Mussel

Studies in people

• Open question

  Joint pain relief³

  Green-lipped mussel is used for joint pain, but studies in people give conflicting results.

• Benefit

  Knee arthritis pain⁴

  In adults with mild-to-moderate knee arthritis, green-lipped mussel powder was linked to better pain and physical function over 12 weeks.

• Benefit

  Muscle soreness after exercise⁵

  In men, taking Greenshell mussel powder helped sore, damaged muscles recover faster after hard exercise.

• Benefit

  Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms⁷

  In people with rheumatoid arthritis, mussel oil capsules improved disease activity scores over six months, but larger studies are needed.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Heavy metals in seafood⁶

  Mussels from Morocco's Atlantic coast can hold cadmium and chromium at levels above safety guidelines, a concern for children.

• Mercury in tinned shellfish⁸

  In tinned mussels from Spain, mercury was found at levels below the European limit.

• Seafood contamination risk⁹

  Mussels in South Africa can hold metals like mercury and lead at levels above seafood guidelines.

• Metals in seafood¹⁰

  Mussels can hold cadmium, lead, arsenic and cobalt, and bigger ones held more than smaller ones.

• Tiny plastic in seafood¹¹

  Mussels from a Tunisian lagoon were found to contain tiny plastic bits, mostly polyethylene.

• Heavy metals in shellfish¹²

  Mussels from this Turkish reservoir held the most arsenic, cadmium and lead of the samples tested.

• Food poisoning from shellfish¹³

  In a food outbreak, Vibrio parahaemolyticus was found in a mussel sample.

• Metals in shellfish¹⁴

  Mussels can hold cadmium, copper and zinc, and some cadmium levels were higher than recommended limits.

• Lead in shellfish¹⁵

  Mussels in some parts of this estuary held more lead than the guideline for eating.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.