelling from inflammation. This process involves reducing levels of several markers of inflammation including prostaglandin E2, thromboxane A2, chemokine and cytokine. The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database lists the bromelain-trypsin-rutin combination as being as effective as some prescription painkillers for arthritis of the knee. The German Commission E has also approved bromelain to treat swelling and inflammation.
Expert Insight
U.K. researchers investigated bromelain's effects on joint health in healthy subjects without arthritis but who had knee pain. The results, published in "Phytomedicine" in 2002 showed that a combination of bromelain, trypsin and rutosid significantly improved scores on the WOMAC knee health index in subjects. However, a separate 2006 project in "QJM," the monthly journal of the Association of Physicians, did not find significant improvement in moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis of the knee in subjects using bromelain alone. In that same, year, German scientists published a study in "Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology" showing that the bromelain, trypsin and rutosid combination was as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treating pain, stiffness and physical function in arthritis of the hip joint.
Considerations
If you are allergic to pineapple, wheat, celery, papain, carrot, fennel, cypress pollen, or grass pollen, you may also have an allergic reaction to bromelain. Mild side effects from bromelain include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If you are pregnant, have a bleeding disorder, high blood pressure or liver or kidney disease, avoid taking bromelain.
References
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Bromelain; November 2010
- MedlinePlus; Bromelain; November 2010
- "Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology"; Efficacy And Tolerance of an Oral Enzyme Combination in Painful Osteoarthritis of the Hip; G. Klein, et al.; January-February 2006
- "Phytomedicine"; Bromelain Reduces Mild Acute Knee Pain and Improves Well-Being in a Dose-Dependent Fashion in an Open Study of Otherwise Healthy Adults; A.F. Walker; December 2002
- "QJM, Monthly Journal of the Association of Physicians"; Bromelain as an Adjunctive Treatment for Moderate-to-Severe Osteoarthritis of the Knee: a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study; S. Brien, et al.; December 1999
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Bromelain
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