Glutamine Supplementation

Recently a good friend of mine injured his knee snowboarding and may have to decide on having surgery if he is faced with chronic pain. Knee pain tends to be a major problem with a lot of people training and during my education of Kinesiology I remember hearing a lot about a supplement by the name of Glucosamine Chondroitin. At that time research indicated that it helped joints by aiding the development of synovial fluid (the fluid that lubricates your joints to allow them to flex and extend freely). Let’s take a quick look at what Glucosamine and Chondroitin are…

Glucosamine Chondroitin Overview

Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance that plays a major role in the body in the construction of cartilage. Cartilage is the connective tissue that cushion joints and glucosamine sulphate allows for its development and repair.

Chondroitin similarly is a major part of our body’s cartilage and is responsible for keeping it healthy by absorbing fluid and preventing its breakdown.
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Research on Glucosamine Chondroitin

There has been some conflicting research on the benefits of supplementing with glucosamine and chondroitin. Mostly when the studies have been done on each supplement alone, no major benefit has been shown. However, studies which have been done on glucosamine and chondroitin together have shown it to reduce joint pain, prevent osteoarthritis and allow athletes to avoid joint injury (my research includes Medline and WebMD findings).

The interesting thing is that some studies have shown glucosamine chondroitin supplementation have been as effective as pain relievers such as ibuprofen in relieving pain knee, and having fewer side effects as well!

Side Effects of Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplement

There are no known side effects of supplementing with glucosamine chondroitin. However, those who have diabetes or are allergic to shellfish are recommended not to take glucosamine chondroitin unless they have discussed it with their physician.

Conclusion of Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplementation

This was a great article for me to write up because as I had suspected I would definitely recommend that my friends who have any knee or joint pain to supplement with glucosamine chondroitin. There appears to be no harm in doing so although some scientists may disagree that there are major benefits. Try a month long test and see for yourself if it helps you eliminate joint pain.

Side note: When I broke my ankle (actually broke and had multiple fractures trying to learn how to skim board) a couple years back I supplemented with glucosamine chondroitin regularly and it must have done its job because I have no joint pain and am stronger than ever.

Have you taken glucosamine chondroitin and found it to be helpful for you? Please leave a comment below:

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