Glucosamine and Chondroitin
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are well known for
providing the building blocks for the restoration of cartilage structure in
joints. BE ADVISED! These items provide minimum to no benefit if the rest of
your nutritional program aren’t in order. The formation of proteoglycans is
severely inhibited by the destructive processes from inflammation and lack of
supporting nutrients. Many things need to be present in the joint in order for
spontaneous repair to occur. Most people forget this. They believe that taking
a supplement will cure all ills. Supplements are exactly that, supplementing
proper practices. That being said, don’t waste your money unless you are
eliminating saturated fats, replacing them with essential fats and getting
plenty of high quality vitamins and minerals and antioxidants from fresh fruits
and vegetables.
Here is an
excerpt from an article picked up recently by Dr. Michael Colgan of the Colgan
Institute as published in his Nov 15, 1996 issue of the Chronicles
Many of us weekend warriors are
familiar with the pain and discomfort of torn ligaments, pulled tendons and
torn cartilage. Then, to add to further insult to our injuries, arthritis
starts creeping insidiously into our lives as we grow older.
To stop this pain and discomfort, many
people use over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as aspirin or ibuprofen,
much touted by drug companies as the only answer. But there is mounting
evidence that these anti-inflammatories inhibit the body’s ability to produce
cartilage. In fact the common anti-inflammatories used by many physicians to
treat knee pain are now suspected to be a major cause of ligament and cartilage
destruction.
In the knee, for example, much of the
pain, inflammation and eventual arthritis occurs because of damage to the
cartilage cushion, which leaves the heads of the leg bones, the femur and the
tibia, grinding on each other.
A good study on subjects with
arthritic knees was done at St. John’s Hospital in Oporto, Portugal. Dr.
Antonio Vaz randomly divided a group of 68 patients, giving the first group a
daily dose of 1.5 grams of glucosamine sulfate, and the second group 1.2 grams
of ibuprofen (Motrim). Results showed that by the end of the study, the
glucosamine group has significantly less pain that the ibuprofen group.1
Another double-blind study divided 30
patients with chronic arthritis into two groups. One group received 500 mg of
glucosamine sulfate per day for 14 days. The other group received a placebo.
Total symptom scores, including pain swelling, tenderness, and loss of
function, improved by 71% in the glucosamine group, but were little changed in
the placebo group.2
A study with young athletes reported
even more spectacular findings. 51 male and 17 female athletes with cartilage
damage of the knee were given 1500 mg of glucasamine sulfate daily for 40 days,
and then 750 mg for 90-100 days. Of the
68 athletes, 52 had complete disappearance of their symptoms and resumed
full athletic training. A follow-up 12 months later showed no signs of
cartilage damage in any of the athletes.3
To understand the mechanism of
glucosamine, we need to look at the biochemistry of the connective tissue that
makes up your ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and spinal discs. There are two
main components of these tissues. The first is collagen. The second is a long
chain made up mainly of sugars called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). These GAGs are
the tissue framework that collagen holds onto. Collagen and GAGs together
continuously construct and reconstruct your tendons and ligaments.
This is where glucosamine comes in.
Glucosamine is the major precursor of GAGs. But even more important, the making
of glucosamine from glucose and glutamine is your body’s rate limiting step in
GAG production, and hence the rate limiting step in re-modelling your
connective tissue.
Following connective tissue injury,
such as a cartilage tear, this limit does not allow the body to make sufficient
glucosamine for optimal healing. And, as we age, the body’s ability to convert
glucose and glutamine to glucosamine declines because of reductions in the
level of the converting enzyme glucosamine synthetase. This is where oral
glucosamine comes in. Taking glucosamine supplements can increase GAG levels by
up to 170%.4,5
There are many companies selling
various glucosamine supplements on the market. Many of the formulas display a
complete lack if knowledge of human biochemistry. So, avoid the supplements
that contain condroitin sulfate. The molecule of chondroitin sulfate is too big
to pass through the lining of the gut. It is only effective if used as an
injection. For those of you with a “need to know” penchant, chondroitin sulfate
has a molecular weight of 50,000; glucosamine sulfate has a molecular weight of
211.
Then there is n-acetyl-glucosamine
(NAG). By itself, NAG is almost useless because it is only one of the sugars in
GAGs and does not stimulate GAG synthesis alone. It requires glucosamine
sulfate to bypass the rate-limiting step and trigger GAG production. NAG should
be only taken in combination with glucosamine sulfate.
