Does Supple help arthritis pain? Supple® is a dietary supplement marketed on TV in the infomercial called “Smart Medicine”. As an aside, the infomercial looks a lot like the Larry King Show. The host of the infomercial is Dr Monita Poudyal. The person she interviews is Peter Apatow, CEO of Supple Beverages. The Supple TV commercial looks impressive but does Supple work? Let’s now look at Supple, the claims made during the infomercial and see what can be determined.
Supple is a dietary supplement. Supple is not a prescription or over-the-counter drug. It’s said that the ingredients in Supple have been used alongside medications in other countries. A disclaimer is spoken before the infomercial starts. The person speaking the disclaimer sounds very much like Dr Monita Poudyal, who is hosting the infomercial.
During the infomercial, It is stated that supple can help:
- Gout
- Fibromyalgia
- Joint pain
- Back pain
- muscle pain
- weakness and fatigue
- Weight loss
- Carpel tunnel
The active ingredients in Supple are glucosamine HCL and chondroitin sulfate which are found in other supplements to help ease the pain of osteoarthritis (OA). I am not aware of any published peer reviewed studies showing that the active ingredients in Supple help any condition other than osteoarthritis. Also, not all studies show that these ingredients work.
The Supple Company
According to the Supple website, the company is located at 355 Byrd Ave Neenah Wisconsin. The link is a Google Street view of the company location. As you can see, the picture appears to be of a parking lot attached to a building. I did not see any building called “Supple.”
Supple customer service can be reached by calling 1-866-219-6371 from 7 AM — 11 PM CST, Monday — Friday, and from 7 AM — 5 PM on Saturday. According to the Better Business Bureau, Supple LLC is also called Supple Beverages LLC.
The BBB gives Supple Beverages a rating of “A+” when this review was created. According to the Better Business Bureau, the company Supple LLC was formed in 2001 in Colorado. The BBB file on the company was opened in 2008. See the BBB file on Supple LLC for updates and more information.
Supple Ingredients
According to the Supple website (supplebodies.com) 1 bottle of (300 ml or about 10 oz) has 30 calories. Supple contains the following active ingredients.
- Glucosamine HCL 1500 mg
- Chondroitin Sulfate 1200 mg
Supple also contains several vitamins such as vitamin C, D and E as well as niacin, calcium and others. Some of these nutrients may play a role in bone health (mostly vitamin C, D and calcium) but, with the exception of maybe vitamin D, most people in the industrialized world are not deficient in these vitamins or minerals. As such, I dont think they add anything to the effectiveness of Supple for arthritis.
Glucosamine HCL: The Evidence
Some research studies have noted that glucosamine HCL may help reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA). But, when we look at the research we find that there are more studies in support of glucosamine sulfate than for glucosamine HCL.
When I looked at the research, I found over 10 studies noting that glucosamine sulfate appeared to help arthritis pain. The evidence for glucosamine HCL is less convincing, with far fewer studies showing that it works. Here is a study noting that glucosamine HCL doesn't work.
This does not mean that glucosamine HCL will not help some people. But, it may not be as effective as glucosamine sulfate. Some research even hits that the sulfate in glucosamine sulfate may be responsible for its pain modifying effects.
Since glucosamine HCL does not have sulfate, it might be expected to be less effective.
Here is a study using pig cells that noted that glucosamine sulfate was better than glucosamine HCL.
Given that most of the well-done peer reviewed research appears to favor glucosamine sulfate, I have often been perplexed that most glucosamine products sold in America contain glucosamine HCL. Just go to your local health food store or supermarket and look at the popular brands sold today and you can see this for yourself.
For those interested, here is glucosamine sulfate on Amazon.
Regardless of which type of glucosamine you use, one thing is clear; glucosamine does not re-grow cartilage. This is a myth.
Glucosamine HCL is also found in Joint Juice too. You've probably seen this product at your local supermarket. Click the link to see my review on that product.
Supple and RA
Does Supple help rheumatoid arthritis? In 2007 there was a study published titled, Effects of glucosamine administration on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, which consisted of 51 people with RA, those who received 1500 mg of glucosamine HCL per day for 12 weeks – along with their arthritis medications – reported that their pain felt better than those who received a placebo.
