Osteo Bi-Flex is a dietary supplement that promotes joint health. Some consumers use it to relieve pain. The brand claims that users can “start feeling the difference in your joint comfort in just 7 days.”
But does Osteo Bi-Flex contain research-backed ingredients for pain relief and joint support? Does it contain any questionable additives? How do real users rate and describe its effects? And why was the manufacturer of Osteo Bi-Flex sued?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Osteo Bi-Flex to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to relieve joint pain.
We’ll also discuss the risk of side effects, feature customer reviews, and document which retailer sells Osteo Bi-Flex for the best price.
Finally, we'll document why the manufacturer of this supplement was sued.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength are shown above.
Glucosamine is an effective ingredient for relieving joint pain.
A medical review compared glucosamine (at the same dose as in Osteo Bi-Flex) to ibuprofen use for joint pain, and the researchers found the two treatments equally effective.
Joint Shield is a trademarked ingredient which is an extract of Boswellia serrata, a plant native to India and northern Africa.
As we documented in our review of Golden Revive Plus, Boswellia extract is clinically shown to relieve pain in arthritis patients at the same dose as included in Osteo Bi-Flex.
Chondroitin/MSM Complex is the final active ingredient, and this blend appears to be more effective than either ingredient in isolation.
A 2017 clinical trial reported that this blend reduced pain scores to a statistically significant degree in patients with knee arthritis.
While Osteo Bi-Flex is an effectively formulated supplement, it does contain one questionable inactive ingredient.
Titanium dioxide is a colorant that is banned in the EU for use as a food additive over concerns of genotoxicity, which refers to the potential for a compound to cause DNA damage.
Overall, we consider Osteo Bi-Flex likely to be effective for relieving pain and providing joint support.
This is a very well-formulated supplement, and is one of the few dietary supplements we’ve reviewed to date on Illuminate Health where we consider all of the active ingredients to be effectively dosed.
We don’t currently recommend Osteo Bi-Flex due to the inclusion of titanium dioxide.
Real People Try Osteo Bi-Flex
A TikTok user named Julie Johnson had favorable things to say about Osteo Bi-Flex’s effects on her joint pain:
@justjuliej #osteobiflex #supplement #kneepain #aging #midlifecrisis #midlifewomen ♬ original sound - Julie Johnson
A TikTok user named Cassandra Souza claims to have experienced side effects from Osteo Bi-Flex:
@noturnunstoned #psa #sideeffects #heartpalpitations #osteobiflex #tornmenisucus #badkneesclub #OutlanderChallenge #fyp #anxiety #readthefineprint #wholetmeadult ♬ A 3-minute song that is ideal for the BGM of cooking videos(1031572) - mi-ya
Does Osteo Bi-Flex Cause Side Effects?
Consumers are often curious about whether Osteo Bi-Flex is likely to cause side effects, given that the brand’s website does not include any information about side effects at the time of updating this article.
Osteo Bi-Flex does not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so it’s challenging to say whether or not the supplement will cause side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
Glucosamine, which is the highest-dosed active ingredient in Osteo Bi-Flex, was not shown to cause any side effects in a medical review published in the American Family Physician journal.
When glucosamine was combined with chondroitin, the risk of gastrointestinal adverse events was 2.7x higher than placebo, according to a 2018 meta-study.
This data suggests that Osteo Bi-Flex may cause side effects such as digestive discomfort because it contains both of these active ingredients.
There are no warnings listed on the Supplement Facts label, so we do not believe this supplement is likely to cause severe side effects.
Where to Get the Best Price
Osteo Bi-Flex is sold at a variety of online retailers.
Here’s a price breakdown for Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength at the time of updating this article:
iHerb: $51.33 (free shipping, link)
Rite Aid: $47.99 (plus shipping, link)
Walmart: $29.98 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $26.24 (free shipping, link to official product listing)
At the time of updating this article, Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength is around 50% cheaper at Amazon than iHerb when factoring in shipping fees.
Customers Rate Osteo Bi-Flex
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength has been reviewed over 4,000 times on Amazon at the time of updating this article, and has an average review rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Allie K.,” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
“I'd been using topical pain creams, but this has been much more effective for knee pain (sharp pains in left knee walking/hiking uphill). Can't believe the difference after one month b.i.d.”
A top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Lenny B,” who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
“Irregular heartbeats as soon as I started using it! No refund allowed, Amazon must be aware of its issues. You will get cheated and your heath will suffer if you try this!”
What’s the Best Osteo Bi-Flex Product?
Triple Strength is only one of many Osteo Bi-Flex products.
Here’s our quick takes on some of the brand’s other supplements:
Regular Strength
Doesn’t contain MSM so may be less effective.
Recall the clinical trial from the previous ingredient analysis which found glucosamine and chondroitin to only be effective for pain relief if combined with MSM.
Our verdict: Worse formulation than Triple Strength
Triple Strength + Magnesium
Doesn’t contain MSM.
Also contains three artificial dyes: Red 40, Blue 2 and Yellow 5.
As we documented in our review of Midol ingredients, artificial dyes have no health benefits and pose some toxicity concerns, so it seems logical to avoid supplements containing them.
Our verdict: Less healthy formulation than Triple Strength
Triple Strength with Vitamin D
Low vitamin D status is associated with increased risk of joint pain and arthritis, according to a meta-study published in the Public Health Nutrition journal.
This supplement may be more effective for patients with low vitamin D status than Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength.
We’d recommend getting bloodwork done at a doctor’s office to check vitamin D status first.
Our verdict: Superior formulation to Triple Strength for individuals with low vitamin D levels
Why Was Osteo Bi-Flex Sued?
In 2018, the manufacturer of Osteo Bi-Flex was sued over claims of false advertising, according to the Top Class Actions website.
The plaintiffs alleged that the supplements were “worthless” because glucosamine did not relieve pain.
It’s unclear if the lawsuit was ever brought to trial or if it was settled out-of-court.
While in some cases it can be a red flag for a supplement company to be sued, we don’t consider this to be much of a red flag, given that there is extensive clinical data backing the active ingredients in Osteo Bi-Flex for joint support.
This doesn’t mean that the supplement will work for all consumers, but it’s certainly better-formulated than many joint support and pain relief supplements we’ve reviewed.
Our Clean Joint Health Picks
There are natural compounds which have been shown in clinical studies to support optimal joint health and relieve pain.
MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top omega-3 supplement pick.
"Many favorable effects of Omega-3 are believed to result from their anti-inflammatory properties," according to a 2023 medical review.
Cornbread CBD Lotion is our top CBD lotion pick.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is clinically shown to be effectively absorbed through the skin, and CBD caused "significant improvements in pain" when applied topically in a 2020 clinical trial.
Cornbread's lotion also contains menthol, which was shown in a 2022 clinical trial to reduce pain scores.
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized cinnamon supplement, which is third-party tested for purity and potency and costs only $15 at a subscription price.
Cinnamon was shown to reduce inflammatory markers in a 2020 clinical trial. The study authors concluded that “Cinnamon could be regarded as a safe supplement to relieve pain.”
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Osteo Bi-Flex Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Osteo Bi-Flex in our opinion:
Pros:
- Research-backed active ingredients
- Effectively-dosed active ingredients
- Should relieve joint pain
- Should support optimal joint health
- No dangerous ingredients in our opinion
- Highly positive Amazon reviews
Cons:
- Contains titanium dioxide
- Doesn't appear to be clinically studied
- Version containing magnesium has artificial dyes
