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Glucosamine: Joints
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Glucosamine is one of the raw materials used to form new cartilage in the body. It is needed to form the glycosaminoglycans and synovial fluid that help keep the joints cushioned and well lubricated. Glucosamine has been proven in several clinical studies to help ease symptoms of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and bursitis, as well as other disorders associated with a breakdown of the cartilage regenerative process.
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Glucosamine is a combination of sugar and amine. It's found normally in cartilage and plays an important role in cartilage health and resiliency. As you naturally age, you lose some Glucosamine and that leads to the eventual thinning of the cartilage around the joints. Osteoarthritis defined as the deterioration of the cartilage in the joints.
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Glucosamine is an aminopolysaccharide (a combination of an amino acid - glutamine and a sugar - glucose). Glucosamine is concentrated in joint cartilage where it is incorporated in longer chains known as glycosaminoglycans and finally into very large structures known as proteoglycans. The proteoglycans function to attract water into the joint space for lubrication of the cartilage during movement.
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Glucosamine was again tested for a period of three years against placebo in a placebo controlled double blind study, and the results were astoundingly in favor of Glucosamine. Placebo joint narrowing (How much "cushion" exists between the bones, more is better) was much more pronounced over Glucosamine, showing -.29 to .09 mm DETERIORATION with placebo versus a -.06 to .14 mm GROWTH with Glucosamine. Fewer patients with Glucosamine showed severe narrowings over placebo and the side effect profiles for both placebo and Glucosamine were the same.
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Glucosamine, which occurs naturally in the body, plays a key role in the construction of cartilage, or the tough connective tissue that cushions the joints. Glucosamine stimulates the production of glycosaminoglycans (the key structural components of cartilage) as well as the incorporation of sulfur into cartilage. Sulfur is necessary for making and repairing cartilage.
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Glucosamine supplements are widely used for osteoarthritis, particularly knee osteoarthritis. In osteoarthritis, cartilage -- the rubbery material that cushions joints -- becomes stiff and loses its elasticity. This makes the joint prone to damage and may lead to pain, swelling, loss of movement, and further deterioration.
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