The Nutritional Building Block Of Healthy Cartilage
Your ability to move freely depends on your joints. In order for cartilage to function as the shock-absorbing cushion that enables bone to move against bone, it needs water. In fact, cartilage is composed of more than two-thirds water. Its ability to attract and hold this water is the key to your ability to move easily throughout life.
That’s where glucosamine comes in. Glucosamine is the fundamental molecular building block of the macromolecules that attract and hold water in cartilage. Your body makes glucosamine, but under many conditions - including injury and aging -it cannot make enough. Supplemental gIucosamine has been shown in studies to support the body’s production of healthy cartilage.
Amino Sugars - the Cellular Connection
Glucosamine is an amino sugar. A mole-cule made from an amino acid and a sim-ple sugar. Our bodies use approximately 20 amino sugars. They are burned for energy and are essential to the manufac-ture of tissue components. Amino sugars are the basis of virtually all connective tis-sues and lubricating fluids in the body.
Just as amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, amino sugars are the building blocks of giant molecules called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), also known as proteoglycans and mucopolysaccharides. GAGs are large, spongy, water-holding molecules that form the gel-like matrix of the body's "ground substance," the glue that holds us together. This substance is found in all connective tissue and mucous membranes. Glucosamine macromole-cules ate the basic substrate of cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and bones.
Your Body Needs to Make Glucosamine
During the course of normal wear-and-rear on the body, connective tissue is con-stantly broken down, and then replaced or restructured, creating a continuous demand for glucosamine. Since dietary glucosamine is usually low, the body must synthesize it from glucose and the amino acid glutamine. Under normal circum-stances, the body is able to meet its needs for glucosamine synthesis, but under a variety of less-than-optimal conditions, production of glucosamine - and its assembly into larger GAGs - may be impaired. These conditions include severe stress, surgery, burns, major injuries, as well as aging.
Glucosamine and the Production of GAGs
In one study of 80 adults, both range of joint movement and comfort increased for the group taking glucosamine supplements, as compared to those only given a placebo. The cartilage samples of the glucosamine group were viewed under an electron micro-scope; though previously damaged, they now appeared rebuilt and healthy
In another study, more than 1200 adults were given 1500 mg of glucosamine for five to nine weeks. Ninety-five percent of them demonstrated a "sufficient" or "good" clinical response. Furthermore, the positive results continued for up to three months after supplementation stopped.
N-Acetyl Glucosamine
Most studies have been conducted with HDH Glucosamine Sulfate; however, anoth-er form of glucosamine is also important: N-ACETYL GLUCOSAMINE, or N-A-G™. This is because the body often adds an acetyl group to the glucosamine molecule before it can be used. Source Naturals N-A-G is glu-cosamine already in its acetylated form. This may be an advantage for some people because the body's ability to acetylate mole-cules can diminish with age or stress.
In addition to individual supplements of GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE and N-A-G, Source Naturals includes both forms of glucosamine in GLUCOSAMEND™, an advanced formulation of vitamins, herbs, and other nutrients known to support the reparative process of connective tissue.
References
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