Hyaluronic acid

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Bernie
Posts: 1292
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Hyaluronic acid

Post by Bernie »

I recently received the following question:
  • I am not sure if there is an answer to this question. But with all the research I have done reading through your amazing research, I am understanding that the production of Hyaluronic Acid is a result of stressing the joints in Yin yoga. When this happens and the production is increased, how long after the practice does this production maintain? Or is it more of an overall (the course of consistent practice) that it is maintained. I guess I think of it as a surge in production and then a diminished production after the practice, but I may not be understanding it correctly. Thanks for any clarity you can offer me.
    Peace
    Jessica

Hi Jessica...thanks for your question.

First a little bit about HA: Hyaluronic acid (also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate) is naturally found in many tissues and fluids, but more abundantly in articular cartilage and synovial fluid (SF). It is produced by synoviocytes, fibroblasts, and chondrocytes. HA has an important role in the biomechanics of normal SF, where it is partially responsible for lubrication and viscoelasticity of the SF. The concentration of HA declines as osteoarthritis (OA) progresses with aging. For that reason, HA has been used for more than four decades in the treatment of OA in dogs, horses and humans. HA produces anti-arthritic effects via multiple mechanisms involving receptors, enzymes and other metabolic pathways. The greatest amount of HA is present in the skin (about half of the total HA), synovial fluid and the eyes. An average person has about 15 grams of HA and about 5 grams is "turned over" every day. So, we are constantly producing and reducing HA. HA may be involved in various cellular interactions (cell differentiation, proliferation, development, and recognition) and physiological functions (lubrication, hydration balance, matrix structure, and steric interactions).(1)

So, that is what it is and does: Now, to your questions—how long do we continue to produce HA after exercising the joints? I am not sure. The amount of HA in our blood goes through a daily rhythm: lowest during sleep, rising quickly when we get up or right after exercise, then dropping back to the sleep levels.(2) HA in the blood is quickly eliminated by the liver, so any residual amounts are probably continuously produced by the tissues of our joints. Curiously, people with arthritis produce much more HA, or at least have higher levels of it in their blood than people with healthy joints. I suspect this is because they need it more than normal people.

I am not up to date on the literature surrounding HA but I suspect that once you have finished your exercises, you are no longer producing increased amounts of HA. And the stuff you did produce doesn't last too long. The half-life of HA appears to be about 17 hours (at least when it is injected right into a joint.) This means that within a couple days most of what you may have generated will be reduced by about 90%.(3) Which means, you need to keep doing your yoga practice regularly!

I hope this helps
Cheers
Bernie
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