If you're looking for a supplement that may ease your joint pain, glucosamine might be worth a try. Some studies show it gives relief for mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis, and it may work for other joints.
What Is It?
Glucosamine is a natural chemical compound in your body. But it also comes in the form of a supplement. There are two main types: hydrochloride and sulfate.
What Does It Do?
The glucosamine in your body helps keep up the health of your cartilage -- the rubbery tissue that cushions bones at your joints. But as you get older, your levels of this compound begin to drop, which leads to the gradual breakdown of the joint.
There's some evidence that glucosamine sulfate supplements help counteract this effect, although experts aren't sure how.
Some people have also used glucosamine to try to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergies, chronic venous insufficiency, sports injuries, temporomandibular joint problems (TMJ), and long-term low back pain. So far, though, there's not much scientific evidence that it works for those problems.
Can you get glucosamine naturally from foods?
Although glucosamine sulfate supplements are often manufactured from the shells of shellfish, there aren't any natural food sources of glucosamine.
What are the risks of taking glucosamine?
On the whole, glucosamine seems to be a fairly safe supplement. Side effects are generally mild. You're more likely to get them if you take high doses. They may include things like:
· Upset stomach
· Heartburn
· Drowsiness
· Headache
Risks: If you have a shellfish allergy, be cautious about using glucosamine because you could have a reaction. Also, check with your doctor before taking supplements if you have diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, bleeding disorders, or high blood pressure.
Interactions: Check with your doctor before you use glucosamine if you take other medicines, including heart drugs, blood thinners, and diabetes drugs. Also, glucosamine isn't recommended for children or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, because there isn't enough evidence yet about whether it's safe for those groups.
Glucosamine Sulphate – does it really help?
In the above-mentioned meta-analysis, in which a significant benefit of glucosamine hydrochloride could not be found, the effect of glucosamine with Sulphate, called glucosamine sulphate, was found. Glucosamine Sulphate has better absorbability compared to pure glucosamine for unknown reasons. Glucosamine sulphate appears to be one of the most popular nutritional supplements for athletes and is also used by athletes with osteoarthritis.
A study conducted by cyclists noted that glucosamine sulphate at a dose of 1500 mg-3000 mg daily reduced the circulation of CTX-II (an indicator of collagen degradation) without significantly affecting CPII.
In many studies, they have noticed that 3 g glucosamine supplementation adjusts the serum indicator, suggesting minor collagen disorders. Collagen synthesis does not appear to be significantly affected, as observed in high-impact sports and low-impact sports.
Another very interesting study was conducted by researcher Rebecca Braham in the field of epidemiology and preventive medicine at Monash University in Prahran. Rebecca together with two other colleagues examined the effect of glucosamine 2000 mg daily for 12 weeks. In addition, they also included tests that measured joint function and pain in persons with knee pain.
The sample size was relatively small, with 24 people using glucosamine and 22 using placebo. All 46 participants were suffering from knee pain due to previous cartilage damage or osteoarthritis, which was so severe that it limited them during daily activities. The function of the knee joint was measured by walking the stairs and duck walking. Participants also responded to pain questionnaires.
Researchers found that improvement occurred much faster in patients taking glucosamine sulphate. The biggest advantage of glucosamine was the reduction in the amount of perceived pain. At the end of the study, 88% of people taking glucosamine sulphate reported that their knee pain improved significantly compared to 17% of people taking a placebo.
Nutritional supplements that contain glucosamine sulphate often contain other ingredients. These include Chondroitin Sulphate, MSM or shark cartilage. Some experts believe that the combination of these substances works better than the use of glucosamine alone.
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