GHS Natural Health Blog

What is Glucosamine?

Glucosamine is made of an amino acid and a sugar molecule and is a raw material for making connective tissue in joint cartilage. In supplement form, it is derived from chitin, the hard material in crustacean shell. It can also be made from plant material such as corn, known as vegetarian glucosamine.

How does it work?

Glucosamine feeds and stimulates cartilage repair. It’s one of cartilage’s key building blocks and also encourages self-repair by stimulating the process that creates moisture-holding molecules.

Uses for Glucosamine

As we age, the body’s ability to produce glucosamine can decrease and this causes joint cartilage to lose it water holding capacity. The cartilage breaks and becomes less effective as a shock absorber, leading to joint stiffness. Supplementing the body’s natural glucosamine production has been shown in clinical trials to repair and rebuild worn or damaged cartilage. As the condition of the joint cartilage improves, pain is reduced and mobility increased.

What are the key benefits?

• Helps repair and rebuild damaged cartilage
• Can improve joint mobility and flexibility
• Symptomatic relief of osteoarthritis
• Helps reduce further cartilage damage
• Temporary relief of joint inflammation
• Temporary relief of joint pain

How does it compare?

Conventional osteoarthritis treatment involves anti-inflammation medicines. While they can be effective in relieving pain, they do not address the cause of the problem. Unlike these medicines, glucosamine has been demonstrated to effectively act on the cause of osteoarthritic pain – cartilage breakdown. By addressing the root the problem, osteoarthritis joint pain can also be relieved.

Where’s the evidence?

Given glucosamine works mainly as a structural compound to maintain cartilage, it’s more sensible to measure changes in joint structure, than pain reduction, to quantify glucosamine’s effectiveness. A review of a number of clinical trials that used X-rays to measure improvement concluded glucosamine can reduce the risk of osteoarthritis progression by 54%.

Glucosamine has also been shown in some clinical trials to work as effectively, if not better than some other commonly used arthritis medicines. Some studies show that it relieves pain and this is more marked in people with moderate to severe symptoms.

Does it really work?

Aside from the functional evidence above, thousands of glucosamine users are benefiting from the effects of glucosamine with about 400m tablets a year being consumed. In fact Choice Magazine found about 75% of their online members who were arthritis sufferers claimed they were experiencing a benefit from using glucosamine.

Arthritis is a generic term that encompasses more than 100 different diseases, all of which cause pain, stiffness, and usually swelling in the joints. According to the National Arthritis Foundation, arthritis affects nearly 43 million Americans and is the leading cause of physical disability. Although it affects people of all ages, it most commonly develops as people get older.

The causes of most types of arthritis are unknown, although certain factors— particularly excess weight and joint injuries caused by accidents or overuse—increase risk. Genetic factors can increase risk for some types of arthritis. The most common types of arthritis include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that involves the breakdown of cartilage and bone, particularly in the fingers and weight-bearing joints such as the spine, hips, and knees. Treatments include regular exercise, medication, and if a joint is seriously deformed, surgery.

Rheumatoid arthritis, the most severe form of arthritis, is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks joint tissues, causing inflammation that can eventually lead to serious damage, including bone erosion and dislocated joints. In some cases, the heart, lungs, and eyes also are affected. Effects of the disease can be limited by regular exercise during periods of remission and by rest and anti-inflammatory medications during attacks. Juven-ile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of arthritis in children. It often is mild, disappearing after several years, but serious cases can last a lifetime.

Gout results from an accumulation of uric acid in the blood, which leads to deposits of uric acid crystals in a joint. Typically, the first joint to be affected is the one in the big toe; other joints of the extremities—fingers, wrist, knee, and ankle—often become affected as well. Attacks, which last for days, can be extremely painful. Fortunately, gout generally can be successfully controlled. Uric acid is a waste product of the digestion of compounds called purines; avoiding foods rich in purines prevents or reduces the severity of attacks. During attacks, anti-inflammatory and corticosteroid drugs counteract joint inflammation and pain