GNC Tamaflex Ingredients

GNC Tamaflex Fast Acting 

125mg combined turmeric and tamarind seed - As we mentioned in the intro, turmeric is actually a good ingredient, or rather curcumin an extract from turmeric is a good ingredient, multiple studies have shown that it's good for joint mobility and joint health overall, it's quite potent in terms of its anti inflammatory properties so we do like it if it's dosed correctly, unfortunately this is about 100x less than needed for arthritis or any other form of joint pain. As for tamarind, it's only been tested in rats and the dose is equally too low here. 

50mg boswellia extract - Boswellia is also decent as joint supplements go, but it should be dosed at 100mg, some studies have shown 50mg can have some minor effect on joint comfort, but it was less effective at this dosage. 

Tamaflex Complete 

GNC Tamaflex complete contains the same ingredients as the "fast acting" version along with the following. 

750mg glucosamine hcl - Glucosamine HCL is the purer and stronger version of Glucosamine sulphate, the dosage is actually fine here, although can cause some stomach pain when compared against a larger dose of glucosamine sulfate, the only reason to use HCL is in supplements packed with other ingredients where the manufacturer is short on space, which isn't really the case here as there's quite a lot of space left in the capsules. It's been shown to reduce joint pain in trials, and is actually prescribed in some places making it a good ingredient and pretty much the only good thing we have to say about gnc tamaflex. Some studies show that it doesn't do much for joint health overall but does seem to reduce pain, even if it didn't do much for joint health or joint flexibility scores. 

600mg chondroitin - chondroitin is fine, it's not the best ingredient, but has been shown to amplify the effects of glucosamine hcl. The dose is at the high end and this is fine, although we'd have liked to have seen a bit more type ii collagen. 

20mg Type ii collagen - not our favorite ingredient, there's as many studies that back it as that debunk it, in general it seems that it does work for some people. The main issue is that typically it's dosed at a minimum of 30mg, with 40mg being the ideal dose. 

2.5mg hyaluronic acid - this doesn't really work unless it's injected into the site, most of it gets broken down in the stomach and doesn't make it into the body. Even in the few studies that have shown it has slightly improved joint function the dosage were much higher. 

All in all taking tamaflex complete is slightly better than gnc tamaflex fast acting, at least in terms of pain relief and minor discomfort although it's still not great.