The way people reported feeling better in this study consisted on rating their pain on a scale from 0-10 or from another test called the Face Scale, where people pointed to pictures of faces that represented different emotions.
Here's the thing. The blood test measurements in the study were confusing in that some inflammation markers such as CRP (C Reactive Protein) did not change in those who took glucosamine, while another marker (called MMP-3) was reduced.
While some might say that a study like this could lend some evidence that glucosamine HCL helps RA, this is just a single study – and more importantly – it doesn't seem to have been replicated. This study was conducted in 2007 so why no follow up studies?
Chondroitin Sulfate: The Evidence
Does chondroitin sulfate help osteoarthritis? The evidence appears to be less solid than for that of glucosamine sulfate. This is most likely due to the lack of well-controlled research. A few studies have noted that chondroitin sulfate may slow down the joint space degeneration that occurs with OA. That is interesting. The problem is that studies do not consistently show that chondroitin works.
There is no published peer reviewed proof that chondroitin sulfate helps gout, fibromyalgia, carple tunnel syndrome or weight loss as is intimated in the Supple infomercial.
It appears that chondroitin sulfate levels are increased in men who have prostate cancer. At this point, nobody is saying that chondroitin sulfate causes prostate cancer. However, I feel it would be wise to avoid supplements that contain chondroitin sulfate until more is known. Do ask your doctor about this possible connection.
Chondroitin sulfate doe appear to have blood thinner properties. As such those who take blood thinner medications (Coumadin / warfarin) should use caution. Chondroitin sulfate may make asthma symptoms worse.
Peter Apatow, the CEO of the company that makes Supple states in the Supple infomercial he says that you have to take the combination of glucosamine HCL and chondroitin sulfate to get the maximum benefits. But this is not what the research shows. Studies have not consistently shown that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin work better.
Supple: Other Ingredients
Supple contains several other ingredients like vitamins C, D, and E, as well as some B vitamins. None of these nutrients appear to have any significant peer-reviewed published evidence to support their use in helping OA pain. Supple does contain a little calcium. Some research finds that calcium may help OA, but Supple only contains 8% of the daily value of calcium. That’s not a lot. One cup of milk has 30% of the DV for calcium.
What is Rebaudioside A?
At the very bottom of the Supple label of ingredients is Rebaudioside A, This is another name for Stevia, a natural sweetener. Rebaudioside A is a component of stevia but these names are often used interchangeably in the US.
Does Supple Help Weight Loss?
There is no published peer-reviewed proof that glucosamine HCL or chondroitin sulfate or their combination help weight loss. In the infomercial, Peter Apatow says he lost 30 pounds by using Supple AND exercising. To his credit, he does not say specifically that Supple will cause weight loss. Rather, he states that supple might help relieve joint pain and allow people to move more. This does make sense. Supple alone, however, will not promote weight loss.
The infomercial mentions that Supple can be used as a snack. Since a bottle of Supple is only 30 calories, I can understand how someone would lose weight if they used Supple as a low-calorie snack in place of a meal and did not eat as many calories as they normally did. However, Supple, without changing eating patterns, will not cause weight loss.
Who Is Dr Monita Poudyal?
Dr Monita Poudyal is the “host” of the Supple infomercial. She is indeed a physician, and from what I can tell, she specializes in internal medicine and nephrology (kidney disorders) in Colorado.
Dr Poudyl is highly educated and she is the reason why I investigated Supple. Since I know the research behind glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate I was surprised that she would not challenge the fantastic claims about how Supple is supposed to rebuild cartilage as well as help other conditions that research does not support.
At the time the Supple commercial was made Dr. Poudyal was married of Peter Apatow. That fact was not disclosed in the infomercial. According to this article from ConsumerAffairs, they are now divorded.
One meta analysis did find that long term use of glucosamine sulfate (but not glucosamine HCL) might slow down cartilage breakdown but no study has ever shown a reversal of osteoarthritis.
