What is GOPO and how does GOPO work?
GOPO® (glycoside of mono and diglycerol) is a key component of the rose hip - the fruit of the Dog Rose or Rosa Canina - and is the active component in LitoZin®.
In the early 1980's, a Danish osteoarthritis sufferer, Erik 'Farmer' Hansen, dissatisfied with prescribed painkillers, was recommended to try a rose hip marmalade. Highly impressed with the painkilling effects, Hansen began small scale production and distribution of dried rose hip powder - and letters of appreciation from thousands of satisfied customers began to arrive. In 1995, Hansen's son was able to deliver some 5000 letters of recommendation to Dr Kaj Winther, an inflammation specialist, who instigated clinical trials. In vitro studies brought impressive results and clinical trials confirm the high effectiveness of the preparation.
In the early 1980's, a Danish osteoarthritis sufferer, Erik 'Farmer' Hansen, dissatisfied with prescribed painkillers, was recommended to try a rose hip marmalade. Highly impressed with the painkilling effects, Hansen began small scale production and distribution of dried rose hip powder - and letters of appreciation from thousands of satisfied customers began to arrive. In 1995, Hansen's son was able to deliver some 5000 letters of recommendation to Dr Kaj Winther, an inflammation specialist, who instigated clinical trials. In vitro studies brought impressive results and clinical trials confirm the high effectiveness of the preparation.
GOPO® (glycoside of mono and diglycerol) is the active compound isolated from the rose hip Rosa Canina that has been clinically proven to help reduce joint pain and stiffness, improving flexibility and mobility.
Studies have shown Rose hip is more effective at reducing pain and improving mobility than other supplements for joint pain, such as glucosamine. Clinical evidence has shown show that 82% of patients reported a reduction in pain after 3 weeks of active treatment¹. Taking Rose hip also decreased the need for pain-killers and anti-inflammatory drugs by 40-50%².
How does GOPO® work?
GOPO®'s prime mode of action is thought to be as a natural anti-inflammatory.
In the inflammatory process, white blood cells in your body leave the blood vessels, migrate across the extracellular space and travel to the inflamed joint.
These white blood cells called granulocytes (a type of white blood cell defined on the basis of their granular appearance under microscopic examination) are produced to 'clean' an inflamed Rheumatoid or Osteoarthritic (OA) joint by destroying the bacteria in it.
These white blood cells called granulocytes (a type of white blood cell defined on the basis of their granular appearance under microscopic examination) are produced to 'clean' an inflamed Rheumatoid or Osteoarthritic (OA) joint by destroying the bacteria in it.
However, too many of these white blood cells can actually wear down the tissue cartilage, and in large numbers they can also produce chemical enzymes and toxic free-radicals, which cause even more tissue damage. It is the accumulation of these white blood cells combined with the release of chemical substances such as prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, substance p and bradykinin from tissue damage, that causes the inflammation in the joint and tissues and irritates the nerve endings thereby causing pain.
The more inflamed the joint becomes, the more the white blood cells are attracted to it, so the process is cyclical.
GOPO® is thought to work by discouraging/blocking large numbers of white blood cells from accumulating in the joint, therefore breaking the vicious cycle and alleviating pain.
A recently published Swiss study (10) reported that GOPO® also worked by switching off the genes responsible for producing proteins and enzymes which cause inflammatory joint destruction, and it also switched on the genes that produce collagen, the essential part of cartilage joints.