Uptown Health - online specials, information, toll-free #.

Product Search

GLUCOSAMINE SULPHATE - 500 mg. Sodium Free

What is glucosamine?

The connective tissue and cartilage in your body includes a natural compound called glucosamine. Glucosamine is involved in the formation of your nails, tendons, skin, eyes, bones, ligaments, and heart valves. It also plays a role in the mucous secretions of your digestive, respiratory and urinary tracts. Most importantly, it contributes to the strength and integrity of joint structures.

Why a sulfate version of glucosamine?

Glucosamine sulfate is a simple molecule composed of glucose, an amine (nitrogen and two molecules of hydrogen) and sulfur. Your joints are rich in sulfur molecules, which form important cross-linkages with other molecules. These cross-linkages provide cartilage with its strength, structure, and "shock-absorbing" properties. That's one reason glucosamine sulfate is the preferred form of glucosamine.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. When osteoarthritis progresses, it causes a destruction of cartilage in the joints. Although many medications are available to relieve the symptoms, conventional medicine has nothing to offer in terms of controlling or reversing the condition. The most common therapy is administration of drugs such as aspirin or some form of ibuprofen.
These nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be extremely dangerous!

In fact, there is evidence that long-term use of NSAIDs actually accelerates joint destruction in patients with osteoarthritis. Furthermore, NSAIDs have a number of side effects, including peptic ulceration and damage to the liver or kidneys. However, if the mechanism of the body to make cartilage and other connective tissues is intact, osteoarthritis will sometimes stabilize and actually begin to reverse itself. There is a completely safe, natural remedy that stimulates healing with new cartilage growth to cover the surfaces of the bone. It is called glucosamine sulfate, and it reverses arthritis.

The first step for creating connective tissue is the conversion of glucose to glucosamine. Glucosamine is to connective tissue what wheat is to bread. Glucosamine is one of the building blocks of proteoglycans, the ground substrate of articular cartilage, a stimulant of proteoglycan biosynthesis. Glucosamine stimulates connective tissue productions and the repair of the arthritic joint. The effects of glucosamine on cartilage metabolism appears to be enhanced by the presence of sulfate. Glucosamine sulfate inhibits the degradation of proteoglycans and rebuilds experimentally damaged cartilage. It has been suggested that altered glucosamine metabolism plays a role in the development of osteoarthritis and that administration of glucosamine sulfate tends to normalize cartilage metabolism.

In a series of studies, Italian researchers have investigated the effects of glucosamine sulfate in patients with osteoarthritis. After three weeks, the total symptom score had improved by 71% in the glucosamine sulfate group, but was little changed in the placebo group. These results were replicated by another group of investigators. A further eight-week double blind study showed that, although the rate of improvement was slower on the glucosamine sulfate group, the improvement became progressively more pronounced as time went on. By the eight week, the glucosamine sulfate was significantly more effective than ibuprofen. In yet a third study, glucosamine sulfate was administered over 6-8 weeks against a placebo for osteoarthritis of the knee (the most common kind). In terms of relieving pain, joint tenderness, and swelling, glucosamine sulfate proved significantly superior. The results were rated as "excellent" in all 10 patients receiving glucosamine sulfate, whereas the control group rated the results as "fair" or "poor".

Glucosamine sulfate is not an analgesic or an anti-inflammatory agent per se; rather, it appears to exert a beneficial effect of the disease process. In addition, glucosamine sulfate is virtually free of side effects and there are no known contra-indications to its use. In contrast, conventional medications can cause relatively severe side effects. Glucosamine sulfate should therefore be considered on the "treatments of choice" for osteoarthritis. Glucosamine is naturally present in joint cartilage. Glucosamine sulfate is the most absorbable form.

ID	Size	Qty	Price
057	360 capsules		$22.99	CAD
155	500 capsules		$30.69	CAD

Back to List