Acten: Hydroidan Pro Joint Formula

So far, we have covered a number of muscular and joint therapies and tools that can be added to your arsenal in order to help you get back to your best, recover effectively and commence functioning optimally in terms of physical performance. Although all of these nifty pieces of equipment play a large, important part in the rehabilitation of an individual with muscular issues, when combined with nourishing nutrition and effective supplementation, the healing process of the body begins to accelerate leading to a better equilibrium of one’s biomechanics. Could the new, energising Acten: Hydroidan Pro Joint Formula be the answer to revitalizing your joint life once again and placing you back on track to physical wellness? Well, we tried it out, so read on to find out more…

Rationale
With regards to joints, tendons, ligaments and muscle structure, supplements such as Omega 3 oils, magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, branch chain amino acids (BCCA’s) and glucosamine sulfate as well as a host of others can greatly improve a person’s recovery. Balanced joint and tissue health is vital for achieving a healthy, agile and functional body but years of consistent overload causes wear and tear on the joints this can lead to degeneration of the joint cartilage structure; making them more susceptible to weakness and damage. In Acten, there are three powerful enzyme-activating, body-restoring ingredients contained namely; collagen peptides, vitamin C and brown seaweed from Nova Scotia, Canada.

Ingredients (full list):
Water, Fortigel Collagen hydrolysate, fructose, brown algae extract, vitamin C, natural lime flavour, citric acid, zinc gluconate, gelling agent, sweeteners (steviol glycosides).

Nutrition:
Each serving is 23g and certainly ‘packs a punch’ when it comes to saturating the body full of nutrients geared towards promoting joint and tissue health. Even though the whole package is 23g, 10g of this is made up of pure fortigel; consisting of specific collagen peptides which act as natural anabolic substances for the growth of new cartilage, tissues and skin.

Acten is quickly and easily absorbed into the bodily system and aids in the activation of cells responsible to keep joints smooth and supple. There have been a number of clinical trials by Harvard Medical School and the Osteoarthritis Research Society International which have clearly shown via MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) that fortigel has been very effective in the regeneration of cartilage cells and healing joint problems.

Acten is also rich in brown algae extract which has high levels of iron; helping to nourish the red blood cells of your body by transporting fresh blood and oxygen to the tissues and therefore speeding up growth and repair to facilitate recovery. However, iron does not always work as a ‘lone ranger’ hence the vitamin C which absorbs iron much more efficiently; maximizing its benefit to the bodily system. The reason vitamin C is added here is due to its collagen (connective tissue) forming characteristics which is a type of protein required to develop the growth of new cartilage; it does this by acting as a ‘glue’ to hold the cells together; therefore providing a more solid joint structure.  Another quality of vitamin C is that it enlivens the immune system, and in the correct quantity, is also an anti-inflammatory which can further reduce the discomfort felt within the joints and that’s what we’re looking for in a quality supplement.

Last but not least, the ‘zinc of Zeus’ is another vital mineral in tissue development and plays a key role in the maintenance of cartilage. With that being said, high levels of zinc working alongside a protein called ZIP8 can potentially have an opposite, negative effect on the cartilage as ZIP8 transports the zinc into our cartilaginous cells and this can set off many molecular catabolic reactions which unfortunately can start to break down and weaken the cartilage. Nonetheless, smaller doses of zinc are essential for healthy cells, triggering hundreds of crucial chemical reactions to fire thereby keeping the immune system elevated. This supplement provides the correct concentration of nutrients required for joint health support.

Taste and smell:
As the product is made with brown algae extract, I wasn’t looking forward to the taste but the refreshing lime zest overpowered the potent seaweed taste and was delightful to the tongue. Although, the taste did seem very herbal and full of green nutrients, as the liquid entered the ‘cave of flavour,’ the citrus zing was not sharp or bitter but light and overtook the algae-based content. Although I am not generally an advocate of medicine per se, as a young child, I think I would sometimes pretend that I was feeling more ‘under the weather’ than I actually was and liked the liquid medicine given me, but I digress.

Performance:
In terms of performance, although my injuries and joint conditions are more due to biomechanical issues that need to be addressed, I did find that after using the product for a week, the pain within my joints had slightly reduced and my mobility also improved which was a bonus. After 2 weeks of use, the irritating aches in the knees that plagued my usual climb up the escalator (on the London underground) had subsided and I felt more agile. Although my injuries will not ultimately improve until I discover the correct treatment for them, Acten did, in fact, make day to day activities more comfortable.  An added extra benefit which I did not expect (despite having a good understanding of the ingredients) after consuming the gel regularly, was that my digestive system worked much more efficiently.

Value:
Within a single box are 30 separate 23g gel packs. Although small in size individually, taken daily over a period of a month, they have the potential to make a real difference to your overall well-being by substantially reducing the amount of joint pain plus allowing the joints to recover rapidly potentially to full strength. The price of a box of Acten is 89 Euros (roughly £82 plus shipping). Although it has a different purpose, most serious, avid protein powder consumers who look for top quality products to help them reap muscle-building payoffs won’t hesitate to spend £60-80 on a standard isolate powder.

Do your joints need some much-needed TLC? Had enough of topical applications that cannot reach the required depth of cartilage tissue penetration to make any significant difference? Then repairing the joints from the inside-out with quality ingredients can only seem like a wise investment for the price of a good protein powder. Suddenly the phrase ‘you’re only as strong as your weakest joint’ makes a whole lot of sense!

Summary:
For me personally, I suffer from my joints 18/7 (yes, that’s right unfortunately, I often sleep less than I should at 5-6 hours as opposed to the standard 8, naughty tut tut!) meaning that 18 of those hours, I experience continuous, frustrating discomfort of both nerve and joint pain radiating throughout a number of joints in my body which provides the continual annoyance comparable to that of receiving multiple unsolicited calls from sales companies daily! 

My anatomy has several biomechanical problems so the supplement may need to be taken over a longer period than the one-month trial I undertook for this review. However, I did notice a noticeable improvement in my overall joint function and a clear reduction in pain in other areas that were originally causing me some irritation such as my knees when I run or my lower spine when rotating my trunk for example. As for the taste, it was light, juicy and upbeat which made it pleasant to take

For someone with joint pain or brittle, degenerating joints with no other biomechanical issues, Acten stands as a highly recommended product enabling you to feel better and perform more efficiently within a relatively short period of time.

Find out more and try Acten out for yourself by heading over to Acten.co.uk  Any questions on joint health? Feel free to ask below. Don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter!

Benjamin Ensall

Benjamin is an advocate of the health and wellbeing lifestyle and the positive impact it can make on people’s lives. He has national and international experience as a Senior Personal Trainer, Food Psychology Behaviour Coach and Healthcare Technician and strives to make a difference. He helps facilitate the realisation of one's potential to achieve a happier and healthier life.

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