Hyaluronic acid, sometimes known as hyaluronan, is a clear, gooey substance produced by your body.
Hyaluronic acid levels decrease as you age, which is linked to many age-related health conditions like arthritis, so many hyaluronic acid and collagen supplements claim to prevent or treat these concerns.
However, with so many products to choose from, how can you find the best hyaluronic acid supplements for your health needs?
It is also widely used in beauty products and dietary supplements, as it is believed to promote healthy skin.
While hyaluronic acid is most widely known for its use in cosmetic products (especially in ‘anti-aging serums’), it’s also used in supplements, eye drops, and injections.
However, eye drops and injections are designed to treat specific conditions and generally aren’t available over the counter, so we pored over dozens of products to find the best hyaluronic acid supplements.
This article will explain hyaluronic acid and its health benefits and recommend the best hyaluronic acid supplements for joint pain.
Table of Contents
What is Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan produced naturally in your body, with the highest concentrations found in fluids in your eyes and joints.
Its main function is to retain water to keep your tissues well-lubricated and moist, so it is often used to maintain the appearance of youthful skin, with many of the best hyaluronic acid supplements for skin claiming to prevent or even reverse visible signs of aging.
One of the main uses of hyaluronic acid is in treating various joint disorders, including joint pain and osteoarthritis when it is usually administered in oral hyaluronic acid supplements.
Additionally, there is a lot of interest in using hyaluronic acid to prevent the visible effects of aging, as it is believed that its water-retaining properties may help keep your skin hydrated and healthy-looking for longer.
4 Best Hyaluronic Acid Supplements for Joint Pain
While our bodies naturally produce hyaluronic acid, there are many benefits from taking it in a supplement form, whether you’re hoping to get rid of joint pain, improve your skin health, improve osteoarthritis symptoms, or prevent acid reflux.
So, here are our recommendations for the best dietary hyaluronic acid supplements on the market, reviewed by our team:
1. NOW Supplements Double Strength Hyaluronic Acid
These potent hyaluronic acid pills are twice the strength of NOW Supplements’ regular offering (100mg of hyaluronic acid per capsule), blended with l-proline, alpha-lipoic acid, and grape seed extract.
Our testers loved that these capsules were vegan, non-GMO, and packed with added antioxidants from alpha-lipoic acid and GSE, making them some of the best hyaluronic acid supplements for all-around health benefits.
2. Doctor’s Best Hyaluronic Acid + Chondroitin Sulfate
These capsules are formulated to support healthy joints and youthful-looking skin with a blend of Collagen type II (60%), chondroitin sulfate (20%), and hyaluronic acid (10%).
While they aren’t the strongest hyaluronic acid and collagen supplements on the market, all the reviews from our team said that they helped improve joint health after about a week, making them great for people with joint pain or osteoarthritis.
RELATED: Learn more about the different types of collagen in our blog on the differences between collagen peptides and protein.
3. Toniiq Ultra High Purity Hyaluronic Acid Capsules
Toniiq’s capsules are marketed as highly pure hyaluronic acid supplements with 250mg of hyaluronic acid (standardized to 95% purity) in each capsule.
However, based on available studies (most of which used <240mg doses), this may be an excessive amount of hyaluronic acid, and the best oral hyaluronic acid supplements tend to use lower doses that are more bioavailable.
4. Forest Leaf Advanced Collagen with Hyaluronic Acid
Another blended supplement, Forest Leaf’s oral hyaluronic acid supplements contain collagen, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C to keep your joints healthy and your skin hydrated.
Collagen also supports healthy skin, and vitamin C has antioxidants, so these hyaluronic acid and collagen supplements will help hydrate your skin and reverse visible signs of aging in as little as a month, based on our experience.
Do Hyaluronic Acid Supplements Really Work?
Multiple scientific studies have found that supplementing with hyaluronic acid has various health benefits, such as improving skin health, reducing symptoms of acid reflux, and improving joint health in people with osteoarthritis.
However, most of these studies concluded that you might have to take hyaluronic acid supplements for several months to enjoy the health benefits, so these are far from quick-fix supplements.
Additionally, the best form of hyaluronic acid varies depending on the symptom(s) you’re trying to treat: While topical creams and serums are the best hyaluronic acid supplements for skin, oral supplements provide a wider variety of benefits.
Simply put, hyaluronic acid supplements work for most of their intended uses, though don’t expect results overnight.
How Much Hyaluronic Acid Do We Need?
Unlike many vitamins and minerals, no research suggests that we need to supplement with hyaluronic acid or incorporate it into our diet, as it is naturally produced in our bodies.
As far as we know, there is no ‘necessary’ dosage of hyaluronic acid, so there aren’t any side effects from not taking supplements, though the best oral hyaluronic acid supplements can be highly beneficial.
There are no official guidelines on the appropriate dosage of dietary hyaluronic acid supplements, and the recommended amounts vary by manufacturer.
