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Nov 3rd 2025
MSM Decreases Joint Degeneration in Osteoarthritic Knee
. . . the case has been made for treating arthritis and its symptoms with MSM
Although plenty of people swear by MSM (often taken along with glucosamine and chondroitin) for alleviating their arthritis symptoms, the kind of large studies that convince doctors have not yet been done. No surprise here. MSM is not a patent medicine, so there’s little incentive to pour millions of dollars into investigating it. But smaller studies have gradually built a convincing case for the efficacy of MSM in treating arthritis and reducing symptoms of pain, stiffness and loss of function.
A recent animal study out of Japan used mice bred to develop osteoarthritis to duplicate MSM’s effects on human arthritic joints. They found that when the mice took MSM at a dose comparable to what’s recommended for humans for 13 weeks it “decreased degeneration of the cartilage at the joint surface in the knee joints in a dose-dependent manner” – meaning the more MSM the mice received, the less their joints deteriorated.
These researchers defined a recommended human dose as 0.06 grams/kilogram of body weight, the equivalent of about 3.75 grams per day for a 140-pound human. The optimal dose for MSM has yet to be determined. Human clinical trials so far have used from 1.5 to 6 grams daily. Interestingly, the trial using the lowest amount – 1.5 grams (500 mg three times daily) produced the most significant reduction in pain – 33% vs. 25% for a trial using 6 grams per day (3 grams twice daily) and 21.1% in a trial using 3.375 grams per day (1.125 grams three times daily). These unexplained results, however, could be due to differences in study design as well as in the quality of MSM used.
It should also be noted that these studies found symptom improvement by MSM got better and better with time. Since the duration of each of the studies was only 12 weeks, long-term studies would likely demonstrate even greater benefits from MSM.
Of course taking MSM as a “magic bullet” is never going to be as effective as using it within a comprehensive program as we do at Beyond Health, with wonderful results.
Our Joint Protection Formula combines MSM with glucosamine, chondroitin and other anti-inflammatory nutrients. Beyond this, we recommend an anti-inflammatory diet and avoidance of inflammatory toxins (see Raymond’s article on Inflammation), weight normalization (to relieve stress on the joints), appropriate exercise and ergonomics, and one of our basic supplement programs (the Wellness Kits) plus antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplements, like curcumin, quercitin, green and white tea and others.
While our Joint Protection Formula supplies 1.5 grams of MSM daily, you may find additional symptom reduction by taking more. MSM is extremely safe, even in relatively large amounts if it is pure. Our very pure MSM comes in 500 mg capsules.
Since minor adverse effects have been reported with MSM, including gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, concentration problems, headache and insomnia, start slow and up your dose gradually. Avoid taking MSM at night if insomnia is a problem. We’ve found that almost all problems with our MSM are detox reactions that can be alleviated by temporarily reducing dosage. However, mercury toxicity can cause a reaction to the sulfur in MSM (as well as in many foods). Read more about this possibility in Andy Cutler’s book, Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment.
On the other hand, many non-Beyond Health MSM products contain impurities that can and do cause a host of adverse reactions. Unfortunately, the growing popularity of MSM and glucosamine has flooded the market with cheap and inferior supplements.
You’ve got to use high-quality MSM to get good results! Our unique formulation ensures that apart from its 100% Kosher vegetable capsule, you get absolutely nothing but pure MSM – it’s the purest, safest and most effective MSM product anywhere!