At the start of the infomercial, Dr Poudyal says :
“the standard of care for the treatment of joint pain includes the use of safe, disease-modifying drugs that can naturally reverse the cartilage breakdown that occurs in osteoarthritis.”
Dr Poudyal goes on to say “These agents are not widely available in the u.s.”.
These statements by Dr. Poudyal are not entirely correct. Here's why:
- Glucosamine and chondroitin are not drugs. They are over-the-counter dietary supplements.
- Neither glucosamine HCL or chondroitin sulfate has been shown to reverse cartilage breakdown. Some research has noted that glucosamine sulfate may slow the progression of osteoarthritis; other research hints that chondroitin sulfate may slow the narrowing of joint space in those with osteoarthritis; So in these respects, they may modify the disease” but they do not “reverse” cartilage breakdown.
- The ingredients in Supple ARE available in the US. Many products contain glucosamine HCL and chondroitin sulfate. Go to your local supermarket and check out the arthritis supplements. You'll see I am right. The majority of glucosamine products sold in supermarkets contain glucosamine HCL. One such is example is Joint Juice which I've reviewed previously.
Supple LLC and The FTC
In 2016 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined the makers of supple $150 million dollars for making false claims about their product. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the company might only have to pay $285,000 “because of the financial condition of Supple and Aptow.” Here is an FTC press release on Supple dated October 5 2016.
Supple Side Effects?
I'm not aware of any side effects from the Supple drink itself. I believe in generally healthy people, Supple is likely safe. That said, I wanted to mention a few potential side effects of some of the ingredients in Supple in the hopes that people will speak to their doctor for a more in depth discussion.
There is some evidence that glucosamine might make asthma worse.
Because both glucosamine and chondroitin appear to have a blood thinner effect, those who take blood thinner drugs should ask their doctor before using these supplements.
Since chondroitin sulfate is often derived from cows, some have wondered if chondroitin sulfate supplements might in theory transmit mad cow disease. This, is probably very unlikely. All well established supplement companies go to great strides to ensure the purity of their products. No supplement has ever been linked cause mad cow disease transmission in the US. To be safe, deal with companies you trust and ask them what countries they get their chondroitin sulfate from and compare that to countries with low levels of mad cow disease.
Because glucosamine contains the sugar glucose, this might be a problem for diabetics. Glucosamine might raise blood sugar levels.
The use of Chondroitin sulfate by men is controversial because of some evidence that it may be linked to prostate cancer. For more information on this see my review of chrondroitin sulfate and prostate cancer.
Does Supple Work?
It’s possible that Supple might in some people who have mild osteoarthritis. My question is will it work better than other, cheaper products? Supple is pretty expensive. On the product website a 24 day supply cost $47.95 Plus 14.95 shipping and handling (by the way, I think that's a LOT for shipping and handling).
Here is the FTC press release related to the recent judgement against Supple, if interested. Pretty damning.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/10/marketers-joint-pain-supplement-agree-settle-ftc-charges
Bill, thanks for posting that. Very interesting.
I knew Peter in the start of his professional career which in a completely unrelated field (public accounting). He was quite the rising star in the firm and total straight shooter. I have no doubt that he believes in this, the science notwithstanding. A shame.
The question you should be asking about Dr. Poudyal isn’t why she would endorse the product but how much she gets paid to do it. Some people will say anything if the price is right, even highly educated doctors.
I just saw this infomercial and was curious about the claims made in it. Or more specifically, if anyone had debunked them yet. To my knowledge, the assessment of the product given here is very accurate. Glucosamine and chondroitin are well known, widely available supplements that may help to slow the progression of osteoarthritis.
The rest of the vitamins contained in Supple are good for you and can’t cause any harm, but none of it will do anything to reverse osteoarthritis, or treat any of the other medical conditions listed, and taking these supplements alone will not be enough to control severe pain. There are many less expensive and more effective ways to treat chronic pain.
Hi Laura, I don’t know how much she makes from the infomercial.
I think many of the people commenting are unknowledgeable when it comes to natural holistic/alternative Medicine. The government has brainwashed us all and made us feel that we should be dependent on drugs that only help our symptoms. Meaning they may be able to make money off of us everyday of our lives. There is no money in a cure.
