Choosing the Best Glucosamine Supplement

Over the duration of our lifetime we spend a huge amount of time on our feet. Whether it be at work, throughout our school years, or even during today’s gym session, our body has a general love of movement.

And this is obviously a good thing. Movement and exercise keeps our muscle tissue strong, our heart healthy, and our body functional, all contributing to a longer, healthier, and more enjoyable life.

But there is a slight downside to all of this.

Over the duration of our lifetime, in response to all this movement, our joints can take a bit of a beating. They can be become a little worn, a little degenerative, and a little painful. And while this is for the most part pretty normal, it can lead to increase in pain and discomfort over time.

Which is exactly why ensuring the health of your joints is so important across the duration of your lifetime. It can reduce joint damage and degeneration, keeping you on your feet and functioning well into your golden years.

And that is exactly where glucosamine enters the discussion.

What is Glucosamine?

Glucosamine is actually a naturally occurring command that is found within the cartilage of your joints. In this setting, it acts as a shock absorber within the joint itself, while also assisting in the lubrication of the joint. Taking this into consideration, glucosamine not only protects your joints from impact related damage, but also allows them to move throughout their full range of motion unhindered and with comfort.

With all this in mind, the glucosamine supplements have become readily available, marketed as a way to enhance joint health and function, while also reducing the signs and symptoms of joint degeneration and arthritis.

This has been suggested to occur through three distinct mechanisms:

• Firstly, the consumption of glucosamine has been suggested to protect and enhance the health of the cartilage within your joints ^[1].
• Secondly, it has also been hypothesised to reduce the breakdown of the connective tissue found within your joints and their surrounding tissues ^[2].
• And finally, glucosamine has also been suggested to exhibit an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, reducing some of the harmful joint inflammation that is said to contribute to joint degeneration and arthritis ^[3].

What are the Benefits of Taking Glucosamine?

Given the suggested impact that glucosamine can have on the body, we wanted to take an objective look at the research to determine its true health benefits, and establish where its best use lies.

Does Glucosamine Improve Joint Health?

In terms of general joint health, glucosamine is thought to have a very potent effect. As it has the ability to assist in the maintenance and growth of cartilage ^[1], it can protect one of our most vulnerable joint structures from degeneration.

Combine this with its ability to support the health and function of the connective tissue found within and around the joint capsule, and you have a recipe for success ^[2]. 

Does Glucosamine Help Treat Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis (also known as ‘degenerative joint disease’ and ‘degenerative arthritis’) occurs when the cartilage that covers your joints begins to breakdown.  This increases the amount of friction the bones within that joint receive during movements, which results in pain, inflammation, and even joint damage.

With this often comes with a significant decline in general joint mobility, in which even normal movement can become quite painful.

Fortunately, the long-term supplementation of glucosamine has been shown to cause large improvements with those individuals suffering from osteoarthritis. This has come with reductions in pain and stiffness, combined with increases in function ^[4].

Does Glucosamine Help Bone Healing?

Combined with its impact on joint health, there is also some interesting animal research to suggest that glucosamine may enhance the healing of bones.

A study performed in rats with bone fractures showed that those who were given a daily glucosamine supplement had much faster bone healing times that those who were not. This was thought to be due to an increase in activity of the specific cells responsible for layering new bone tissue, known as osteoblasts ^[5].

Does Glucosamine Help Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

And finally, in conjunction with glucosamines ability to reduce joint inflammation, it has also been shown to have an impact on inflammation throughout the rest of the body, with specific emphasis on the gut.

With this has come an improvement in the signs and symptoms of IBS, suggesting it may assist in the treatment of this common gastrointestinal disease ^[6].

Best Glucosamine Product Reviews

Considering the rather impressive research surround the supplementation of glucosamine, we wanted to give you some options that you can use immediately. Each of these are fantastic products, offering what we believe to be the best three glucosamine supplements on the market right now.

Schiff Glucosamine 2000mg

This glucosamine supplement by Schiff is hands down the most popular on the market. It provides 2000mg of pure glucosamine sulfate (one of the most efficient forms of glucosamine supplementation) per serve, making it an incredibly potent and efficient option.

While it is slightly more expensive than a number of its competitors, you really can’t go wrong here.

Puritans Pride Glucosamine Sulfate 2000mg

This particular glucosamine sulfate supplement by Puritan’s Pride has been extremely well received by consumers, with a vast number reporting noticeable improvements in joint pain and function after prolonged consumption.

Providing 2000mg each serve, it is another great option.

NOW Glucosamine 1000mg

NOW have been a favourite of ours for a long time. With this, they have built an excellent reputation for producing top quality health supplements at affordable price points – something that becomes obvious with their glucosamine supplement.

This is an extremely affordable option that provides 1000mg of glucosamine sulfate per capsule, making it a great choice for those on a budget.

Conclusion

Glucosamine is an interesting compound that has been shown to cause large improvements in the health of joint cartilage and its surrounding connective tissue, while also reducing any inflammation within the joint itself and throughout the rest of the body.

As a result, it appears to be extremely beneficial for those looking to treat osteoarthritis, enhance bone healing, improve IBS, and promote general joint health.

The three options listed in this article are what we believe to be the best on the market. If you have experience with any of them (or any other glucosamine supplement for that matter) we would love to hear about it, so drop us a comment and we will get back to you!