Furthermore, there is no evidence that higher doses of hyaluronic acid provide better results, as most clinical studies used doses of 240mg per day or less.
Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid Supplements
Hyaluronic acid is used for all kinds of purposes, such as treating joint disorders, and acid reflux, and is even used in certain eye surgeries to replace natural fluids.
Pills and capsules are the most common way to take hyaluronic acid, and the best oral hyaluronic acid supplements have many health benefits, including:
1. May Relieve Joint Pain
Hyaluronic acid is also found in your joints, where it helps to lubricate the space between your bones and reduce joint pain.
Studies show that taking hyaluronic acid supplements can significantly reduce knee pain in people with osteoarthritis, especially 40-70-year-olds, making it a good alternative treatment for the condition.
2. Promotes Healthier Skin
Approximately half of the hyaluronic acid in your body is contained in your skin, where it binds to water to retain moisture, though your levels will decrease over time.
Supplementing with hyaluronic acid has been shown to increase skin moisture and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and the best hyaluronic acid supplements for skin can reduce wrinkles, redness, and dermatitis.
3. Can Improve Wound Healing
Hyaluronic acid helps heal wounds by regulating inflammation and signaling the body to build more blood vessels in the wounded area.
Like collagen (which is found in connective tissue and skin), hyaluronic acid can help heal wounds faster and reduce pain, so taking hyaluronic acid and collagen supplements can help maintain healthy, young-looking skin.
4. Soothe Your Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is a fairly common condition where stomach acids back up into the esophagus, causing pain and acid damage to your esophagus lining.
Fortunately, studies show that applying hyaluronic acid to damaged throat tissues improves healing times, so the best oral hyaluronic acid supplements could make for effective acid reflux treatments.
5. Relieve Dry Eye
Hyaluronic acid is great at retaining moisture, so it’s often used to treat dry eye – a condition caused by reduced tear production or tears evaporating too quickly.
Studies show that hyaluronic acid eye drops can reduce dry eye symptoms and improve eye health, so taking hyaluronic acid and collagen supplements may help to treat this irritating condition.
Symptoms of Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is a common condition affecting as many as 20% of Americans, where the contents of your stomach back up into your esophagus through the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES).
For many people, acid reflux is rare and tends to resolve itself, though you can also take oral hyaluronic acid supplements or antacids to get rid of acid reflux symptoms quickly.
Frequent acid reflux may indicate Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), a chronic form of acid reflux that can lead to serious health complications.
Dietary supplements are not approved treatments for chronic diseases like GERD – even if you use the best hyaluronic acid supplements for the skin – so see your doctor if you regularly experience the following symptoms of acid reflux:
- Heartburn: The most common acid reflux symptom, heartburn ranges from uncomfortable to very painful and is caused by stomach acid leaking into your esophagus.
- Sour taste: When stomach acid reaches the back of your throat or mouth, it can cause a sour or bitter taste, sometimes accompanied by a burning sensation.
- Regurgitation: Some people with acid reflux may also experience regurgitation, the feeling of liquid, food, or bile moving back up your throat.
- Dyspepsia: Also known as indigestion, dyspepsia often presents as a burning feeling or discomfort in the upper middle part of your stomach and can cause serious health issues if left untreated.
- Difficulty swallowing: Acid reflux can make swallowing difficult or painful, a condition that hyaluronic acid pills alone won’t fix.
- Sore throat – unsurprisingly, stomach acid isn’t good for your esophagus, and acid reflux can cause a sore throat.
Are There Any Side Effects of Hyaluronic Acid Supplements?
Hyaluronic acid is generally safe, and there are very few reported side effects from taking hyaluronic acid supplements, even in studies using high-strength capsules.
Since your body produces hyaluronic acid, allergic reactions are rare, and long-term studies (such as one where 60 people took 200mg/daily for a year) found no negative side effects.
However, there have not been any scientific reviews of hyaluronic acid supplements’ effects during pregnancy or breastfeeding, so little is known about how they may affect pregnancies and early development.
Additionally, other methods of taking hyaluronic acid (such as injections) have a higher risk of side effects, so if you stick to the best oral hyaluronic acid supplements and follow the recommendations, you should be fine.
Conclusion
Hyaluronic acid is an essential building block of your skin and joint cells, helping maintain moisture and prevent physical damage, though its levels tend to decrease as we age.
Fortunately, there are plenty of dietary hyaluronic acid supplements you can use to boost your levels, and many are available to buy online at competitive prices.
Oral hyaluronic acid supplements have a wide range of health benefits, from reducing visible signs of aging to improving joint health, and are well-tolerated with very few known side effects.
Overall, hyaluronic acid is a safe and effective way to improve symptoms of various conditions – especially ones related to skin and joint health – and we hope that our reviews will help you find the best supplements for your needs.
