ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Glucosamine Successfully Manages Arthritis

Updated on July 25, 2017

Glucosamine is considered to be a potent supplement in the management of arthritis. This article provides information about the health benefits of glucosamine, side effects of glucosamine and precautionary measures when consuming the supplement.

Confer with your Doctor and Start Glucosamine Supplements

Our body manufactures glucosamine naturally; and the compound plays a key role in the building of the cartilage which cushions the joints. Countless studies and clinical trials allege that glucosamine is unquestionably effective in the successful management of arthritis. However, there are certain side effects that are associated with the regular consumption of the supplement and certain precautions need to be followed.

What is Glucosamine?

Glucosamine is synthesized by our body and has an important part to play in building cartilage of the joints. On the flip side, there are no major food sources of glucosamine; and consequently, supplementing the diet becomes important.

A majority of glucosamine supplements are made from chitin, (tough, outer shell of crabs, lobsters and shrimps). There are also other forms of glucosamine for people who are allergic to shellfish.

The supplement is obtainable as glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate, and n-acetyl glucosamine. These are often in combination with manganese and chondroitin.

Glucosamine Supplements are Made from the Outer Shell of Crabs, Lobsters and Shrimp

How does Glucosamine Work?

Glucosamine re-establishes the normal working of an OA afflicted joint, here's how:

  • Glucosamine promises to prevent a further aggravation and wearing away of the cartilage, which plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth movement of the joint and also retains its structure.
  • Glucosamine helps decrease swelling, inflammation, stiffness and pain that is associated with arthritis.
  • Glucosamine is beneficial in improving the range of movement noticeably too.

The greatest advantage of glucosamine is that it does not have any damaging side effects and toxicity that is associated with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

The Supplement Reduces Inflammation, Stiffness and Pain in the Afflicted Joint

Associated Side Effects

On the whole, glucosamine is fairly safe. Nonetheless, it is always practical to discuss with your health care provider before embarking upon glucosamine supplementation. Furthermore, look out for the following side effects that have been frequently seen in people taking glucosamine on a regular basis.

Some of the recorded side effects of glucosamine include:

  • Habitually, glucosamine is manufactured from shellfish; thus it is important that you do verify with your health care provider before you begin the supplementation. In case you have shellfish allergy, you may develop severe allergy symptoms, and even anaphylactic shock.
  • Glucosamine causes fluctuations in insulin levels, especially, in diabetics.
  • Pregnant women must not take glucosamine. There is no adequate and satisfactory long-term research which guarantees that glucosamine is safe for the fetus.
  • High dosages can cause GI disturbances like: heart burn, acidity, water brash, indigestion, diarrhea or constipation, and frequent stomach upsets.
  • Hair loss is a common side effect of prolonged usage of glucosamine.

Precautionary Measures While Taking Glucosamine

Glucosamine causes unfavorable effects and interactions with other medications and drugs, thus, it should be administered only under the guidance of an expert health care professional. Here are some precautionary measures that need to be followed when consuming glucosamine supplements:

  1. If you have peptic ulcers, glucosamine must be taken with food always.
  2. Large amounts of sodium or potassium may be found in glucosamine sulfate. For this reason, those on potassium sparing diuretics must vigilantly examine the label before taking the supplement.
  3. Diabetics need to check blood sugar levels regularly, given that; glucosamine is known to cause insulin to work less effectively.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)