If everyone was healthy, Wall Street would crash. We need to practice clean, minimally processed, all natural, organic diets and we can cure ourselves of any disease. There are documentaries available that will provide you specifics on the cure for cancer and any disease practicing nutrition. For example, Food Matters and The Gerson Institute.
Andrea, you are correct that there is no money to be made cures. As comedian Chris Rock said once said, “the money is in the medicine.” All we have to do is look at all the diabetes med commercials to know this is true. Nobody likes to talk about how type II diabetes is reversible in most people. I’ve seen it happen though. I think the problem with most cures is that they take more effort than popping a pill. popping a pill is easier. Until some high profile person or company who wants to start talking about this – with prime time TV commercials, billboards etc. – this will be a hard battle to win, unfortunately.
“Nobody likes to talk about how type II diabetes is reversible in most people”
That’s probably because it isn’t. If daignosed early enough it can, in many cases, be managed through a balanced diet and exercise, but that doesn’t mean the diabetes isn’t still there. As the disease progresses, most people will need to add medication and/or insulin. It’s not because popping a pill is easier, it’s because they would die without it.
Hi Laura, I have met people who were taking pills (metformin) and even insulin injections. Once they lost weight and started exercising, they got off all of their medications. I call that a reversal. I call that a cure. I’m not the only one saying this anymore, thank goodness. The book How Not To Die has a section on diabetes that I think would help people.
This is not some holistic miracle cure that people don’t know about because they have been brainwashed. Glucosamine and chondroitin have been widely used in North America for decades, and are often recommended by doctors for the treatment of osteoarthritis. That is all they are good for, and even that has not been proven. The rest of the claims made about Supple are pure bunk.
And if eating an organic diet is all it takes to “cure ourselves of any disease”, then how do you explain the existence of disease thousands of years ago, when “organic” was the only option? Think about it.
This is obviously snake oil! It’s 2016 and the ad is in standard definition (SD) and double letterboxed. and then they claim they have a “NEW” treatment for pain? This cannot work, and the ingredients do not do what they claim.
There is no warning about shellfish allergy, so they could actually kill unsuspecting people with their product. This ad should be banned until and unless it is edited so that it is truthful and contains an allergy warning.
Anytime some commercial tells you it is a miracle cure for everything from Arthritis to the Black Plague, and even will help with weight loss, you better hide your credit card. The only one benefiting from this product are the ones selling it.
Supple is Shellfish free!
Hi it’s 2016 the commercial still on an I’m home in a lot of pain an was honestly going to purchase until I seen Check Out What people are reviewing. Thank you!!!
Cause I really don’t have money an especially since my friend gave me a bottle of the same damn supplements as this juice an it’s from gnc. Wow that is really a slap in the face. I mean he acts like it’s this special exotic blend .
Not cool to take people’s hard worked money for their pain an we all know how bad it hurts not just regular pain but the pain of nit being normal everyday self. I’m really been in this depression state an well he really pisses me off now. Sorry
Joline, yes the ingredients are in many products Ive seen. I’m glad I could help save you some money. Depression is something we all go through from time to time. I wish I had some answers for you. If you are able, may I suggest speaking to someone about the things that have you depressed. Just talking about them can sometimes do wonders. I will say a prayer for you today that your arthritis improves and your depression lifts too.
My neighbor is 83 and drinks one Supple every morning for seven years. He says it is the reason he gets around so well. He works every day in a car body shop and cares for a farm and horses morning and evening. He told me Supple is the reason he feels so good. I was looking to try it until I started reading all this negative information. Could its effectiveness have to do with enhanced absorption of the vitamins?
My understanding is that glucosamine HCL is a larger molecule than glucosamine sulfate, so it is not as easily absorbed in the small intestine. HCL is more expensive than sulfate too. So I feed my horses the glucosamine sulfate instead of HCL. Any advice for me on trying Supple? Any research on the absorption rates of the types of glucosamine? Thank you.
