Cetyl Myristoleate for Arthritis Science for Speculation By Rusty FordThere are a lot of fabulous stories about Cetyl Myristoleate (also known as CMO or CM) floating across
Internet. Mine is one of them. There have been a number of articles published in little known journals or magazines. There have been four small booklets published. One making fantastic claims, all four filled with anecdotal evidence but offering no real research to back up claims. There are a number of Doctors sharing results they are having with their patients but so does every other wonder-working product. The question is, are there any scientific studies to back up any of these claims? The answer is yes. To date there are several patient studies and two double blind studies completed. I will mention three most prominent below.
Dr Len Sands of San Diego Clinic completed first human study on effectiveness on Cetyl Myristoleate in 1995. There were 48 arthritis patients in this study. All but two showed significant improvement in articular mobility (80% or better) and reduction of pain (70% or better). Obviously study had its flaws. One doctor conducted study, there was no control group and number of participants was small. Even so, it suggested to many that maybe there was some hope here and that more scientific studies should follow.
The first double blind study followed two years later. Dr. H. Siemandi conducted a double blind study under auspices of Joint European Hospital Studies Program. There were 431 patients in study, 106 who received cetyl myristoleate, 99 who received cetyl myristoleate, and glucosamine, sea cucumber, and hydrolyzed cartilage and 226 who received a placebo. Clinical assessment included radiological test and other studies. Results were 63% improvement for cetyl myristoleate group, 87% for cetyl myristoleate plus glucosamine group and 15% for placebo group.
