Osteoprocare:Glucosamine and Chondroiton

Glucosamine and chondroiton are key components for building healthy cartilage. They contribute to the creation of substances called proteoglycans, which act as a sponge within cartilage to hold in the water necessary for springy, resilient joints. Glucosamine, as the name suggests, is a combination of glucose (a sugar) and an amino acid. Chondroiton is a complex chain of linked molecules called mucopolysaccharides. The body naturally makes its own glucosamine and chondroiton, but this process declines with age and is also disrupted by insufficient nutrient uptake, stress or injury. Without enough glucosamine and chondroiton, joint integrity seriously declines.

These nutrients are also needed to keep destructive enzymes in check so they don’t prematurely break down healthy cartilage. The glucosamine in Osteoprocare is derived from chitin (from shellfish shells). Note that this is very different from eating the shellfish animal, which has an allergic response with a number of people. The chondroiton comes from shark cartilage, which is a known anti-inflammatory and pain reliever; it also aids in the repair of joints and bones. The gelatinous connective tissue covering the ends of bones is called articular cartilage. It is the slippery lubricant that enables bones meeting at a joint to move smoothly against one another. Cartilage also acts as a shock-absorbing cushion so joints can handle the stress of continual use, plus it endures pressures that for some joints can be up to 10 times one’s body weight.

Cartilage is composed of more than two-thirds water. Fluidity of movement literally depends on the fluid in the cartilage. Chondroiton sulphates are the molecules that attract and hold water, thereby giving cartilage its elasticity and fluidity. To some degree, chondroiton is present in all organ systems, including other soft connective tissues - tendons and ligaments - as well as in the skin and blood vessels. When a joint is at rest, the cartilage soaks up synovial fluid from the joint capsule. Cartilage does not have its own blood supply, so it relies on this flow of synovial fluid for nourishment and waste removal, as well as for lubrication. Repeated stress to a joint can weaken or damage its cartilage, leading to discomfort and reduced mobility. Bones may even come into direct contact with each other.

Cartilage repairs itself very slowly due to its poor nutrient supply and the fact that joints are seldom given the time to rest. When you take glucosamine as a supplement, most of it ends up in joint tissues. Glucosamine enters an area in the joints called chondrocytes - cartilage-building factories - where it is used to create new, healthy crops of proteoglycans. Chondroiton has an additional benefit. Its negative electrical charge means that each chondroiton molecule is pushed apart slightly from nearby molecules. This creates small spaces within the cartilage matrix that are then filled with water. The water that fills in the spaces acts as a shock absorber for the compression caused by joint movement. This action makes the pairing of glucosamine and chondroiton particularly beneficial for easing osteoarthritis pain.

Several studies in Europe have shown that supplemental glucosamine and chondroiton are used by the body to maintain and repair cartilage. What’s more, these supplements seem to activate one’s own natural production of these nutrients as well as the other proteins needed to build healthy new cartilage. Arthritic conditions are the primary reasons people use glucosamine and chondroiton supplements, but they have other benefits as well. They can be used to promote wound healing and to treat the pain, swelling and joint noises of TMJ.

Glucosamine is important for the regulation of mucous secretions in the body. In secretions of the respiratory tract, for example, it has been shown to be very helpful in conditions like asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Because it is an important component in the protective secretions of the digestive tract, it has shown great benefit in such conditions as colitis and other intestinal disorders.

Currently researchers are exploring how glucosamine may help reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines, and how chondroiton may help benefit the cardiovascular system. And promising research exists supporting their role in healing kidney stones. Which brings me to a question sometimes asked about the difference between glucosamine sulphate and glucosamine hydrochloride. One company called Rotta, in Italy, picked the gs form years ago, and they have funded all the studies with this form. So it has become the most widely used. During the preparation of gs, sodium and potassium are added and only about 63% of gs is actual glucosamine. About 83% of ghcl is actual glucosamine, so one gets more glucosamine from the form Life Force uses. Chondroiton is available in only the one form, which is chondroiton sulphate.