Who Would Benefit From A Glucosamine Supplement?
There are many people in the world today that supplement with glucosamine. Some people will even get a glucosamine supplements for their dog or cat. However, there are still many people who would benefit from a glucosamine supplement that do not take one. Continue reading to learn more about glucosamine and if you are someone who would benefit from trying a supplement.
What Is Glucosamine?
Glucosamine is a compound that occurs naturally in the body and is classified as an amino sugar. It is a building block for a variety of molecules, but it mainly is used to help develop and maintain the cartilage in the joints. When used as a supplement, whether it is a topical cream or oral supplement, it can help with joint health and maintenance.
Where Is It Found?
As previously mentioned, glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance in the body. However, there are no naturally occurring food sources of glucosamine. This means that the only way to get it other than making it in your body is through supplementation. However, where do the supplements get their glucosamine from if it can only be made in the body? The answer is simply from shellfish or it is made artificially. The Mayo Clinic states, “In supplement form, glucosamine is harvested from shells of shellfish or made in a lab.” The reason as to why they make artificial glucosamine is for those who have a shellfish allergy. Be sure to check out this article to learn all about How Shellfish Affects The Body.
Uses Of Glucosamine
Healthy Joints
As mentioned above, the main role of glucosamine is to help develop and maintain the joints in the body. It does this by assisting in rebuilding and maintaining the cartilage between the joints. There are many studies that suggest that supplementing glucosamine may help protect the joints by preventing the cartilage from breaking down. One study divided 82 cyclists into two groups of 41 each. One group was given a daily glucosamine supplement of 3 grams, while the other was given a placebo. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the glucosamine supplement reduced collagen degradation in the knees by 27%. This was compared to the 8% that was in the placebo group.
Inflammation
In addition to being able to help keep your joints healthy, research indicates that glucosamine may be able to help deal with inflammation. In a study of over 200 people, glucosamine supplements were linked to a 28% and 24% reduction in two markers of inflammation. This study also found that if the supplement was taken with chondroitin, the results could be upped to a 36% reduction. Even though studies like this show promise for glucosamine being able to reduce inflammation, many also simultaneously use chondroitin, which is not bad, however, more research is needed to know for sure.
Who Would Benefit From A Glucosamine Supplement?
There are many people who would benefit from a glucosamine supplement. One of the above studies used cyclists to determine if glucosamine could help, and it did. This could mean that athletes would be some people who would benefit from a glucosamine supplement. The reason is that most, if not all sports are going to require you to use your joints in strenuous activity.
Another group of people who would benefit from a supplement of glucosamine is older people. This is due to older people not being able to produce enough glucosamine naturally in their bodies and the cartilage breaking down as you get older. If left untreated, this can lead to serious consequences.
The final group of people who would benefit from a glucosamine supplement is not even people at all. It is the dogs and cats that many own as pets. They are constantly on their legs, and older dogs and cats need it the most. At Matsun Nutrition, we manufacture glucosamine supplements for small dogs, medium dogs, and large dogs, along with cats of all sizes. We can also manufacture vegetarian glucosamine for dogs with a shellfish allergy.
Conclusion
There are many different people who would benefit from a glucosamine supplement. Even pets are some who would too. Here at Matsun Nutrition, we manufacture a custom glucosamine formula that is tailored to your needs whether it be for people or pets. To get started, call us today at (888)-866-5755 or visit our website here.
Sources
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-glucosamine/art-20362874
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23358550 |
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24738579