MJ, I’m not aware of any absorption differences between glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine HCL. I can say Ive seen more studies on the benefits of glucosamine sulfate. I’d say try Supple for a month or so and see what happens. Let me know if it helps you or not.
First of all Glucosamine and Chondroitin do absolutely nothing for back, neck, shoulder, hip, and wrist pain, but might help with knee discomfort. The glucosamine in this product is the worst form to take!
Regenasure glucosamine which is a vegetarian form made from Corn is the only proven form to offer any relief. I am a certified nutritionist with many years of experience and the doctor in this infomercial is a complete dumbass.
I suggest turmeric capsules that are standardized to at least 95% curcuminoids that come from a good company you trust. Boswellia extract Capsules that come standardized to at least 65%. And MSM Capsules that are purified with Optimsm 500mg 1 capsule 1-3 times a day.
I do not promote any company but if you use this regiment for joint discomfort of any kind you will notice results.
I just happened onto this infomercial on ABC today, and watched and recorded in morbid fascination. Unlike you, I didn’t find it “The Supple TV commercial looks impressive”, as the Doctor and the survivor/researcher parroted each other ad nauseam hinting at magical ingredients well known and prescribed by doctors “in Europe” (where presumably they don’t need to do hip and knee replacements anymore.
In fact, I kept wondering how these two attractive predators (I tempted to say “cannibals”) relentlessly used repetition to reach a fruit hanging so low, I started to think I’m on the planet of the apes.
Since detailed list of ingredients was ever displayed, and tiny warnings, barely readable on my 46″ HD screen, and totally contradicting the claims made by the duo, flashed by, I turned to Google to get some facts.
Here are some facts from another OA survivor/researcher (although admittedly not of 15years/”several decades” duration).
I took glucosamine and chondroitin for 20 years, as much as 1500mg/day, and it didn’t prevent necrosis of the femur or loss of cartilage in the hip joint. And it certainly didn’t prevent crippling pain that endured until I had a hip resurfacing (after which it stopped immediately). I still take Glucosamine in lesser quantity, but have stopped taking chondroitin.
I found it remarkable that one of the testimonials claimed immediate return of pain after stopping the Supple program for only one day. That sounds more like Methodone, Heroine, or Alcohol withdrawal than any supplement I’ve heard of. I’ve taken dozens of nutritional supplements in mega quantities over the years, and have more than once stopped for a day or two “cold turkey”. The only time I’ve noted a fairly distinctive response was when I stopped taking Diosmin for a week or so.
So is are all these testimonials fake, or is drinking Supple producing an unprecedentedly successful placebo effect?
If the latter, then why did these remarkably self-healing individuals have to suffer terrible pain for “decades” while taking expensive and dangerous drugs, when inexpensive, even free, panaceas are available everywhere for those susceptible to self-delusion?
otropogo, Its hard to say. I believe when I said the TV infomercial looked “impressive”, I was referring to the talk show look to it when I first saw it. It just reminded me of the Larry King TV show.
I was going to order this product but after reading the comments have thought twice and will not be ordering. I think I will do as my Dr suggested and take glucosome with condrodin.
Many of us suffer…. then, these creeps sell you an idea – you think it’ll help. Thx for letting us know the truth!! When I heard the part about REBUILDING cartilage, I knew something just did not seem right at all. I guess the couple have no trouble deceiving the gullible and taking their hard earned $$ to sell them new age “snake oil”!
Jarrod, I’m happy I was able to help you.
Hi,
Try Unflavered GELATIN from the grossly store. It’s very cheep and it comes in package of 32. My bones were cracking so bad and I asked doctors and looked online for any way to recover joint cartilage and I did not get any helpful information until a friend of mine told me about it. This helped me after 20 days. I can’t believe nobody knows it. Doctors should! One package a day in a glass of juice and warm it up in the microwave for a minute.
I referred to this site expecting a scam alert. I don’t think I was disappointed.
Where is the randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial that supports this supplement?
Peter Apatow and Monita Poudyal are husband and wife.
Sunny, thanks for the feedback.
