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Home > Health Conditions > Arthritis Formulas >
Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM
Best Glucosamine Sulfate contains pure glucosamine sulfate, as confirmed by HPLC testing. Glucosamine sulfate consists of glucosamine, an amino sugar extracted from "chitin," a component of shellfish
skeletons. ("Chitin," the resilient polysaccharide that forms the
structural framework of animal shells, is a long-chain polymer
consisting of many glucosamine molecules linked together.) The purified
glucosamine is then sulfated and stabilized with potassium chloride.
Note: Glucosamine sulfate is derived from the shells of ocean-growing
shellfish. It is processed to remove all residues of protein and
impurities, yielding pure glucosamine sulfate as the final material.
Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM contains chondroitin sulfate with a
purity of 90 percent or greater. Quality assurance testing is performed
using two sophisticated laboratory analysis methods: 1) HPLC and 2)
C.P.C. Titration, a newly developed method now accepted as the most
definitive test for chondroitin sulfate.
Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM contains pure LIGNISUL MSM
(methylsulfonylmethane). LIGNISULTM MSM is natural-source MSM derived
from trees. A biological compound that occurs in the human body and in
some foods, MSM is an excellent dietary source of bioavailable organic
sulfur.
Understanding Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate and Their
Roles in Joints
Cartilage contains connective tissue composed of cells (chondrocytes),
protein fibers (chiefly collagen) and clusters of complex molecules
called "proteoglycans." Proteoglycan molecules are formed from long
proteins (polypeptides) with numerous side chains. (The proteoglycan
structure looks like a bottle brush.) The attached side chains, chiefly
chondroitin sulfate and keratin sulfate, are long polysaccharide
molecules called "glycosaminoglycans." 1,2
Glucosamine is a key component of keratin sulfate, and it can be
converted to galactosamine, which, along with glucuronic acid, forms
chondroitin sulfate.2
Cartilage contains collagen fibers embedded within a gel-like matrix
known as "intracellular cement." Proteoglycans are the key structural
component within this matrix. Chondroitin sulfate and the other
glycosaminoglycans have a strong attraction for water, due to negative
charges on their sulfate groups. These negative charges also repel each
other, creating spaces between glycosaminoglycan side-chains in the
proteoglycan molecule. Water enters the spaces, giving cartilage a
sponge-like quality that allows it to function as a shock absorber for
joints. The movement of water in and out of cartilage allows nutrients
to flow in and wastes to flow out.2
Glucosamine is also a component of hyaluronic acid, another
glycosaminoglycan found in cartilage and other connective tissues.
Hyaluronic acid forms the backbone for the proteoglycan clusters.2 As essential components of cartilage, glucosamine and chondroitin
sulfate are therefore critically important for the health and function
of joints.2,3
The MSM Story-One of Nature's Primary Sources of Organic Dietary
Sulfur!
The human body requires a continuous supply of usable sulfur, and MSM is
one of the primary organic sulfur-containing molecules for use by living
organisms. From life's earliest beginnings, primitive marine organisms
(blue-green algae and phytoplankton) have absorbed inorganic sulfur from
ocean waters and produced organic sulfur molecules, primarily dimethyl
sulfonium salts. These salts are released back into the sea, where they
are converted to dimethyl sulfide, which readily evaporates into the
upper atmosphere. Dimethyl sulfide is then oxidized by UV light, forming
DMSO and MSM. The two compounds are delivered to land masses in rain
water, and absorbed by plants. MSM is a stable end-product of this
process, serving as a primary source of sulfur in the food chain.
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Supports Joint Structure and Function*
Glucosamine Sulfate
Glucosamine sulfate is one of the most important nutritional supplements
for joint health ever developed. Glucosamine sulfate provides
significant benefits for both the structure and function of joints. Many
years of research have produced unequivocal evidence that glucosamine
sulfate normalizes cartilage metabolism, slows breakdown of cartilage,
and improves joint function.4,5,6
Glucosamine sulfate has been thoroughly researched over the last twenty
years. Experimental studies and human clinical trials convincingly
demonstrate that orally consumed glucosamine sulfate improves joint
function.4,5,6
In one large open trial, over 1200 people took oral glucosamine sulfate
for periods ranging from 36 to 64 days. 252 physicians participated in
this multicenter study. 95% of the subjects experienced greater joint
comfort and increased mobility. The physicians reported "good" results
in 59%, and "sufficient" results in 36%. The improvements lasted for up
to three months after the glucosamine sulfate was discontinued.5
Chondroitin Sulfate
In a 1996 controlled, double-blind multicenter clinical trial published
in the Journal of Rheumatology,7 146 volunteers consumed 1200 mg of
chondroitin sulfate every day for 6 months. Changes in joint function
were measured according to several clinical parameters and carefully
analyzed. After the first month, significant improvements were noted and
maintained for three months after the subjects stopped taking the
chondroitin sulfate. In an earlier double-blind study subjects taking
chondroitin sulfate had improvements in joint function after three
months of use, as determined by both objective and subjective
measurements.8 In both studies, the benefits lasted for weeks after
subjects stopped taking chondroitin sulfate.
