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A Guide to Glucosamine Products
Glucosamine
is very beneficial in the treatment of arthritis and is backed by numerous double-blind,
placebo-controlled studies. In these studies, glucosamine has been shown
to assist in the rehabilitation of cartilage and reduce the progression of osteoarthritis,
and significantly lessen pain from arthritis. However, one glucosamine
product can be very different from another.
When
your pain relief and health is at stake, you need to know how to choose
between competing products and see through the marketing hype. There
are six factors that you need to take into your decision before purchasing
any glucosamine product. These are:
- Amount
of Glucosamine per daily dose
- Type
of Glucosamine
- Quality
of Ingredients
- Delivery
System
- Synergistic
Ingredients
- Price
Per Day
- It is
very important to compare price per day and not price per product,
as many companies try to fool you by providing 60 capsules or 32 oz.
and not telling you until after you purchased that you must use 6
capsules or 2 oz. per day. Be careful to always compare price per
day.
Did you
know that the absorption rate and bio-availability of the glucosamine
in pills is significantly less than that when glucosamine is delivered
in liquid form? The "claimed fact" that pills are the only
and best way to obtain glucosamine is simply not true.
Glucosamine
provided in liquid form is absorbed more quickly, much more fully, and
provides greater and longer lasting relief.
Due to this, we have given two ratings for the capsule products since
we need to be comparing apples with apples. The overall rating is a
rating that is compared to all products. The capsule rating is a rating
as it stands among only products which provide glucosamine in pill form.
First we will review the leading liquid products...
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Syn-flex® |
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Amount
of Glucosamine per daily dose: 1250 mg
Type of Glucosamine: both Glucosamine Sulfate and Glucosamine
HCL
Quality of Glucosamine: Pharmaceutical Quality
Delivery System: Liquid
Synergistic Ingredients:
Chondroitin Sulfate, Boswellin, Yucca Powder, Manganese Ascorbate,
Bromelain, Vitamin C, Omega 3 Fatty Acid, Omega 6 Fatty Acid,
Vitamin A, Vitamin E
Price per day: $.96
Rating Rationale: A good amount of both forms of glucosamine
delivered by liquid will ensure maximum absorption. The high quality
glucosamine, and 10 synergistic ingredients that have all been
shown to aid in the fight against arthritis combine to make a
very good product.
Website: http://www.activexamerica.com
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Corta-Flex™ |
Corta-Flex™
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Amount
of Glucosamine per daily dose: 100 mg
Type of Glucosamine: Glucosamine Sulfate
Quality of Glucosamine: not known
Delivery System: Liquid
Synergistic Ingredients:
100 mg. of MSM, 300 mg. of Mucopolysaccharides (a claimed source
of Chondroitin)
Price per day: $.62
Rating rationale: A low amount of glucosamine, unknown quality
of ingredients, an alternate system of chondroitin delivery. the
product has very little in it besides fruit flavoring. The thing
this product has going for it is that it is in liquid form.
Website: http://www.cortaflex.com
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Arti-flex™ |
Arti-Flex™
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Amount
of Glucosamine per daily dose: 1500 mg
Type of Glucosamine: Glucosamine HCL
Quality of Glucosamine: not known
Delivery System: Liquid
Synergistic Ingredients:
1200 mg of Chondroitin Sulfate, 600 mg of MSM, 1.9 mg of Manganese,
500mg of Vitamin C, 20 mg of Yucca, 15 mg of Boswellic Acid
Price per day: $1.47
Rating Rationale: A good mix of ingredients with a good
supply of glucosamine. The glucosamine is glucosamine HCL. There
is MSM, which more studies may show to be advantageous, little
Manganese, and 833% of the RDA of Vitamin C, which may cause a
severely upset stomach for many. The very high price will rule
it out for most budgets, but if you can afford it, it may give
you some relief seeing that it is in liquid form.
Website: http://www.drinkartiflex.com
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A
note on MSM:
There is a slowly increasing amount of credible evidence that this substance
is of value. Be aware though, many MSM -containing products are contaminated
with DMSO, a substance that should not be taken orally. Interestingly,
the claim to fame for MSM is that it supplies the body with extra sulfur.
Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate products contain plenty
of available sulfur.
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Joint
Juice™ |
Joint Juice™
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Amount of Glucosamine per daily dose: 1500mg
Type of Glucosamine: not stated
Quality of Glucosamine: not stated
Delivery System: Liquid
Synergistic Ingredients: 16 mg Vitamin C
Price per day: $1.19
Rating Rationale: A good supply of glucosamine and vitamin
C, however, besides those, there is very little in this product
except fruit juice. It is an expensive novelty drink that may give
some relief, but certainly not very much.
Website: http://www.jointjuice.com |
The
Capsule Products
Reminder: Glucosamine provided in liquid
form is absorbed more quickly, much more fully, and provides greater
and longer lasting relief.
Due to this, we have given two ratings for the capsule products since
we need to be comparing apples with apples. The overall rating is a
rating that is compared to all products. The capsule rating is a rating
as it stands among only products which provide glucosamine in pill form.
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Osteo-Bi-Flex™ |
Osteo-Bi-Flex™
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Amount of Glucosamine per daily dose: 1500 mg
Type of Glucosamine: Glucosamine HCL
Quality of Glucosamine: not stated
Delivery System: capsule pill
Synergistic Ingredients: 1200 mg of Chondroitin Sulfate
Price per day: $.50 (va |
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