Hi Joe,
As an RN myself, with RA, first, this product is a scam and I wish that there were a governing body for these deceitful scam products. Not everyone has the knowledge or means to do the thorough research of ingredients and their functions. I just wanted to let you know, re:
At the start of the infomercial, Dr Poudyal says :
“the standard of care for the treatment of joint pain includes the use of safe, disease-modifying drugs that can naturally reverse the cartilage breakdown that occurs in osteoarthritis.”
Dr Poudyal goes on to say “These agents are not widely available in the u.s.”.
What Dr Poudyal is doing with this statement is protecting herself. She’s referring to DMARD’s (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs), such as TNFa (tumor necrosis factor a), as a standard of care, VS the product “supple”. Also referring to the DMARD’s as not widely available in US, vs supple, most likely due to the cost of the drug.
Also in re: to the possible effects of the product with diabetics, this product may increase blood sugar not insulin levels. Unless of course you meant to say the product may produce the need for increased insulin dosing.
Great site! Thank you for the insight.
Respectfully,
Sue Ramsey, RN
Sue, interesting points. with respect to insulin/glucose levels, the study I linked to appeared to show a worsening of insulin resistance. While this would lead to a rise in blood sugar, might the beta cells out put of insulin increase to compensate? what is probably what I was thinking what I wrote that but point taken, its better to say blood sugar than insulin and I adjusted my words accordingly.
That’s the problem with type II diabetics. Their beta cells don’t produce insulin appropriately to the rise in blood sugar. That is why the blood sugar stays high. Insulin resistance occurs at the cellular level (not pancreatic cells of course) where the cells refuse to allow insulin to do it’s job and open the doors for sugar to get in and be used for energy. A simplified explanation, certainly.
Melanee, I think type II diabetes is more an a problem with insulin receptors at first. People become resistant to the effects of insulin because not as many insulin receptors are around anymore. insulin needs to combine with the insulin receptor in order to open to door – so to speak – and let the sugar get into the cells. with weight loss, change in eating habits as well as exercise, type II diabetes can be improved. Here’s something I wrote on type II diabetes http://www.joe-cannon.com/natural-cure-for-diabetes/
I have been using this product for two weeks and I have noticed a significant decrease in pain on my knee. I have osteoarthritis, bone spurs. Very painful. It’s very unfortunate as I spent close to 200.00 for the product and shipping. When I received the product in the mail the cans were completely demolished I’m assuming at customs!!! All the powder was at the bottom of the box it was shipped in!!! It was for sure an overkill in checking out the product. I have pictures of what it looked like when I received it. Warning to Canadian customers……..DON’T ORDER IT FROM THE STATES. I’m sure I lost a good deal of the product at Customs!!!! Very disappointed when I opened the box!!!!!
My brother has used this product for 3 months and has had amazing results. He is pretty much bone on bone in his elbow joints and has tried prescription medications with little relief. Since using this product he is almost pain free. When I saw him after he had been using this product for only 8 weeks, I couldn’t believe the mobility he had regained due to lack of pain.
It only proves the power of suggestion to be THAT strong, and if that’s what keeps him pain free, then GREAT!
Wrong, it could prove it works for some people. Why do you make such a declaration?
there are a lot of people out here with real pain, if this a scam, these people need to be put in jail. Why do we tolerate such injustice.
Jim Are you saying this is a scam?
“Since I know the research behind glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate I was surprised that she would not challenge the fantastic claims…”
Seriously? You really think that someone being paid to appear in an infomercial is going to depart from the script and question the efficacy of the product, and if she did it wouldn’t just be edited out?
Rperberg It’s just something I would do if put in that situation
I was dumb and did not do my research before being talked into purchasing this produce. When I received this the postal fees to Canada was $28.90 shipped by UPS. When I asked about returning it they said that they could only refund 30% of the produce price and all the GST but none of the shipping and handling.
When I asked to speak to a supervisor the conversation went up level and I was told that that this gentleman was as high as it goes. And that Peter Apatow did not take any calls. so He does not take responsibility for any of his produces.
Sounds like a scam and the fact that it is his wife that is interviewing him gives more room for questionable business practices.
Gail, I am so sorry that happened to you.