Glucosamine Sulfate

Glucosamine sulfate is a molecule made by the liver that plays an integral part in helping the body maintain normal connective tissue and joint health and strength. Our capacity to manufacture this compound does diminish with age, and dietary sources are somewhat limited.

Recently, glucosamine sulfate has been very thoroughly investigated regarding its use as a therapeutic supplement to increase the overall health and strength of connective tissue and articular surfaces in the human body. This is particularly helpful for those with osteoarthritis or various types of arthritic joint problems. In general, we have tended to use anti-inflammatory drugs to symptomatically treat these conditions. However, the unfortunate paradox is that many of these anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to actually accelerate the degeneration of the joint space, despite the fact that they do help control pain.

There have been several studies to test the efficacy of glucosamine sulfate in the treatment of arthritis and various types of connective tissue problems. In some studies, glucosamine sulfate was actually compared to standard anti-inflammatory drugs and found to do as well, or better, in improving pain control and joint mobility. The other advantage of glucosamine sulfate, of course, is that it does not have the side effects of typical anti-inflammatory drugs, which include gastritis, development of ulcers and kidney toxicity.

Generally, most people have to use glucosamine products for a period of several weeks to notice a positive result. The usual dose is about two grams a day or four, 500 mg capsules, initially. In some situations, doses as high as 4 grams per day are required initially to have a positive effect.

For the most part, glucosamine sulfate supplements are available at health food stores and from most mail order sources. It would be a recommendation to use products that contain only glucosamine sulfate, as other types of glucosamine have not been clinically demonstrated to be as effective, nor are they as well absorbed.

It has more recently come into vogue to use chondroitin sulfate, either as stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with glucosamine sulfate. However, there are no clinical studies to date to show that chondroitin has any physiologic efficacy, as it relates to improving joint integrity in human and animal studies.

Dale Guyer, M.D.