Glucosamine Products – What Else is in There?

If you’ve got osteoarthritis, that means you’ve got joint pain. But if you’ve got joint Pain, then it also means that you’ve got options. There are plenty of remedies from joint pain available, from steroids to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to a bevy of glucosamine products that will make your head spin. In order to choose the right glucosamine products for your body and your ailments, you’re going to need to understand the different Glucosamine Products that are available, how they work, and what makes them different. Armed with this information, you should be able to go out and find the right product for you.

Obviously, all glucosamine products include glucosamine. Glucosamine is an amino sugar, a monosaccharide that is abundant in nature. It’s often processed for human use from the exoskeletons of crustaceans. Glucosamine is a major component of cartilage, which explains why it’s so helpful in strengthening joints. Glucosamine is thought to increase the resilience of cartilage and to increase general joint health. All Glucosamine Products have at least that in common. But glucosamine products rarely contain glucosamine alone. They often contain other compounds for a variety of purposes, the most common being to increase the efficacy of the product.

But one of the problems with glucosamine is that it deteriorates quickly in water. In order to combat that, manufacturers add salts to Glucosamine Products to stabilize them and prevent them from degrading. Whether they use hydrochloride (HCl), sulfates, or even plain old table salt (NaCl), there are a variety of options to choose from. These salts protect the glucosamine from the moisture in the air as well as the water that the glucosamine products are sure to encounter in your digestive tract. Remember that most people take Glucosamine Products with water, and you’ll see why it’s so important to stabilize the glucosamine with the salt. The salt helps to make sure that as much glucosamine gets to your joints as possible.

Glucosamine products often incorporate a secondary compound that is also supposed to help with joint Pain in some way. Chondroitin sulfate is also a major component of cartilage and is thought to strengthen cartilage and make it more resilient. Methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, is thought to act as an anti-inflammatory and relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Hyaluronic acid can make joint fluid more viscous, cushioning and lubricating the joint. All of these compounds can be found in glucosamine products to enhance the effects of glucosamine.