What is Glucosamine Chondroitin
& Glucosamine Sulphate
Glucosamine Chondroitin and Glucosamine
Sulfate supplements are used to help fight osteoarthritis
and joint pains. (Osteoarthritis is the deterioration
of cartilage in your joints.) Glucosamine and chondroitin
are both found naturally in the body, and help to
repair and from cartilage. Chondroitin sulfate helps
draw water into your cartilage. and making it more
elastic.
Glucose and an amino acid combines
to form glucosamine. Glucosamine sulfate is a building
block of cartilage, and is used by people affected
by arthritis, and also athletes with joint pain problems.
In a lot of joint supplements, you'll see on the label
names such as Glucosamine Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride,
Chondroitin Sulfate etc...
The main advantage of Glucosamine
is that it's absorbed into the body much faster than
other types of joint supplements - mainly because
the molecules are very small.
Glucosamine Sulfate Research
Much research has been done on Glucosamine
Sulfate, and the results are quite good. Below are
two studies done on Glucosamine Sulfate:
Glucosamine Sulfate Study
1: 106 participants suffering from progressive
joint-space narrowing were randomized into 2 groups
- the glucosamine group and a placebo group. The glucosamine
sulphate group had no joint space loss after a period
of time, and the placebo group's condition worsened
slightly.
Glucosamine Sulfate Study
2: In a study involving 212 subjects suffering
from osteoarthritis, subjects were randomized into
2 groups - the glucosamine group and a placebo group.
1500mg of Glucosamine sulphate were taken by the glucosamine
groups everyday for 3 years.
Radiographic images of the subjects
knees were taken, and the Glucosamine group showed
significant improvements compared to the placebo group,
which made no improvements. This study also confirms
supplementing Glucosamine Sulfate improves joint health.
Glucosamine Products Testing Done
by ConsumerLabs and University of Maryland
In 2 similar, but unrelated studies
done by ConsumerLabs and the University of Maryland,
they each did a study testing different Glucosamine
products for Glucosamine content. Surprisingly, many
of the products did not pass the test - meaning the
labels falsely labeled the Glucosamine and Chondroitin
contents.
ConsumerLabs Results:
ConsumerLabs purchased 25 brands
of glucosamine and Chondroitin products in early 2000,
and tested each to determine the actual amounts of
glucosamine and chondroitin as compared to the labeling.
See their report
here. Here's a summary of what they found:
Overall, almost 1/3 of the products
failed the test
6 out of 13 Glucosamine Chondroitin
products failed due to lower than labeled Chondroitin
levels
2 out of 2 Chondroitin only products
failed the test
All 10 Glucosamine only products
passed the test
The main reason all products containing
chondroitin failed is mostly attributed to the high
costs of chondroitin. Chondroitin costs 4 times as
much as glucosamine, to maintain a good profit, the
manufacturers skimped a little (or alot) on the chondroitin
contents.
University of Maryland Study
Results:
In an unrelated study, University
of Maryland tested 32 glucosamine / chondroitin products,
and also found that many of the glucosamine chondroitin
products' falsely label the amounts. Below is a brief
summary of their findings:
26 out of 32 products tested
contained less than 90% of the chondroitin as stated
on the labels
Some products contained as low
as 33% of what the label reported
17 out of 32 products (more than
half) contained less than 40% of the chondroitin
sulfate as stated on the labels
Only 5 out of 32 products passed
the test
In 2 products, they even found
varying amounts of chondroitin from capsule to capsule
Again, of the products that didn't
pass, all failed on the reported Chondroitin levels
compared to actual Chondroitin levels found - obviously,
economics is a big deal, and the manufacturers didn't
hesitate to skimp on the costly ingredient.
($__$)
So what can we conclude? Simple,
stay away from Glucosamine Chondroitin products, and
just go for Glucosamine only products. Glucosamine
isn't nearly as costly as chondroitin, and they manufacturers
have no reason to skimp on it, so in all likelihood,
you're getting what you pay for - this probably will
not be the case with Glucosamine Chondroitin products.
Most studies show that taking 500mg
of Glucosamine 3 times a day for a total of 1500mg
is effective to improving joint health.