Always buy glucosamine sulfate rather
than straight glucosamine. Research indicates that sulfer is an essential part
of the molecule during tissue remodelling.5 In fact, sulfer is a
major component of your body.
Glucosamine sulfate has been shown to
be virtually non-toxic to animals even at 8 grams per kg bodyweight per day.
The human studies discussed above reported no side-effects at the Colgan
Institute. Dosage should depend on the severity of the problem.
As with all supplements, please read
the references carefully, and always take a complete supplement. Remember that
nutrients work synergistically, never on their own, so always make sure you are
taking a good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement along with any other
special nutrients.
References:
1.
Vaz
AL. Double blind evaluation of the relative efficacy of glucosamine sulfate in
the management of osteoarthritis of the knee in out-patients. Curr Med Res Opin 1982;8:145-149.
2.
D’Ambrosio
E, Casa B, Bompani R, Scali G, Scali M. Glucosamine sulfate: a controlled
clinical investigation of arthritis. Pharmatherapeutica
1981;2(80):504-508.
3.
Bohmen
D et I. BrachtN, Prokopl, (eds). Treatment of chondropathia patellae in young
athletes with glucosamine sulfate. Current
Topics in Sports Medicine, Vienna: Urban and Schwarzenberg, 1984.
4.
Setnikar
I, Giachetti C, Zanola G. Absorption, distribution and excretion of
radioactivity after a single intravenous or oral administration of glucosamine
to the rat. Pharmatherapeutica
1984;3(8):538-550.
5.
Setnikar
I, Giachetti C, Zanola G. Pharmacokinetics of glucosamine in the dog and man. Arneimittelforschung, 1991;36(2):729-736.
A recent review of clinical studies carried out over the last 22 years shows Glucosamine and Chondroitin to be effective in reducing pain, and joint damage. See the article here. A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis
Glucosamine is a simple molecule that the body make
from sugar and uses as a major building block of cartilage. In test tubes, it
stimulates cartilage cells to synthesize the ingredients for more cartilage.
In a handful of good studies in
Europe, osteoarthritis sufferers who took 1500 mg of glucosamine each day for
one to three months reported less pain, swelling, or tenderness than those who
took a (inactive but look alike ) placebo. Many experienced as much relief as
those who tool painkilling drugs.
In one study of 200 people with
arthritis of the knees, glucosamine matched the popular painkiller ibuprofen,
the active ingredient in Advil and Motrin. Each relieved symptoms in about half
of the 100 people who took it. But after four weeks, those in the ibuprofen
group were six times more likely than those on glucosamine to report side
effects like heartburn stomach pain, and nausea or to stop taking their
medication.
“The good studies show that
glucosamine relieves the pain of osteoarthritis as effectively as the other
things we’re using now,” concludes Felson. Which is why many doctors tell their
patients that glucosamine is worth a try.
Rheumatologist Marc. C. Hochberg of
the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, an expert on how to
gauge the effectiveness of osteoarthritis treatments, is one of them.
“If patients are interested, I suggest
that they try 500 mg three times a day for a month, “ he says. “If they notice
an improvement in symptoms they can continue for as long as it seems to work
and there are not uncomfortable side effects.”
If there’s no relief after four
weeks-and studies report that from 20 to 50 percent of people get none-Hochberg
recommends that his patients stop taking glucosamine.
…end of article
Glucosamine is best absorbed in the sulfate form.
The HCl is less effective and less costly. That’s why you will often see
mixtures of the two forms. Dosage is optimally 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfate
per day in divided doses. Chondroitin
is notoriously difficult to put in a supplement effectively and at reduced
cost. In fact, of the many chondroitin-only supplements tested, only 1 passed
the independent lab tests. To me, although the mixtures passed, this puts them
in question. I would prefer you either stick to a reputable brand of mixtures,
or purchase them as separate supplements. Notice that in the included list of
supplements, all mixtures of glucosamine and chondroitin are also mixes of
glucosamine HCl and glucosamine sulfate. Again, this is to reduce cost. In my
opinion, NOW foods is consistent in quality, are generally less expensive, are
available everywhere, and offer both glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin as
individual supplements. I might consider those on a cost/quality basis first.
