Instaflex Advanced – Scam Supplement or The Cure to Joint Pain? [Read Before Buying]

Since you took the time to do some research and are currently reading my review, I'm guessing you already have a pretty good idea of what exactly it is, but anyways… Here's the briefing:

Instaflex Advanced is a new and "advanced" joint support formula brought to us by Instaflex. It is said to be "doctor formulated" and will relieve discomfort, improve flexibility, and provide joint relief in as little as seven days.

Overall I like the ingredients included into this is a promising supplement brought to us by a company that can be trusted… The downside being that it is a bit on the pricey side. However, it is all about what price you are willing to pay for relief.

This supplement isn't going to work for everyone, as I will talk about later in this review, but it definitely is not a scam and many people do see positive results after taking.

Instaflex Advanced vs Instaflex

​

You may or may not be familiar with the original Instaflex, which is just called Instaflex Joint Support. I actually wrote a review on this supplement in the past and found the overall it is also a decent joint support supplement. However, I would say this new advanced formula is better, as you would expect.

The new "advanced" supplement is quite a bit different. It has some of the same ingredients, such as the legendary turmeric and boswellia, but offers additional new ingredients and does away with some old ones, like glucosamine and chondroitin.

Some another plus sides besides added benefits include that you only have to take 1 pill a day (versus taking 3 pills a day with the original version) and there is no ingredient that comes from shellfish so you don't have to worry about shellfish allergies.

Whether or not this supplement works all boils down to what ingredients it has.

Below you can see a picture of the label, which includes turmeric extract, resveratrol, Apresflex, UC-II, hyaluronic acid, and Bioperine…

So let's talk a bit about these ingredients starting off with turmeric…

Turmeric Extract (200mg)

You have probably heard of turmeric before. It was originally used in traditional Chinese medicine and is an ingredient in spicy dishes, such as curry but it has become increasingly popular throughout the Western world, mainly due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Turmeric is nothing new when it comes to joint support supplements, or any sort of supplements that deal with inflammatory conditions for that matter. And while many of these supplements may be a bit overhyped, turmeric is a fairly well studied ingredient that does actually work.

The reason turmeric is effective against inflammatory conditions has to do with a chemical it contains called curcumin, which is a natural polyphenolic compound that lowers histamine levels and fights off inflammation.

In addition to having a good amount of anti-inflammatory properties there are added benefits, such as strong antioxidant power that can also be of benefit when it comes to aiding your body in the reduction of joint pain.

In this supplement you get 200 mg of the turmeric extract with every serving. This is a big improvement over the original version which only had 50 mg, which I complained about in my past review. That said, the turmeric here is only standardized to 82% curcuminoids while the original was standardized to 95%. Either way though, you are getting more curcuminoids with the advanced formula due to the much higher dosage.

Another big improvement is that it contains it Bioperine. This ingredient has a big impact on turmeric that I will get into shortly.

Resveratrol (100mg)

Resveratrol is next on the list and you get 100 mg of this. You may have heard of it before and, if so, there's a good chance you heard of it in wine. This high antioxidant ingredient is found in grapes, nuts, berries and more. Because of its high antioxidant content it is thought that it may help prevent cancer, diabetes, early aging and more.

In addition to being a good source of antioxidants it is also used for anti-inflammatory purposes. There is a good bit of information on the anti-inflammatory responses of resveratrol that I came across in a medical journal. Apparently the way it works is by inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators, some activated immune cells, as well as the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes that are active in the inflammation process.

The strange thing is, however, that some people actually report an oncoming of joint pain with resveratrol use. But this seems to be in rare cases.

Apresflex (Boswellia serrata extract) (100mg)

​

Next up is Apresflex, which is just a name for a patented form of boswellia serrata extract. It is said to be a superior form compared to other boswellia serrata extract products out there. This included at 100 mg doses per serving.

You may have heard of this ingredient before because it is fairly popular when it comes to joint pain creams. There are quite a bit on the market that have boswellia in them and based on what I have seen they seem to get some pretty good reviews from users.

Boswellia serrata comes from a tree that grows throughout India and nearby areas. Again, this is another ingredient that has been used in folk medicine for ages and that has been proven by science to actually work.

Studies of this particular patented form of extract show that it has the potential to relieve joint pain in as little as seven days, helping with arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions with high levels of inflammation.

