Glucosamine Comparisons

 Glucosamine Comparisons

Let's compare some of the glucosamine choices on the market today. These comparisons are offered by a noteworthy non-profit nutritional regulatory agency. They looked at the top four leading brands by reputable glucosamine manufacturers. They also listed their recommendations as guidance when making glucosamine purchases.

The recommendations include a minimum daily glucosamine dosage of 1000 milligrams. They suggest that a reasonable price to pay for each dose of glucosamine is between 85 cents and $1.20. The agency suggests as well that you should only spend $30-$50 each month on your glucosamine regiment. The amount of glucosamine, liquid glucosamine or glucosamine sulfate that a bottle or jar contains should never be less than a thirty day supply, they recommend. The ideal product choice, the agency scientists say, would be a combination of glucosamine sulfate and HCL.

The regulatory organization also recommends that you purchase liquid, rather than caplet or pill form, of glucosamine. They even talk about the shipping cost, stating you shouldn't have to pay more than $3.50 to have your glucosamine or glucosamine sulfate shipped to you.

At the top of their glucosamine product list is Flexicose, with a daily dosage of 1500 mg. This has been confirmed. Its per-dose price fluctuates between 84 and 95 cents per day. The cost of the Flexicose brand of glucosamine is $29.95 for a month's supply, although they also offer a bulk discount. If you purchase three bottles at one time they will give you $10 off the entire glucosamine purchase. Each bottle of the Flexicose brand will last for 32 days, and it does contain a combination of glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine HCL. Other ingredients include chondroitin, MSM, yucca, manganese, omega, boswellia, vitamins A, C and E; bromelain, and niacinamide. Shipping is free.

The reviewers had nothing but praise for Flexicose's glucosamine product, calling it one of the highest in quality and cost effectiveness of the glucosamine products available on the market today. They also gave high marks to the unique measuring cup that flexicose built into the bottle cap.

The second most praised glucosamine brand was Liquid Health, which offers 1500 mg a day as well. Its price, however, is a hefty $1.55 per day if you buy the 32-ounce bottle or all the way up to $2.61 per day if you purchase the smaller 10-ounce size. This amounts to more than $83 a month for this brand of glucosamine. If you buy the ten-ounce bottle you get less than a week's supply, while the larger provides a 31-day supply. It is liquid and contains glucosamine sulfate - no HCL. It does, however, also contain chondroitin and MSM. Shipping is $5.60. The agency listed this as recommended because of its high daily concentration and its chondroitin and MSM combo but said it would be recommended only for those who had no budget concerns.

Glucosamine Chondroitin

Glucosamine Chondroitin

You'll often find glucosamine combined with chondroitin and with MSM as well. Let's take a look at what this glucosamine chondroitin combination, or the glucosamine chondroitin MSM combination, can accomplish for our aching joints.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are substances found naturally in the body. Glucosamine is an amino sugar that researchers have found to be effective in the repair of bone cartilage. Chondroitin, part of a molecule of protein, offers elasticity to cartilages.  Glucosamine and chondroitin both are sold either as dietary supplements or nutritional supplements. They are animal tissue extracts. Glucosamin comes from shellfish - lobster, crab or shrimp - while chondroitin is a product of animal cartridge, the most common being shark or tracheas cartilage.

Methul Sulfonyl Methane, or MSM as it's more commonly known, is occasionally referred to as organic sulfur as well. You may have heard it referred to as DMSO, which stands for di methyl sulfonyl oxygen.

MSM helps to relieve joint and muscle pain and inflammation in several ways. Not only does it block pain impulses by preventing their movements along C fibers within the body's nerves, but they carry the message that the body is experiencingt pain from the area realizing the damage to the brain.

MSM can also help reduce a body's pain by the reduction of inflammation and the blockage of that pain message to the brain. MSM can also greatly reduce  inflammation. This inflammation, the cause of pressure on the nerves and other body tissue, can make the pain considerably worse. MSM instead encourages the flow of blood and thus the healing. MSM also helps reduce muscle spasms that are almost inevitable if you have damage to your musculoskeletal system.

Before you decide on which glucosamine, chondroitin and/or MSM brand and combination you are going to buy, keep in mind that you must choose wisely and read all labels. Neither nutritional nor dietary supplements are subject to the regulatory guidelines of the U.S. FDA. You must police them yourself.

The best ways to do this are to opt for glucosamine chondroitin and MSM products that are products of well known and reputable manufacturers. Make sure you read all the ingredients listed on all labels and avoid glucosamine sulfates that are high in salt content. Should you still be unsure of a wise choice ask for the assistance of the pharmacist on duty. Make sure you talk to your doctor before you start taking glucosamine with chondroitin and MSM. Do not substitute glucosamine with chondroitin for your prescribed medicines without a doctor's okay.

