Glucosamine, the key to healthy joints?

Stress No More health and wellness.http://www.stressnomore.co.uk/pharma-nord-bio-glucosamine-with-msm-10363.html (accessed Nov. 11, 2016)

       Joint health is becoming more of an issue for us humans as we grow older. Approximately 25% of the population over the age of 55 with have knee pains [9]. Yikes.... A popular option out there is taking glucosamine as a supplement. Commonly use to help with osteoarthritis [2]. Glucosamine is sold in capsules, tablets, and as a liquid form. Glucosamine is synthesized from a substance called chitin from the shell of shrimp, crab and lobster [3][5]. Glucosamine is a substance found naturally in the human body, specifically in joints [4][8]. Glucosamine is also a building block for cartilage [3][5]. Since glucosamine is found in joints and it is the building block for cartilage it makes sense for it to improve joint health right? Oddly enough, there’s a good amount of study that show that glucosamine doesn’t significantly improve joint health [4]. On the contrary, the studies that have shown that glucosamine did help with joint health, showed that it took 6-8 weeks before any improvement were noticeable, mainly the reduction in pain [3].

      Right…. So does glucosamine help? It’s hard to say, this is a controversial topic. There’s evidence for both side of the argument. Another factor to consider is your health condition. Diabetics should be careful when taking glucosamine because at high amount it could affect your insulin levels and make your blood glucose level even higher, which could be dangerous [3]. Also, if you’re taking blood thinners glucosamine could amplify these effects and could increase in the risk of bleeding [3]. Other side effects are: drowsiness, headache, upset stomach [3]. Some more severe and rarer side effects are: abdominal pain, appetite loss, vomiting, heartburn, and diarrhea [3]. There are evidence that side effects were not significantly more severe compared to a placebo, showing that glucosamine is safe to take [7].

      As a supplement for joint health, I believe that it is worth a try (but no guarantee) if you aren’t diabetic or taking blood thinners because it is safe to take. Another alternative to consider is Vitamin D. There is scientific evidence that vitamin D may help slow down the breakdown of cartilage keeping your joints healthier [9].

Reference:
[1] O'Neil, M. J. The Merck Index, 14th; Merck Research Laboratories: NJ, USA, 2006

[2] Elizabeth Martin; Concise Medical Dictionary 9th ed.; Oxford University press: 2015 http://library.mtroyal.ca:2303/view/10.1093/acref/9780199687817.001.0001/acref-9780199687817-e-4079 (accessed November 3, 2016)

[3] Glucosamine. The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A guide to health and nutrition; Gale, 2013. Pg.519. http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galediets/glucosamine/0 (accessed November 3, 2016)

[4] Christian Nordqvist. What is Glucosamine?. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265748.php (accessed November 1, 2016)

[5] Mojarrad, J. S.; Nemati, M.; Valizadeh, H.; Ansarin, M.; Bourbour, S. Preparation of Glucosamine from Exoskeleton of Shrimp and predicting yield by response surface methodology. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2007, 55, 2246−2250.

[6] Chondroitin Sulfate, 2016. Medline Plus. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/744.html (accessed November 1, 2016).

[7] Glucosamine 3416-24-8 BASIS OF NOMINATION TO THE CSWG https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/chem_background/exsumpdf/glucosamine_508.pdf (accessed Nov 1, 2016).

[8] PubChem Compound Database 2005. D-glucosamine. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/439213 (accessed Nov. 4, 2016).

[9] Ding, C; Cicuttini F; Parameswaran V; Burgess J; Quinn s; Jones G. Serum levels of vitamin D, sunlight exposure, and knee cartilage loss in older adults: The Tasmanian older adult cohort study. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2009, 60, Pages 1381–1389