From there, you will have to make a cost analysis, as I don’t know the retail
cost of all of these items.
isted alphabetically below are the
products that passed ConsumerLab.com's independent testing of glucosamine,
chondroitin, and glucosamine/chondroitin dietary supplements.
|
CONSUMERLAB.COM APPROVED QUALITY
GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN PRODUCTS |
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|
Product Name and Declared
Concentration of Main Ingredient(s) Per Pill |
Manufacturer or
Distributor |
|
|
|
|
ArthxDS™
Glucosamine Chondroitin, 500 mg glucosamine HCl, 400 mg chondroitin sulfate
per capsule* |
Dist.
by Medtech (Mfd. By PECOS Pharmaceuticals) |
|
ArthxDS™
Once Per Day Time Release Formula Glucosamine 1500 mg Chondroitin 1200 mg,
750 mg glucosamine HCl, 600 mg chondroitin per caplet* |
Dist.
by Medtech (Mfd. By PECOS Pharmaceuticals) |
|
Double
Strength Cosamin®DS, 500 mg glucosamine HCI, 400 mg chondroitin sulfate, 5 mg
manganese per capsule* |
Nutramax
Laboratories, Inc. |
|
Glucosamine
/ Chondroitin Double Strength, 500 mg glucosamine HCl and 400 mg chondroitin
per capsule |
Walgreens |
|
Maximum
Strength Flex-A-Min® Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, 500 mg glucosamine
sulfate — 2KCI and 400 mg chondroitin per tablet* |
Arthritis
Research Corp. |
|
Maximum
Strength Glucosamine/Chondroitin, 500 mg glucosamine HCl and 400 mg
chondroitin per tablet |
CVS |
|
Move
Free (formerly Pain Free in caplet form), 500 mg Glucosmaine (sulfate,HCL,
and N-acetyl), 400 mg Chondroitin, Joint Support Formula tablets |
Schiff |
|
Nature's
Bounty Chondroitin Complex with Glucosamine, 250 mg glucosamine HCl, 200 mg
chondroitin per capsule |
Nature's
Bounty |
|
Osteo-Bi-Flex
Glucosamine / Chondroitin, 250 mg glucosamine HCl, 200 mg chondroitin tablets |
Sundown |
|
Spring
Valley Glucosamine/Chondroitin Max. Strength, 500 mg glucosamine HCl, 400 mg
chondroitin tablets |
Wal-Mart
/ Manf. By Park-Taft Laboratories |
|
Triple
Flex™ Maximum Strength Glucosamine Chondroitin Plus MSM Supplement, 500 mg
glucosamine HCl, 400 mg chondroitin sulfate per tablet* |
Nature
Made Nutritional Products |
|
|
|
|
Aflexa
Glucosamine (sulfate), 340 mg/tablet* |
McNeil
Consumer Healthcare, Inc. |
|
Enzymatic
Therapy GS-500, Glucosamine Sulfate, 500mg/capsule* |
Enzymatic
Therapy |
|
Fields
of Nature Glucosamine Sulfate 500 mg, Natural Joint Nutrient capsules |
Fields
of Nature |
|
GNC
Glucosamine (sulfate), 600 mg/capsule |
GNC |
|
Natrol
Glucosamine Complex (sulfate, HCl, and N-acetyl), 500 mg/capsule |
Natrol |
|
Nature
Made Glucosamine (sulfate and HCl) 500 mg/tablet |
Nature
Made |
|
Nature
Made® Joint Action™, 500 mg glucosamine HCl per tablet* |
Nature
Made Nutritional Products |
|
Now
Glucosamine Sulfate 750 mg Complex, 750 mg/capsule* |
Now
Foods |
|
Nutrilite
Glucosamine HCl with Boswellia, 375 mg/caplet |
Access
Business Group International LLC |
|
One
A Day Joint Health (with Glucosamine and Vitamins C & E), 500 mg
glucosamine sulfate/tablet* |
Bayer |
|
OsteoJoint
Triple Formula for Healthy Joints, 500 mg glucosamine sulfate/caplet |
Your
Life |
|
Osteokinetics
467 mg glucosamine HCl /capsule |
Shaklee
(Formulas) |
|
PhytoPharmica
Glucosamine Sulfate, 500mg/capsule* |
PhytoPharmica |
|
Puritans'
Pride Glucosamine Sulfate, 1000 mg/capsule |
Puritans'
Pride |
|
Spring
Valley Glucosamine Complex (sulfate and HCl), 500 mg/tablet |
Wal-Mart
/ Manf. By Leiner Health Products |
|
|
|
|
NOW
Chondroitin Sulfate 600 mg/capsule* |
Now
Foods |