Should I Be Taking a Joint Supplement?

5 min read

Nothing removes the spring from your step quite like aging. Knees, hips, and elbows eventually start to creak with every movement. Stiffness slows even the most formerly agile parts of our bodies. Even sleeping in a funny position can ruin your entire day (and even the next).

Yes, much of this is par for the course as you get older. But for women, it can hit you like a truck in your 40s and 50s. “Joint pain is one of the early signs of the perimenopausal transition,” says Vanessa Coppola, DNP, a board-certified nurse practitioner and certified menopause specialist at Bare Soul wellness clinic in New Jersey. While anti-inflammatory painkillers, gentle movement, and physical therapy can provide relief, anyone navigating the hell of a frozen shoulder will naturally wonder if there’s any other way to stave it off.

Enter the joint supplement. “It’s a product designed to provide nutrients or compounds that may help support the health and function of your joints,” says Skylar Weir, RD, LD, a registered dietitian and owner of the virtual private practice Sky’s Rooted Nutrition. “Some aim to provide structural building blocks like collagen, while others, such as turmeric or omega-3s, primarily target inflammation.”

But how helpful are they, and which ones are even worth it? We talked to experts about this vast (and confusing) supplement category.

How Midlife Affects Your Joints

As always, blame it on the drop in estrogen. The hormone plays a key role in skin, bone, and joint health. As your levels of it fluctuate and plummet throughout the perimenopause transition, so does your ability to synthesize proteins and other key building blocks of happy, healthy joints. These building blocks include:

• Collagen: The most abundant protein in the human body that keeps joints cushioned, cartilage strong, and connective tissues stretchy but supportive.
• Glucosamine: A component of cartilage that helps maintain cartilage, tendons, and ligament structures.
• Chondroitin: Another key component of cartilage that helps it retain water and stay flexible.
• Hyaluronic acid: A gelatinous substance produced in the body that keeps joints hydrated, elastic, and cushioned.

Without “everything working in harmony,” Coppola explains, there’s a downstream effect on muscle mass, cartilage resilience, stability, and even bone density.

What Can Joint Supplements Do?

In short? It really depends. There are a few different kinds of joint supplements, each with different potential benefits—and varying degrees of evidence supporting their use.

Coppola and Weir both say oral collagen peptides are backed by compelling research. They’re linked with soothing mild joint pain and stiffness to help you feel a bit better over time. But the jury is still out regarding other potential benefits you may see on product packaging. “We’re seeing some emerging evidence—particularly in athletes—that collagen supplementation may be beneficial in joint repair, but the evidence is still not strong enough to recommend it prophylactically,” Coppola adds.

Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements are also popular options for managing joint issues. A 2025 systematic review found that glucosamine and chondroitin are generally effective at managing osteoarthritis and joint pain. However, there is a troubling potential downside of glucosamine: A study published in the journal Nature Metabolism in 2026 found that people with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment who regularly took glucosamine had a 25 percent greater risk of mortality compared to those who didn’t.

Hyaluronic acid supplements exist too—and some data shows they can offer modest symptom relief. But with this ingredient, you'll likely see more benefit with an injection (also called a “gel shot” or “viscosupplementation”), which delivers hyaluronic acid straight into your joint to improve lubrication. It typically requires an in-office visit and is sometimes covered by insurance depending on the joint being treated and the brand of injection used.

You might have some luck with a turmeric supplement: A 2025 systematic review found that their anti-inflammatory powers can reduce pain and improve physical function in people with knee osteoarthritis. And a 2021 randomized clinical trial found that it was an effective short-term analgesic for knee pain. (Just steer clear of this option if you have liver issues, since high doses have been known to cause liver damage.)

Should I Take One?

Maybe, so long as you don’t expect miracles. Remember, joint supplements can’t heal an injury or magically repair torn cartilage. But some might help you feel less sore and stiff.

If you really want to try one, Coppola says your best bet is collagen, which is generally safe to take. “I recommend marine-based [collagen], because it tends to be metabolized and absorbed better,” she says. Look for brands with a seal on the packaging from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) or U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), two organizations that test supplements for purity and safety.

Keep in mind that all supplements, including these, carry potential risks: Collagen is typically made from bovine (cows) or marine sources (fish, shellfish), so folks with allergies to these ingredients should avoid it. And if you have underlying health conditions or are taking medications, talk to your primary care provider or a nutritionist before trying a supplement to make sure it’s safe for you.

What Else Can Help My Joints?

Before popping a supplement, look at what you eat. Weir says older, active women should get at least 30 to 40 grams of protein at every meal, plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables for vitamin C (which helps your body synthesize collagen), and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids from cold‑water, wild-caught fish; nuts; and seeds. “Support from real food goes a long way,” she says.

You also need to strengthen the muscles around your joints to improve stability, reduce stress on joints, and prevent injury. “Once we get to a certain age, if we aren’t building muscle, we’re losing it,” says Elena Gentile, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at 3 Dimensional Physical Therapy in New Jersey. She says resistance training, mobility exercises, and strength training are critical to bone density and joint stability, and there’s simply no supplement that can replace the solid foundation of fitness. “[Supplements] probably won’t do any harm, but they’re never the full solution,” Gentile adds.

If your joint pain is severe or getting worse, see your doctor. They can run tests to see if a more complex underlying issue is causing your pain, like osteoarthritis or an autoimmune disease.

The bottom line: A joint supplement might help some of your day-to-day discomfort. But it’s not a cure-all. Start with protein (and more time at the weight room), and you may find your joints don’t need any extra support.