Does Your Green Lipped Mussel Supplement Deliver on the Promise?

Choosing a green lipped mussel supplement can be challenging as there are lots of products available on the market and their composition is usually pretty similar, the only differences being apparently the amounts of active principles contained by each of them.

So what can you do to avoid poor qualitative supplements and which are the criteria to be used for differentiating the different brands of New Zealand mussel extracts?

Does the chosen supplement retain the nutrients in raw mussels?

The answer to this question is extremely important when choosing a green lipped mussel supplement, as the more active principles the extract contains, the greater its health benefits are. This means that the various components of New Zealand mussels can be altered during the manufacturing process, so the effects of the dietary supplements can be drastically reduced.

In order for an extract to retain all the nutrients in raw green lipped mussels, it shouldn't be processed at high temperatures or through a freeze-dried method. Ideally, a shellfish supplement should be made directly from freshly harvested mussels, with no extra chemicals, preservatives, colorants and other additives.

Also, the type of extract used influences the amount of active principles in the final product. There are mainly two types of shellfish extracts: powders and oils, each of them having different amounts of active ingredients. A green lipped mussel supplement using shellfish oil is poorer in nutrients compared to a powder containing the same amount of seafood extract.

This difference is given by the fact that the powder is made directly from mussels, through a technology that doesn't involve any chemical transformation, while the oil is extracted from the powder, so lots of the powder's components aren't retained in the oil's composition.

Still, there are cases in which using the green lipped mussel oil has the almost the same effects as using the powder. In arthritis for example, both supplements are efficient in reducing the joint aches and pain. But there are some important differences when it comes to the additional health benefits provided by these two types of extract.

Mussels powder vs oil

A green lipped mussel supplement coming as powder contains proteins, minerals and vitamins in higher concentrations compared to oils. In fact, most brands and types of capsules made from mussel oil only provide complex carbohydrates and fatty acids, so their nutritional value is definitely lower compared to dietary powders. In these cases, the GLM extracts are mixed with olive oil, grape-seed or fish oil.

Also, mussel oils are less efficient when it comes to improving the circulation, respiratory function, digestive activity or nervous cells functioning. Still, if you're using the shellfish supplement only for getting rid of arthritis symptoms, both oils and powders have quite similar effects, meaning that they're both able to reduce the swelling, soreness, aches and inflammation in arthritic joints.