2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Glucosamine is a complex of sugar and amino acids involved in the direct synthesis of substances known as glucosaminoglycans. They have an important structural strengthening effect in the human body. Glucosamine serves as a component of connective and cartilage tissue.
It ensures the mobility of the joints and at the same time slows down the loss of integumentary cartilage tissue on the joint surfaces. With age, the concentration of glucosamine in the body decreases, which leads to the development of a number of joint diseases, such as osteoporosis and arthritis.
The human body uses glucosamine to create a kind of lubricant to limit the friction of bones in the places where the joints meet. Over the years, the lubricant thins, for two reasons - with age the processes in the body that produce the components of glucosamine slow down, and the second is that the bones have suffered more wear as a result of aging. This requires the artificial acquisition of glucosamineto ensure the health and comfort of the joints.
Administration of glucosamine
Glucosamine is widely used in recovery from various diseases. The insidious disease osteoarthritis is successfully treated with glucosamine, and its effect consists in the ability to produce synovial fluid and stop the friction between the parts that connect the cap, femur and tibia.
Glucosamine has the ability to strengthen a thin and fragile joint capsule, which is a serious complication of osteoarthritis of the joints. Taking the supplement helps to obtain trace elements that strengthen the joint capsule.
Glucosamine is also used for back pain and glaucoma, but there are still not enough scientific studies to add it as a supportive therapy for painful conditions.
Glucosamine has a very beneficial effect in the control of rheumatoid arthritis, by controlling the pain syndrome in the affected joints, while reducing the degree of inflammation and the frequency of exacerbation of the painful process.
According to some unconfirmed data, increased glucosamine intake may favor a number of conditions, including Crohn's disease, chronic venous insufficiency, ulcerative colitis and some dermatological problems.
Glucosamine intake
In natural form glucosamine it is mainly found in the shell of some seafood, and its supply in additional doses is mostly in the form of food supplements. These supplements are produced mainly from the shells and skeletons of crabs, lobsters and shrimps, because in the natural state there is the most concentrated.
Glucosamine is available on the market in three main forms - H-acetyl glycosamine, glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride, and is most commonly found in the form of glucosamine sulfate.
Containing glucosamine supplements accelerate the recovery process of joints and the immune system. These supplements can be either alone (they contain only glucosamine sulphate) or complex, which means that they contain vitamins and the substance chondrin.
The supplements are most often in the form of tablets, and the content of glucosamine in them varies from 500 to 1500 mg. These supplements can be found in some gyms, online stores, pharmacies, sports nutrition centers.
The best way to take glucosamine is after consultation with a doctor (endocrinologist and / or orthopedist), appointment of tests and detailed analysis of the risks of taking it. The glucosamine taken is absorbed in the small intestine and then transferred to the joints and liver.
Foods with glucosamine
Although the highest concentrations of glucosamine are found in some seafood, it can also be found in other foods. Good sources of glucosamine are spinach and parsley, green leafy vegetables, as well as animal bones and cartilage. An excellent source of glucosamine is bone broth from meat that has been cooked with the bones for a long time. Mussel meat also contains glucosamine, but in very low amounts.
Harm from glucosamine
Short - term intake of glucosamine does not cause side effects on the body and is even completely healthy for daily intake. However, long-term use of supplements that contain glucosamine can cause muscle spasms and flatulence. Diabetics should be careful with this supplement because it may increase blood sugar levels with prolonged use.
Glucosamine has a strong allergenic effect - acts as an allergen in the body of those people who are allergic to seafood, jellyfish and mussels.
In people with asthma, glucosamine should be given in low doses and at short intervals because there is a real risk of causing asthma attacks.
Another negative effect of glucosamine is to accelerate the proliferation of cancer cells, so cancer patients and especially those undergoing chemotherapy should not take this dietary supplement.
It is not yet completely clear what the effects of glucosamine are in pregnant and breastfeeding women.