In another controlled multicenter study, 192 subjects took 1200 mg of
chondroitin sulfate or a placebo daily for one year. At the end of the
trial, chondroitin sulfate produced substantial increases in joint
cartilage thickness, while those on placebo had decreases. Improvements
in joint function also occurred. The researchers reported that "we
clearly demonstrated that (chondroitin sulfate) exerts a
chondroprotective activity."9
New Clinical Evidence of MSM's Joint Benefits
A small pilot study recently conducted at the U.C.L.A. School of
Medicine is the first controlled double-blind trial to test the effects
of MSM on joints.10 Sixteen subjects demonstrating need for joint
support took either MSM or a placebo daily for six weeks. As measured by
a Visual Analog Scale, those taking MSM registered an 82 percent
improvement compared to 20 percent with placebo. Though preliminary due
to the small number of subjects, these results suggest potential for MSM
as a joint support nutrient that warrants further investigation in
larger double-blind trials.
Additional Benefits of MSM
Sulfur is a structural mineral that maintains the strength of various
tissues by forming sulfur "tie-bars" (sulfhydryl bonds) between
connective tissue proteins. MSM serves as a readily available source of
sulfur for this function, and thus helps maintain the pliancy of tissues
and cell membranes.
Based on anecdotal clinical reports, as outlined in MSM patents,
ingestion of MSM by humans appears to have the following beneficial
effects: 1) Supports normal gastrointestinal function; 2) Improves the
body's resistance to adverse physical stress; 3) Supports mental
alertness and maintenance of healthy mood; 4) Helps regulate body's
inflammatory function; 5) Helps modify the physiologic response to
allergens; 6) Supports normal lung function; 7) Helps maintain healthy
skin.11,12
Supplementation is Needed to Realize the Benefits of MSM
Widespread in nature, MSM is found in a variety of foods, including
fresh fruits and vegetables, raw milk, raw meat and raw fish. However,
MSM is a volatile substance easily lost during cooking, pasteurization,
food processing and storage. The average American diet thus supplies at
best a marginal MSM intake which may be inadequate to maintain the
optimum MSM concentration in the body. The average body's MSM
concentration is also believed to decline with increasing age.11,12,13
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Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, take 2 capsules twice daily.
Note: Glucosamine is obtained from the shells of shellfish.
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1. Bland, J.H., Cooper, S.M. Osteoarthritis: A review of the cell
biology involved and evidence for reversibility. Management rationally
related to known genesis and pathophysiology. Seminars in Arthritis and
Rheumatism
1984;14(2):106-133.
2. Hardingham, T. Proteoglycans: Their structure, interactions and
molecular organization in cartilage. Biochemical Society Transactions
1981;9(6):489-97.
3. Pipitone, V.R. "Chondroprotection with chondroitin sulfate" Drugs
Exptl. Clin. Res. (1991) XVII(1):3-7.
4. Vidal y Plana, R.R., Bizzarri, D., Rovati, A.L., "Articular cartilage
pharmacology: I. In vitro studies on glucosamine and non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs," Pharmacological Research Communications
1978;10(6):557-569.
5. Macario , J. T., Rivera, I.C., Bignamini, A.A., 'Oral glucosamine
sulfate in the management of arthritis: report on a multi-centre open
investigation in Portugal, Pharmatherapeutica 1982; 3(3):157-68.
6. Vaz, A.L., 'Double-blind clinical evaluation of the relative efficacy
of ibuprofen and glucosamine sulfate in the management of osteoarthritis
of the knee in out-patients,' Current Medical Research and Opinion
1982;8(3):145-149.
7. Morreale, P. et. al. "Comparison of the anti-inflammatory efficacy of
chondroitin sulfate and diclofenac sodium in patients with knee
osteoarthritis" J Rheumatol (1996) 23:1385-91.
8. Mazières, B. et. al. Chondroitin sulfate for the treatment of
coxarthrosis and gonarthrosis. A prospective, multicenter,
placebo-controlled, double blind trial with five months follow up. Rev.
Rhum. Mal. Ostèoartic. 1992;59(7-8):466-472.
9. Pipitone, V., et. al. "A multicenter, triple-blind study to evaluate
galactosaminoglucuronoglycan sulfate versus placebo in patients with
femorotibial gonarthritis" Current Therapeutic Research 1992
52(4):608-38.
10. Lawrence, R.M. Methyl-sulfonyl-methane (M.S.M.) A double-blind study
of its use in degenerative arthritis. International Journal of
Anti-aging Medicine 1998; 1(1):50.
11. Herschler, R. Dietary and pharmaceutical uses of
methylsulfonylmethane and compositions comprising it. United States
Patent 4,514,421; April 30, 1985.
12. Herschler, R. Methylsulfonylmethane in dietary products. United
States Patent 4,616,039; October 7, 1986.
13. Jacob, S., Herschler, R. Introductory remarks: dimethyl sulfoxide
after
twenty years. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1983;
411:xiii-xvii. |
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