Chemical strucutre of α-D-glucosamine
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Glucosamine

Glucosamine (C6H14NO5) is a dietary supplement distributed as a salt — usually as glucosamine HCl, glucosamine sulfate potassium, or glucosamine sulfate sodium. A typical dosage is 1,500 mg per day. The salt complexes, glucosamine sulfate * KCl or glucosamine sulfate * NaCl, or the hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate * HCl, are required for stabiliity. more...

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Glucosamine sulfate is a synthetic version of a compound the human body makes to stimulate the growth of cartilage. The idea is that such compounds help rebuild cartilage and reduce the symptoms of arthritis.

The supplement is an acceptable treatment in veterinary medicine, but the Arthritis Foundation and the American College of Rheumatology have not yet officially recommended it for humans, despite a large body of evidence supporting its use and the fact that it is considered a drug in several countries around the world. The United States Food and Drug Administration does not approve any dietary supplement, and, as such, at this time glucosamine is sold as a nutritional supplement and therefore does not need evidence of safety and efficacy. Glucosamine has been studied for over 20 years. As a natural substance that is already present inside the body, evidence bears out that glucosamine appears to be quite safe. One caveat - there is limited evidence that individuals with an allergy to shellfish should avoid glucosamine, as it is is usually derived from shellfish. There are vegetarian sources available.

Current research shows it may play a role in relieving pain associated with osteoarthritis. As used, it is often paired with MSM. The National Institutes of Health conducted a multi-arm, placebo-controlled study to see the effects of chondroitin and glucosamine on osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Recent results of a 6-month clinical trial indicate that chondroitin sulfate (1.2 g) plus glucosamine (1.5 g) daily were as effective in relieving osteoarthritic knee pain as Celebrex, but more study would be helpful.

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Glucosamine: arthritis pain's natural foe just got more street credibility at the American College of Rheumatology's annual scientific meeting
From Better Nutrition, 1/1/06 by Kimberly J. Retzlaff

No matter how active we are, even the fittest person can have a bad day or two, thanks to joints that make moving a knee, hip or shoulder a pain. Luckily, despite some recent conflicting reports, glucosamine researchers keep proving that this shellfish-derived supplement can be useful against arthritis.

During the American College of Rheumatology's annual scientific meeting in November 2005, two major glucosamine studies had people buzzing. First, Spanish researchers called glucosamine "the preferred symptomatic medication" for knee osteoarthritis (OA), based on a trial involving 318 patients who were randomly assigned to take 1,500mg of glucosamine daily, or 3,000mg of acetaminophen daily or just a placebo. After six months, the glucosamine users had significantly less pain in their knees than those taking either the placebo or even acetaminophen.

The other, larger study was done at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Researchers there gave one of five therapies--glucosamine, chondroitin, a combination of the two, the arthritis drug celecoxib (Celebrex) or a placebo--to 1,258 patients with knee arthritis. After six months, "We found a highly significant result favoring the combination [of glucosamine and chondroitin]," Daniel O. Clegg, MD, told the gathering of scientists. In addition, people with the most pain got the most relief: 79.2 percent of those in the highest pain group had at least a 20 percent pain reduction from taking the glucosamine/chondroitin combination. By comparison, only 54.3 percent of those taking the placebo reported any improvement in their pain at all.

So, barring any allergies to shellfish, this little wonder from the sea might be just what your knees need.

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