Buyer's Guide To
Joint Supplements
What Everyone Needs to Know About Joint Health

I-Flex

Rating: A
Company: I Flex

What is it?

i-Flex is a natural joint health supplement purported to improve joint flexibility and mobility--and according to i-Flex, it's been clinically proven to work. "The unique and patented ingredient complex in i-flex™ has been tested in several scientific studies," reports i-Flex. "Its soothing benefits were reported in as little as three weeks by 82% of participants in a study published in a well respected scientific journal." It claims its main ingredient, rosehips, can drastically affect the mobility and function of the joints, despite little scientific evidence of its efficacy.

What ingredients are in i-Flex?

-Flex contains rosehips.

Do the ingredients in i-Flex help promote joint health?

According to a clinical study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, it could. The study, which evaluated the effects of GOPO(R), a rose hip compound, in people suffering from chronic pain revealed that it reduced pain in at least 82 percent of patients. It also reportedly reduce their need for traditional painkillers, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or other types of NSAIDs. Experts have questioned these findings, however, because it was funded by G.R. Lane Health Products, a natural medicine company that specifically produces rose hips supplements. Their findings were also not compared to placebo, which are almost always used in most large-scale clinical trials. Furthermore, it wasn't shown to reduce pain caused specifically by poor or weakened joints--it was only indicated as a possible alternative for general pain relievers.

Is I-Flex safe?

i-Flex appears to be safe for clinical use. As with most herbs, it may cause nausea, diarrhea, heartburn fatigue, headache and stomach cramps upon ingestion. It has also been known to cause insomnia.

Verdict:

he evidence surrounding i-Flex's efficacy is weak, and possibly misleading; no real scientific evidence shows it can reduce pain or inflammation specifically in the joints.