Glucosamine and Chondroitin

Glucosamine and chondroitin are naturally occurring sugars. These sugars form the building blocks of many proteins found in the human body. These sugars are major components of human articular cartilage.

 

Osteoarthritis of joints such as the hip, knee, and shoulder results in degeneration of this articular cartilage. Because the sugars are the building blocks of human articular cartilage they are frequently taken as dietary supplements in an effort to maintain cartilage health and prevent further cartilage degeneration.

 

The effectiveness of glucosamine/chondroitin as dietary supplements to maintain cartilage health and treat symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee is well documented. There are numerous studies that report significant beneficial results associated with the use of glucosamine/chondroitin as nutritional supplements.

 

Beneficial effects include decreased pain and swelling associated with osteoarthritis AS WELL AS decreased loss of cartilage as seen on x-rays. In addition these products are very safe with no known side effects.

 

Please click on the following hyperlinks to read some of the recent published studies documenting the potential benefits of glucosamine/chondroitin for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.

 

Combined Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine for Painful Knee Osteoarthritis (2015)

 

Intermittent Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis with Oral Chondroitin Sulfate

 

Long Term Effects of Glucosamine Sulphate on Osteoarthritis Progression