5% Rich Piana: Joint Defender

Since the unfortunate passing of their figurehead Rich Piana, 5% Nutrition has continued to seek to develop the brand and with UK actor Martyn Ford looking likely to become the new face of the brand, 5% Nutrition look set to remain a key player in the sports nutrition market. Their latest foray is Joint Defender which despite the name, actually seeks to do more than simply protect your joints.

Recover Faster and Get Less Sore?

The promise Joint Defender makes is that rather than just focusing on one or two well known ingredients such as glucosamine and chondroitin, both of which provide nutrient support for cartilage formation, Joint Defender is designed to deliver comprehensive nutrient support for all critical soft tissues in your joints. As such, it comes loaded with 17 different ingredients which break down into a Joint Repair Complex and a Joint and Muscle Post-Exercise Inflammation Complex.

The former contains a number of research based ingredients including the aforementioned glucosamine and chondroitin but also a number of others and with generous doses being linked to what has been shown to be effective in clinical research.

Where 5% have gone into a more unusual direction is their post-exercise inflammation complex as the nutrients in here such as ginger and turmeric are less often seen in joint formulas and more likely to be contenders in products designed to uphold general health and wellness. Both of these have been shown in research to have an anti-inflammatory action and so by including them in Joint Defender, 5% are offering users of  Joint Defender the tantalising prospect of not only helping treat injuries they may have but actually preventing their occurrence in the first place, or at least shifting the odds in your favour.

While Joint Defender may not have quite the potency of the market leader, Hydrapharm Unbreakable, this is a good choice of product for someone looking to both improve repair of joint tissues and reduce post-workout soreness.