AvoVida 300 mg by Swanson

POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE

• Osteoarthritis. Short-term use of oral avocado soy unsaponifiables in patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis seems to reduce pain, disability, and analgesic use. Longer-term use in patients with hip osteoarthritis might reduce disease progression and joint space narrowing in those with more severe disease, but effects on pain and joint space narrowing in those with less severe disease are unclear. Details: A meta-analysis of clinical studies in patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis shows that taking a specific type of avocado soy unsaponifiables (Piascledine 300, Laboratoires Expanscience) 300 mg or 600 mg daily for 3-12 months reduces pain and overall disability by small to moderate amounts. Specifically, six patients would need to take this product in order for one patient to see an improvement (100556). Individual clinical studies included in the meta-analysis also show that avocado soy unsaponifiables improve osteoarthritis pain and severity scores and reduce analgesic use when compared with placebo (10693,33238,33257). Avocado soy unsaponifiables also seem to be as effective for pain reduction as chondroitin sulfate 400 mg three times daily when used for 6 months (100559). However, not all evidence shows that avocado soy unsaponifiables are beneficial for treating osteoarthritis. Another moderate-sized clinical study in adults with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis shows that taking a specific type of avocado soy unsaponifiables (Arthrocen, Pharmin) 300 mg daily for 6 months improves joint internal and lateral joint tenderness but does not improve crepitus, shrug sign, pain, stiffness, activities of daily living, or function when compared with placebo (112283). Longer-term studies in patients with hip osteoarthritis have investigated the effect of avocado soy unsaponifiables on disease progression. Taking avocado soy unsaponifiables 300 mg daily for 3 years reduces the number of patients with disease progression by approximately 20% when compared with placebo (100557). Also, in patients with advanced joint space narrowing, taking avocado soy unsaponifiables 300 mg daily for 2 years decreases the progression of joint space narrowing by approximately 50% when compared with placebo (10694). However, avocado soy unsaponifiables may not be effective for reducing pain or joint space narrowing in patients with less severe hip osteoarthritis when used for more than one year (10694,100557). It is possible that these studies were not adequately powered to detect a difference between groups for these outcomes.

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Back pain. Although there has been interest in using oral avocado soy unsaponifiables for chronic back pain, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of avocado soy unsaponifiables for this purpose.
• Menopausal symptoms. It is unclear if avocado soy unsaponifiables are beneficial for the management of menopausal symptoms. Details: Preliminary clinical research shows that taking a specific type of avocado soy unsaponifiables (Piascledine 300, Laboratoires Expanscience) 300 mg daily for 2 months is as effective as oral hormone replacement therapy with conjugated estrogen and progesterone for reducing hot flash severity and duration (100560).
• Obesity. It is unclear if avocado soy unsaponifiables are beneficial in patients with obesity. Details: A very small clinical study in patients with obesity shows that taking a specific type of avocado soy unsaponifiables (Piascledine 300, Laboratoires Expanscience) 300 mg daily for 3 months does not improve insulin secretion or insulin sensitivity when compared to baseline (100561). The validity of these findings is limited by the lack of statistical comparison to the placebo group.
• Temporomandibular disorders (TMD). It is unclear if avocado soy unsaponifiables are beneficial in females with TMD. Details: A very small clinical study in females with TMD shows that taking avocado soy unsaponifiables (Flexi-Smart, Smart City, Smart Nutrition Ltd.) 300 mg daily for 4 months reduces pain by 77%, compared with a 42% reduction in those taking placebo. Taking this product also reduced the total use of rescue medication and improved quality of life when compared with placebo (100558). More evidence is needed to rate avocado soy unsaponifiables for these uses.

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POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately. Specific products containing avocado soy unsaponifiables (Piascledine 300, Laboratoires Expanscience; Flexi-Smart, Smart City, Smart Nutrition Ltd.) have been used with apparent safety at doses of 300 mg daily for up to 3 years (10693,10694,33238,33257,100556,100557,100558,100560,100561).

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

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(Read more about AVOCADO SOY UNSAPONIFIABLES (ASU))

General ...Orally, avocado soy unsaponifiables seem to be generally well tolerated.
Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):
Liver injury.

Dermatologic ...Orally, avocado soy unsaponifiables have been rarely reported to cause atopic dermatitis and rash (10693,100551).

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, avocado soy unsaponifiables have been rarely reported to cause constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia, heartburn, nausea, regurgitation, and stomach pain (10693,10694,100551). In addition, a single case of lymphocytic colitis thought to be associated with the use of a specific type of avocado soy unsaponifiables (Piascledine 300, Laboratoires Expanscience) has been reported (100551).

Hepatic ...Orally, avocado soy unsaponifiables have been rarely reported to cause liver injury (100551).

Neurologic/CNS ...Orally, avocado soy unsaponifiables have been rarely reported to cause drowsiness, headache, and migraine (10693).

(Read more about AVOCADO SOY UNSAPONIFIABLES (ASU))