What Is Glucosamine and How Does It Affect Joints?

Everyone that has joint problems knows how hard it can be to perform everyday activities because of the limitations their sore joints create. So many people suffer from sore joints and it’s surprising to learn how many do not know exactly what causes it or how to prevent it from happening to them in the future. My goal is to make people aware of glucosamine and the positive side affects it can have on sore joints.

Let me begin by sharing some personal thoughts on living healthy and taking care of your body. Up until recently I was feeling great, not getting sick and feeling what I thought was 100%. But a quick visit to my doctor for a physical quickly changed the way I thought about life and what mine would look like in the next couple months. I found out that my health was taking a bad turn and unless I made changes in the near future, it was going to become much worse. Why do I share this with you? I want to show you that practicing a healthy lifestyle is important and tell you that you never know when your health will change. So learning to practice a healthy lifestyle early on can help prevent serious health conditions in the future. I am hoping that you can find this information relative and something you can reference to help you in your health, specifically dealing with sore joints.

First, what is glucosamine? Glucosamine is an amino sugar naturally found in shellfish, animal bones, bone marrow, and some fungi. In the U.S. it is one of the most common non-vitamin, non-mineral, dietary supplements used by adults. The most common forms of glucosamine sold are: glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate, and N-acetylglucosamine. Here is one example of a popular joint supplement that contains glucosamine hydrochloride 1500mg.

So how does glucosamine work for repairing joints? In the human body, glucosamine is used to create a “cushion” that surrounds the joints. In osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis, these cushions become thinner and stiff creating joint discomfort. Glucosamine penetrates to the joint to rebuild cartilage and soothe aching joints. This is why supplements containing glucosamine are some of the most popular treatments people seek to help prevent or repair aching joints.

As I mentioned earlier, glucosamine is one of the most common non-vitamin, non-mineral, dietary supplements used by adults. There are a number of joint supplements on the market that contain glucosamine, but I have found that Supple drinks have one of the best. According to Supple’s website, their drinks not only contain 1,500mg of shellfish-free glucosamine but also 10 other vitamins and minerals. They also include 1,200mg of chondroitin; which combined with glucosamine, is highly recommended for sore joints.