​

There have been studies performed showing that people who take 100 mg on a daily basis have showed "significant" effects when it comes to pain reduction in joints. This is good because there is 100 mg per dose in this supplement.

UC-II (40mg)

UC-II, which is in undenatured type II collagen, is said to be twice as effective as glucosamine and chondroitin which are ingredients that were used in the original formula. In addition to this you don't have to deal with shellfish allergies as you do with glucosamine, so this is a nice change of ingredients for the advanced formula.

This type of collagen is commonly found in joint health supplements, but probably not as commonly as it should be. The undenatured form of this collagen, which is the kind that is included in this supplement, has been shown to be more effective than denatured collagen. 

UC-II has been shown to reduce enzyme secretion that breaks down the collagen and to slow inflammation. And besides slowing inflammation it is also a protein that plays a key role in the structural support of cartlidge tissue, which degrades in the aging process. In fact, it makes up 60% of cartlidge tissue and is absolutely essential for good and strong joints with healthy movement.

​

Hyaluronic Acid (5mg)

​

Hyaluronic acid is less commonly known but if you have been doing a fair amount of research on joint health you may have come across this. Although there is some controversy around the practice, some people get hyaluronic acid injections for osteoarthritis, but it is somewhat unclear whether or not this is actually an effective treatment. Additionally you may have heard of people getting this stuff injected into their face to reduce wrinkles, which is kind of like an alternative to Botox.

​

Why is this stuff important? Well… It actually makes up part of the synovial fluid and vitreous humor, which lubricate the joints in the eyes respectively.

This substance tends to decrease as part of the natural aging process and it has been found that patients with arthritis tend to have lower levels.

All this said, there isn't all too much evidence that ingesting this orally will have positive effects, although it makes sense that it would.

Oh.. And by the way… The old formula contained only 4 mg of hyaluronic acid while the new advanced formula contains 5 mg.

Bioperine (5mg)

​

Last but not least is Bioperine, which I was very excited to see on the list of ingredients. 

What is this stuff? Well the name "Bioperine" is just a trademark the name for piperine, which is the extract from black pepper that is so darn effective at increasing bioavailability of nutrients.

In simple terms, Bioperine helps your body absorb more of the nutrients in this supplement and has been shown to be very effective when it comes to increasing turmeric curcumin absorption, which I actually wrote an article on

​

But this is no one trick pony. Bioperine has lots of benefits besides increasing absorption, such as improving cognitive function and mood.

According to studies it has been found that, in general, it can increase absorption by at least 30% and I have even came across studies that claim it can increase absorption by a heck of a lot more than that, but either way, a 30% increase is pretty darn good.

​

Do They Really Work?

​

All of the ingredients on this list have at least some scientific backing behind them. There is nothing here that is based purely on myth or theory… They have all had scientific studies testing their ability to reduce joint pain either directly or indirectly by reducing inflammation.

Now will it work? Well… There is some controversy surrounding the effectiveness of some of these ingredients within the scientific community, as there always be, but overall it definitely seems that this supplement should have a positive effect on joint pain, lack of joint mobility, etc.

As with any supplement out there to be some potential side effects and it is always the safest bet to consult with your doctor before taking something like this. That said, there aren't any crazy ingredients in here and most people should have no problem taking this.

And there is no glucosamine so you don't have to worry about shellfish allergies like you do with the original Instaflex.

Some potential side effects that you could get from the ingredients included in this supplement could be upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, etc.

Will It React Badly With Other Medications?

As stated, you should always consult a doctor. On their website Instaflex says that they are unaware of any specific interactions with medications. What this means is that if you are taking a mainstream medication then you are probably okay, but of course, like I said, ask your doctor first.

On the Instaflex website it states under their FAQ section that you should take 1 pill a day with water, but I slightly disagree with this. While I do agree you can take it with water, because of course need some sort of liquid to take it with, I think it would be better if you also take it having some food in your stomach so either right before or after you eat.

The reason for this is because some of the ingredients are better absorbed with food. Take the Boswellia serrata extract for example. This extract contains an important compound called AKBA that is fat soluble and absorbs much better if you take it with fatty food, instead of just with water alone.

How much of a difference will this actually make? Who knows… But if I were going to take this and wanted to give it the best chance of working possible, I would take it with a meal.

