Green Lipped Mussel Healthspan Capsules - Are They Good Enough?

Green lipped mussel Healthspan dietary supplements are made of New Zealand shellfish extracts, encapsulated into gelatin-free capsules.

Beneficial for joint pain in arthritis sufferers, these products are also useful in stimulating the immune system and preventing infectious processes from occurring.

Healthspan capsules composition

Each capsule contains 350 mg of powder obtained from freshly harvested mussels, through a technology that ensures high levels of glycoproteins, the active principles in these dietary supplements. The benefits of these elements on connective tissues, bones and muscles are well known and it's scientifically argued that green lipped mussels are among the best sources of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

Due to these properties, New Zealand shellfish and green lipped mussel Healthspan capsules implicitly are extremely efficient in reducing the swelling and redness of the inflamed arthritic joints, promoting the cartilage's regeneration and improving the functionality of the affected joints.

But what about the additives in these capsules - is it really necessary to have them added in order to take advantage of green lipped mussel health benefits? According to their producers, each capsule contains, besides the powder, Cellulose, Magnesium Stearate and Hypermellose. Are you aware of their health effects?

The role of extra ingredients in green lipped mussel Healthspan capsules

New Zealand mussels, just like any other type of seafood, have a particular smell, which may be found as unpleasant by some people. Thus, they may refuse taking powders obtained from this shellfish simply because they can't stand the smell or taste of the dietary supplement.

So the first role of additives in green lipped mussel capsules is to diminish the typical fishy smell in order to make the products more tolerable. And this is definitely a positive aspect, but what about the properties of these capsules? Are they affected by the extra ingredients in Healthspan dietary supplements? To answer this question, we have to understand what each of the mentioned ingredients is and how does it act once reaching inside the body.

Hypermellose contained by green lipped mussel Healthspan capsules is a semi-synthetic polymer, mainly used as ophthalmic lubricant but also as excipient in oral drugs. It is non-toxic for the human organism but it can react with oxidising agents (contained by grape juice and wine for example), triggering unpleasant effects. Also, this additive can cause allergic reactions and it's not recommended to people suffering from diabetes and glaucoma.

The second ingredient in green lipped mussel Healthspan capsules is Cellulose, a fiber made of glucose molecules. This substance is important in helping the body to get the most of the eaten vitamins, in preventing toxins from passing into the bloodstream and promoting a healthy digestion. But unfortunately, these capsules contain very small amounts of cellulose so its role in this case is only to make the supplements easier to swallow.

Last, Magnesium Stearate in green lipped mussel supplements is a saturated fatty acid, obtained from vegetal sources as mentioned on the leaflet of the product. Its role is to keep the vitamins and active ingredients in these capsules together, maintaining the consistency and properties of the capsules.

Although found in lots of healthy foods, such as poultry, fish, eggs, milk products or cocoa, this ingredients has its drawbacks as well: consumed in high doses, it causes liver toxicity, damages the skin and decreases the immunity, leaving the organism weaker.

As you can see, these additives in green lipped mussel Healthspan capsules have their role but they can also cause some undesired adverse effects, so it's really important to consider both the advantages and disadvantages before taking this type dietary supplements.

Or better, if you want to be absolutely sure you experience no adverse reactions after using green lipped mussel products, you can opt for qualitative powders, made of fresh shellfish and containing absolutely no additives or chemicals.