Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM
120C &
240C
Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM
Excipients: Cellulose,
magnesium stearate, stearic acid, gelatin capsule
Suggested
Use: As a dietary supplement, take 2 capsules twice
daily.
Note: Glucosamine is obtained from the shells of
shellfish.
Ingredients
Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM
Best Glucosamine Sulfate contains pure glucosamine sulfate, as
confirmed by HPLC testing. Glucosamine sulfate consists of
glucosamine, an amino sugar extracted from "chitin," a component
of shellfish skeletons. ("Chitin," the resilient polysaccharide
that forms the structural framework of animal shells, is a
long-chain polymer consisting of many glucosamine molecules
linked together.) The purified glucosamine is then sulfated and
stabilized with potassium chloride.
Note: Glucosamine sulfate
is derived from the shells of ocean-growing shellfish. It is
processed to remove all residues of protein and impurities,
yielding pure glucosamine sulfate as the final material.
Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM contains chondroitin sulfate with a
purity of 90 percent or greater. Quality assurance testing is
performed using two sophisticated laboratory analysis methods:
1) HPLC and 2) C.P.C. Titration, a newly developed method now
accepted as the most definitive test for chondroitin
sulfate.
• Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM contains pure LIGNISUL
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane). LIGNISUL™ MSM is natural-source MSM
derived from trees. A biological compound that occurs in the
human body and in some foods, MSM is an excellent dietary source
of bioavailable organic sulfur.
Understanding Glucosamine
Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate and Their Roles in
Joints
Cartilage contains connective tissue composed of cells
(chondrocytes), protein fibers (chiefly collagen) and clusters
of complex molecules called "proteoglycans." Proteoglycan
molecules are formed from long proteins (polypeptides) with
numerous side chains. (The proteoglycan structure looks like a
bottle brush.) The attached side chains, chiefly chondroitin
sulfate and keratin sulfate, are long polysaccharide molecules
called "glycosaminoglycans." 1,2 Glucosamine is a key component
of keratin sulfate, and it can be converted to galactosamine,
which, along with glucuronic acid, forms chondroitin
sulfate.2
Cartilage contains collagen fibers embedded within
a gel-like matrix known as "intracellular cement." Proteoglycans
are the key structural component within this matrix. Chondroitin
sulfate and the other glycosaminoglycans have a strong
attraction for water, due to negative charges on their sulfate
groups. These negative charges also repel each other, creating
spaces between glycosaminoglycan side-chains in the proteoglycan
molecule. Water enters the spaces, giving cartilage a
sponge-like quality that allows it to function as a shock
absorber for joints. The movement of water in and out of
cartilage allows nutrients to flow in and wastes to flow
out.2
Glucosamine is also a component of hyaluronic acid,
another glycosaminoglycan found in cartilage and other
connective tissues. Hyaluronic acid forms the backbone for the
proteoglycan clusters.2 As essential components of cartilage,
glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are therefore critically
important for the health and function of joints.2,3
The MSM
Story-One of Nature's Primary Sources of Organic Dietary
Sulfur!
The human body requires a continuous supply of usable
sulfur, and MSM is one of the primary organic sulfur-containing
molecules for use by living organisms. From life's earliest
beginnings, primitive marine organisms (blue-green algae and
phytoplankton) have absorbed inorganic sulfur from ocean waters
and produced organic sulfur molecules, primarily dimethyl
sulfonium salts. These salts are released back into the sea,
where they are converted to dimethyl sulfide, which readily
evaporates into the upper atmosphere. Dimethyl sulfide is then
oxidized by UV light, forming DMSO and MSM. The two compounds
are delivered to land masses in rain water, and absorbed by
plants. MSM is a stable end-product of this process, serving as
a primary source of sulfur in the food
chain.
Benefits
Supports Joint Structure and Function*
Glucosamine Sulfate
Glucosamine sulfate is one of the most
important nutritional supplements for joint health ever
developed. Glucosamine sulfate provides significant benefits for
both the structure and function of joints. Many years of
research have produced unequivocal evidence that glucosamine
sulfate normalizes cartilage metabolism, slows breakdown of
cartilage, and improves joint function.4,5,6
Glucosamine
sulfate has been thoroughly researched over the last twenty
years. Experimental studies and human clinical trials
convincingly demonstrate that orally consumed glucosamine
sulfate improves joint function. 4,5,6
In one large open trial,
over 1200 people took oral glucosamine sulfate for periods
ranging from 36 to 64 days. 252 physicians participated in this
multicenter study. 95% of the subjects experienced greater joint
comfort and increased mobility. The physicians reported "good"
results in 59%, and "sufficient" results in 36%. The
improvements lasted for up to three months after the glucosamine
sulfate was discontinued.5
Chondroitin Sulfate
In a 1996
controlled, double-blind multicenter clinical trial published in
the Journal of Rheumatology,7 146 volunteers consumed 1200 mg of
chondroitin sulfate every day for 6 months. Changes in joint
function were measured according to several clinical parameters
and carefully analyzed. After the first month, significant
improvements were noted and maintained for three months after
the subjects stopped taking the chondroitin sulfate. In an
earlier double-blind study subjects taking chondroitin sulfate
had improvements in joint function after three months of use, as
determined by both objective and subjective measurements.8 In
both studies, the benefits lasted for weeks after subjects
stopped taking chondroitin sulfate.