The big question… What are people who have actually taken this supplement saying? Are they seeing positive effects or are they seeing nothing at all?

Finding real user reviews is something I always like to look for when reviewing a potential scam supplement.

What I found here is a combination of good and bad reviews, as I would expect. However, the good outweighed the bad.

There are a fair number of people praising the supplement for fixing their knee pain. Knee pain seems to be one of the common problems that people are taking this before and have found relief while taking it. In fact, I was reading one review where a person was to the point where they were on crutches their pain was so bad and Instaflex Advanced help to relieve it significantly.

Is this going to be a 100% fix? Probably not. Based on what I have found most people have found it to give them some level of relief, not entirely getting rid of the painful condition.

The overall rating it has on Amazon isn't all that great, but it isn't bad either. It has a 3.8 out of 5 star rating with over 700 customer reviews…

So why the low star reviews? Well… Some of the more common complaints I came across are listed below:

Complaints

​

Doesn't Work

​

The main complaint is simply that it does not work. Some people have tried this for an extended period of time and took it just as they were supposed to, yet experienced no positive results. This is just the way things are. You will never find a supplement that works for everyone and there are many reasons for this, some of which I will go over in a bit.

Free Trail Scam

​

I also saw several complaints about this being a scam. I am not completely aware of the situation, but apparently there is, or was, a free trial in which you could order a sample pack and pay $4.99 for shipping. However, the people complaining say that they all of a sudden got a full bottle in the mail later on and were charged nearly $75, in which they were billed automatically.

​

Like I said, I don't know exactly what is going on here, but I think it is worth mentioning. But although it is a complaint, negativity like this is not associated with whether or not the supplement actually works.

Too Expensive

​

And of course there is the complaint that this supplement is simply too darn expensive. It is expensive and I completely agree with this complaint… Not much to say here.

Poor Customer Service 

​

There were multiple complaints I came across about there being poor customer service. Most of these complaints seem to be coming from people who were trying to get refunds and had a very unpleasant encounters with customer service representatives.

Negative Reactions

And the last complaint worth mentioning is that some people have even experienced negative reactions while taking this. Yes, it is possible for this to happen, although it seems highly unlikely.

There our two different bottle sizes from what I have seen. You can either buy a 14 day supply for around $30 or a 30 day supply for around $60.

Moneyback Guarantee

It is a lot of money, but they do have a moneyback guarantee in which they state that they cover you for 30 days after the product is shipped to you and if you are not 100% satisfied you can send back the unused portion and get a full refund.

I'm guessing you will have to pay return shipping however.

The reason I am including this section is because I think it is always important to know who manufactures the supplements you are putting into your body. In this case it is Instaflex, which is owned by Digital Direct LLC. The same company also owns other brands such as Nugenix, which is fairly well known.

It it is nice to see that they have an A+ rating with the BBB (not that this really means much) and that their products are being sold in trusted stores such as Amazon, GNC, Walgreens, etc.

So can they be trusted? It appears so.

One thing that everyone has to understand is that this supplement, although it may work amazingly for some people, will not work for everyone. The reason is because there are 100 different causes of joint pain and there will never be a "cure-all" supplement.

Just think about it… Your joint pain could be from arthritis, tendinitis, maybe some sort of sprain or strain, etc. And even arthritis alone has hundreds of different causes.

The treatment for different causes can be very different and while this supplement does have a nice lineup of ingredients that will attack joint pain from multiple angles, it still isn't going to cure everything.

In my opinion Instaflex Advanced is not a scam. It is a supplement that has good ingredients that are proven to work and has plenty of good reviews.

It seems that many of the people calling it a scam are those who have took the free trial offer and have been charged additionally without knowing. And in these cases I totally understand why they are calling it a scam. But like I said earlier, these complaints have nothing to do with whether or not the supplement works.

The decision is ultimately yours, but I do think that this is a very well formulated joint pain supplement and there's a good possibility that you could see positive effects from it. Now of course I have no idea what is causing your joint pain, but I am just talking in generality.

It is somewhat pricey but it might be worth giving a shot. You never really know and you try something like this. And if you are looking for the best deal, I would check it out on Amazon.

But anyways, I hope you enjoyed my review and found at least somewhat helpful. If you have any questions, any at all, please leave them them below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can 🙂