Most importantly, don't assume you have an arthritis problem until you know for sure. If you're treating the wrong ailment, you may endanger yourself by ignoring what is really the cause of your pain or discomfort.

Although ideally you would do best to ask a physician to recommend the dosage, the standard glucosamine dose is 1500 milligrams, while chondroitin daily dosage is about 1200 milligrams. 

Cautions with Glucosamine

 Cautions with Glucosamine

While glucosamine, as a natural substance that actually is produced by your own body, is considerably safer than other arthritis-pain fighters such as NSAIDS and COX-2 medicines, it, like everything we ingest, can occasionally be harmful.

The first concern is that not a lot of folks are aware that most glucosamine is a derivative of shellfish. Some is, instead, made from corn - but this glucosamine product is far more difficult to find. Many people are allergic to shellfish.

If, in fact, you are one of the folks with a shellfish allergy, you don't necessarily have to rule out the use of glucosamine for your arthritis joint pain and discomfort. A pure glucosamine product, even one that comes from shellfish, might not trigger an allergic reaction. The reason for this is that a person's allergic reaction to shellfish is a reaction to its proteins and glucosamine comes from a shellfish carbohydrate called chitin. While you don't want to try glucosamine without a physician's guidance, you will quite likely find that the extraction process to create the glucosamine has destroyed the allergy-prone protein as well as the antigens that your body would allergically react to.

If you are diabetic, you should avoid glucosamine HCL as well as glucosamine sulphate. These cause your body's insulin to fluctuate. In fact, anyone taking glucosamine should keep a careful eye on his or her blood sugar level.
Nor should you take glucosamine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Although there is nothing to suggest glucosamine could be harmful to a fetus or infant, there is also nothing definitive to say that it would not be.

While it is not necessary to take your glucosamine at mealtime you may have less chance of digestive discomfort by taking it with a large drink. If you multiply the recommended daily dosage several times you may have an overdose effect such as diarrhea or nausea.

Except for these cautions, glucosamine has a safety history of over twenty years. It is the safest, and most effective pill or liquid you can take to help ease the pain of arthritis while repairing the bone's cartilage. Unlike other prescription or over the counter anti-arthritis drugs, glucosamine has some very positive residual effects. Should you discontinue its use, there is a prolonged period of time when your body is still realizing the effects of its ingestion.   For the best joint protection and relief of pain in the joints, a regular daily glucosamine is the best recommendation. 

Glucosamine Sulfate

 Glucosamine Sulfate

The effectiveness of glucosamine sulfate (also known as glucosamine sulphate) has been the subject of numerous scientist research studies and clinical trials.

The sulfate portion of the glucosamine sulfate product serves as a molecule that carries glucosamine throughout the body. Its effectiveness is comparable to glucosamine hydrocholoride (HCL). Some folks who try the HCL version of glucosamine realize better results than the sulfate version, while others are more positive affected by the sulfate. The only way to tell which is the preferred for your own joint preservation is to try both and compare results.  The other option would be to choose a glucosamine product that combines HCL with sulfate ingredients. Many are available.

Glucosamine is a shellfish derivative. Its effectiveness against the pain and discomfort of arthritic joints is incomparable. While some of the new COX 2 prescription products are purported to help as well (for example, Celebrex and Vioxx) they have some nasty potential side effects. These medicines have the potential to clot your blood. This could lead to stroke, heart attack or even death.

Glucosamine sulfate is a good product. What you don't want to choose, however, is glucosamine sulfate NaCL or KCI. Nor should you purchase a glucosamine sulfate or sulphate product that lists potassium or salt as one of the primary ingredients. NaCL and KCI are salts as well. These salt-ridden products can lose nearly thirty percent of their glucosamine potency to the salt ingredients. This, of course, has a considerably negative affect on the effectiveness.  The least effective glucosamine product may go by three different names. You might see it on the label as N-acetyl-d-glucosamine or N-acetylglucosamine or just simply as NAG. Don't buy this product. You're not getting a dosage of actual glucosamine that will be of any effect at all.

What this all means is that you must read the labels when you go to buy glucosamine or glucosamine sulfate. You must look not only at the key ingredients but also at the number of milligrams in each capsule or teaspoon. What's important is not how much each costs but how much of the key joint improvement element - glucosamine or glucosamine sulphate - you're taking, and what the cost is per milligram, not per bottle.

The better quality brands and versions of glucosamine and glucosamine sulfate will also contain chondroitin and may contain MSM as well. Either double or triple combination is excellent joint restorative packages.

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