In another controlled
multicenter study, 192 subjects took 1200 mg of chondroitin
sulfate or a placebo daily for one year. At the end of the
trial, chondroitin sulfate produced substantial increases in
joint cartilage thickness, while those on placebo had decreases.
Improvements in joint function also occurred. The researchers
reported that "we clearly demonstrated that (chondroitin
sulfate) exerts a chondroprotective activity."9
New Clinical
Evidence of MSM’s Joint Benefits
A small pilot study recently
conducted at the U.C.L.A. School of Medicine is the first
controlled double-blind trial to test the effects of MSM on
joints.10 Sixteen subjects demonstrating need for joint support
took either MSM or a placebo daily for six weeks. As measured by
a Visual Analog Scale, those taking MSM registered an 82 percent
improvement compared to 20 percent with placebo. Though
preliminary due to the small number of subjects, these results
suggest potential for MSM as a joint support nutrient that
warrants further investigation in larger double-blind
trials.
Additional Benefits of MSM
Sulfur is a structural
mineral that maintains the strength of various tissues by
forming sulfur "tie-bars" (sulfhydryl bonds) between connective
tissue proteins. MSM serves as a readily available source of
sulfur for this function, and thus helps maintain the pliancy of
tissues and cell membranes.
Based on anecdotal clinical
reports, as outlined in MSM patents, ingestion of MSM by humans
appears to have the following beneficial effects: 1) Supports
normal gastrointestinal function; 2) Improves the body's
resistance to adverse physical stress; 3) Supports mental
alertness and maintenance of healthy mood; 4) Helps regulate
body's inflammatory function; 5) Helps modify the physiologic
response to allergens; 6) Supports normal lung function; 7)
Helps maintain healthy skin.11,12
Supplementation is Needed
to Realize the Benefits of MSM
Widespread in nature, MSM is
found in a variety of foods, including fresh fruits and
vegetables, raw milk, raw meat and raw fish. However, MSM is a
volatile substance easily lost during cooking, pasteurization,
food processing and storage. The average American diet thus
supplies at best a marginal MSM intake which may be inadequate
to maintain the optimum MSM concentration in the body. The
average body's MSM concentration is also believed to decline
with increasing age.11,12,13
Scientific References
1. Bland,
J.H., Cooper, S.M. Osteoarthritis: A review of the cell biology
involved and evidence for reversibility. Management rationally
related to known genesis and pathophysiology. Seminars in
Arthritis and Rheumatism
1984;14(2):106-133.
2. Hardingham, T.
Proteoglycans: Their structure, interactions and molecular
organization in cartilage. Biochemical Society Transactions
1981;9(6):489-97.
3. Pipitone, V.R. "Chondroprotection with
chondroitin sulfate" Drugs Exptl. Clin. Res. (1991)
XVII(1):3-7.
4. Vidal y Plana, R.R., Bizzarri, D., Rovati,
A.L., "Articular cartilage pharmacology: I. In vitro studies on
glucosamine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,"
Pharmacological Research Communications
1978;
10(6):557-569.
5. Macario , J. T., Rivera, I.C.,
Bignamini, A.A., 'Oral glucosamine sulfate in the management of
arthritis: report on a multi-centre open investigation in
Portugal, Pharmatherapeutica 1982; 3(3):157-68.
6. Vaz, A.L.,
'Double-blind clinical evaluation of the relative efficacy of
ibuprofen and glucosamine sulfate in the management of
osteoarthritis of the knee in out-patients,' Current Medical
Research and Opinion 1982;
8(3):145-149.
7. Morreale, P. et.
al. "Comparison of the anti-inflammatory efficacy of chondroitin
sulfate and diclofenac sodium in patients with knee
osteoarthritis" J Rheumatol (1996) 23:1385-91.
8. Mazières, B.
et. al. Chondroitin sulfate for the treatment of coxarthrosis
and gonarthrosis. A prospective, multicenter,
placebo-controlled, double blind trial with five months follow
up. Rev. Rhum. Mal. Ostèoartic. 1992;59(7-8):466-472.
9.
Pipitone, V., et. al. "A multicenter, triple-blind study to
evaluate galactosaminoglucuronoglycan sulfate versus placebo in
patients with femorotibial gonarthritis" Current Therapeutic
Research 1992 52(4):608-38.
10. Lawrence, R.M.
Methyl-sulfonyl-methane (M.S.M.) A double-blind study of its use
in degenerative arthritis. International Journal of Anti-aging
Medicine 1998; 1(1):50.
11. Herschler, R. Dietary and
pharmaceutical uses of methylsulfonylmethane and compositions
comprising it. United States Patent 4,514,421; April 30,
1985.
12. Herschler, R. Methylsulfonylmethane in dietary
products. United States Patent 4,616,039; October 7, 1986.
13.
Jacob, S., Herschler, R. Introductory remarks: dimethyl
sulfoxide after
twenty years. Annals of the New York Academy of
Sciences 1983; 411:xiii-xvii.
*This statement has not been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is
not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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