appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Mary Ann Benitez

Arthritic patients at Queen Mary Hospital have been put on a natural painkiller derived from mussels believed to work as well as aspirin and without side effects.

Eighty patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip are participating in the first study in Hong Kong to test the dietary supplement's effectiveness.

Lyprinol, an extract of so-called 'good' fish oil from the New Zealand green-lipped mussels, is not registered as a medicine in the SAR.

The University of Hong Kong research is the latest investigation into the supplement. Word of mouth has led to some believers, with at least 500 patients estimated to be on lyprinol.

One teacher in her 30s said she had been taking the capsule for carpal tunnel syndrome - characterised by pain or tingling in the fingers - for about eight months since reading about it on the Internet.

'It has just stopped the aching in my hands. I feel quite sure it has stopped the pain. I am not suggesting that it has cured my illness completely, but it has made me comfortable,' she said.

The Australian teacher, who is not involved in the HKU study, said her mother also felt more comfortable after taking lyprinol with other anti-arthritis medicine.

Professor Lau Chak-sing, of the division of rheumatology and immunology at the University of Hong Kong's faculty of medicine, said the research would compare the efficacy of lyprinol with a placebo in treating the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Known as the 'wear and tear arthritis', osteoarthritis afflicts 80 per cent of people over 70.

Lyprinol was discovered when it was shown that coastal-dwelling Maoris, who ate lots of New Zealand green-lipped mussels, 'had an extremely low reported incidence of arthritis, whereas Maoris who live in the interior have the same incidence of arthritis as New Zealanders of European origin', Professor Lau said.

The research comes as the government announced earlier this month that it would come up with a list to regulate health food products following complaints about misleading or exaggerated claims.

Grame Stuart-Bradshaw, a homeopath, said lyprinol was not a cure-all but it 'seems to be useful for inflammatory disorders, pain, swelling, cases of dermatitis and skin conditions including psoriasis'.

THE GOOD OIL

The disease: 80 per cent of people over 70 suffer from osteoar thritis. 60 per cent of sufferers have to stop working.

The supplement: Lyprinol is a marine oil derived from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus. Its status has yet to be confirmed by the European Commission. It claims to 'help maintain youthful joint function and 'provide excellent support to muscles'.



Natural relief for arthritis patients tested