There are many products to help manage osteoarthritis and glucosamine has become one of the most popular natural supplements utilsed to fight its effects. It’s thought that taking glucosamine, which is a compound found in healthy cartilage, aids in the building or rebuilding of cartilage in people suffering from osteoarthritis. It’s difficult to go into a health food store, surf the websites of the top health supplement companies or to walk down the aisles of your local chemist without seeing glucosamine.

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Image Source: Arthritis Blog

It is estimated that approximately 9 million people in the UK are affected by arthritis. That’s approximately 15% of the entire population! This number, however, stands to increase as factors such as increased age expectancy and the huge numbers of baby boomers in our population are contributing to an aging population.

Osteoarthritis is the most frequent form of arthritis seen today. In osteoarthritis, pain and swelling result from the rubbing of bones together when shock-absorbing cartilage is worn away. Bony growths may appear as the condition progresses causing the joint to become disfigured. Swelling, pain and immobilization may also be increased when pieces of cartilage or bone break off and are left to float inside the affected joint.

Osteoarthritis can affect an individual’s life in many ways. Probably the worst aspect of arthritis is the pain and the limited ability to perform simple daily tasks. While arthritis does not currently have a treatment, there are many ways to manage the condition and thus help reduce both pain and the impact that arthritis has on one’s daily life. Is glucosamine one of them?

There is no denying the popularity of taking glucosamine. There remains however some debate amongst the medical community with regards to the quality of the research that has been undertaken. Some research indicates that glucosamine is thought to slow the progression of arthritis playing a role in decreasing pain, inflammation and stiffness. While research is pointing towards a positive effect, further studies appear to be needed to evaluate glucosamine’s place in treating osteoarthritis as research on the effectiveness of glucosamine is still uncertain.

The benefit:

  • Relieves pain caused by arthritis by helping repair the cartilage in damaged joints. This will in turn, help alleviate inflammation and stiffness as well.

The downsides:

  • Glucosamine can be fairly costly when taking the recommended dosages. Be sure to calculate what you’re going to be paying on a per dose basis.
  • Glucosamine is a supplement and is currently not a registered medicine in the UK.