Often people with assorted muscle and joint aliments are fallaciously under the impression that by the mere act of “popping” a few vitamin or mineral capsules daily they can successfully reverse the effects of approaching old age. Nothing could be further from the truth.

1. Often people with assorted muscle and joint aliments are fallaciously under the impression that by the
mere act of “popping” a few vitamin or mineral capsules daily they can successfully reverse the effects
of approaching old age. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Often people with assorted muscle and joint aliments are fallaciously under the impression that by the
mere act of “popping” a few vitamin or mineral capsules daily they can successfully reverse the effects
of approaching old age. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A quick trip to your local GNC Health Shop would reveal many possible recommendations ranging from
the common vitamins such as Vitamin A, claimed to ease painful joints, the legendary Vitamin B6 which
has been recommended for those people suffering from arthritis on up to Chelated zinc for alleged pain
relief and joint stiffness. The particular supplement which I would like to discuss is the Glucosamine
sulfate. This product is generally consumed in mega-doses ranging on the order of 1000 to 3000 mg at a
frequency of three times daily. When taken in those huge quantities one can easily invest a considerable
sum of money in their endeavor to combat anti-inflammatory efforts (Prescott, 2010). The question
which rests foremost upon most peoples minds are not so much the cost of the product but rather
whether these over the counter mineral aids can actually help the issue at hand.
Glucosamine is an amino sugar which fosters a structure of polysaccharides and chitin. In short what this
boils down to is that the supplement is composed of the exoskeletons of crustaceans or arthropods. In
America, Glucosamine is actually one of the most common non-vitamin dietary supplements in use by
elderly people. Glucosamine is generally marketed as a treatment for arthritis and frequently will
include other closely matched supplemental. When searching for this product in the health food stores
you will likely encounter two types known as Glucosamine sulfate and its cousin Glucosamine
hydrochloride.

2. The basis of probable success from this supplement is formulated from its major components of
glycosaminoglycans which represents a major constituent of the human joint cartilage. It is suggested
that supplemental use of the Glucosamine may aid in prevention of cartilage degeneration as well as the
effective treatment of established arthritis. Although it is widely used in osteoarthritis therapy its true
effectiveness is under continual conflicting discussions.
During her research into “Hexosamines and their effects upon insulin resistance”, Dr. Maria Buse (2007).
Determined that if the Glucosamine supplement were to have any effect at all it would usually take
weeks and often months before any minor improvements in the patient's symptoms would be noticed.
In one recent analysis it was even discovered that only the Rotta brand Glucosamine appeared to be
superior to the usual placebo in the pain treatment of arthritis. Those studies with any sort of positive
results generally used the Glucosamine sulfate. All in all however, it was concluded that the products
really had no effect upon reducing the associated pain.

3. A 2009 review of gluciosamine proved that the product failed to restore cartilage or to alleviate the pain
associated with arthritis. The author of one article concluded that there was little evidence to suggest
that Glucosamine performed as advertised (Kirkham, 2009). Even reports published in the British
Medical Journal have indicated that whether the supplement is used alone or in combination with
another product it is no better than a common placebo for relieving the pain established from our
defective joints (Wandel, 2010).
With all this mounting evidence, it would appear that gluciosamine whether in combination with other
supplements or taken solo is more of a public relations hype rather than an effective treatment for an
ailment.

4. Adverse effects which could result from taking this product include constipation, diarrhea, increased
headaches, body rash and possible stomach upset. In addition, since the product is created from
shellfish there is the possibility of allergenic reactions to those who may be sensitive to seafood and in
particularly shellfish.
The major problem that has been discovered with this drug is that the patient fails to see any sort of
positive response as they take it and consequently they increase their doses thinking that they may not
be taking enough to produce the desired results. This increased dosage results in the destruction of
pancreatic cells which as Dr. Buse above discovered increases the patients' risk for developing diabetes.
Although clinical studies indicate that taking this product presents no additional harm to the patient if
used according to recommendations, it does seem to relieve those in pain of their money which could
be better used with more conventional treatments. As for whether the FDA should regulate this
product. Perhaps they should only to the extent that the manufacturer would need to provide proper
labeling to disclaim any possible remedies that could result from the use of this product. It is interesting
to note that the FDA has not approved of Glucosamine for medical use in human beings, and since the
product is classified simply as a dietary supplement it remains in the discretionary interest of the
manufacturer to not advertise it as a treatment for any specific medical condition.
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