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Which Glucosamine Product should I choose?
The UK Glucosamine Specialist answers your questions.
The 5 different types of Glucosamine?
Which types of Glucosamine are best ?
Purity of Glucosamine
Chondroitin?
What about joint combinations?
More about Glucosamine!
Chinese Shellfish Ban
Alternative Sources
More about Glucosamine and Shellfish Allergy
Alternatives to Glucosamine
See also - Glucosamine Dosages and how to take
There are Five different types of Glucosamine:
- D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride (HCL) - (From either Shellfish or Vegetable Sources)
- D-Glucosamine Sulphate 2KCl - (From Shellfish Sources)
- D-Glucosamine Sulphate NaCl
- N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG)
- Poly N-acetyl-glucosamine (Poly NAG)
Note: The correct technical name for Glucosamine is "D-Glucosamine" (except for no 4 and 5 above)
We personally feel the Vegetable source D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride HCL ( Commonly known as "Glucosamine HCL" ) is far superior to the shell fish derived versions. 100% Vegetable source Glucosamine HCL is certainly the best choice for purity.
The potency of vegetable source Glucosamine Hydrochloride (HCL) is considered to be equal to that found in shellfish based versions.
Until the recent arrival of vegetable source glucosamines, nearly all Glucosamine Sulphate and Glucosamine Hydrochloride were manufactured from shellfish source (Shrimp, crab and lobster).
Shellfish source Glucosamine may cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Purity is also of much concern i.e. the purity of shell fish derived Glucosamine varies greatly between manufacturers.
Consequently the 100% vegetable source versions are now by far the safest and most popular forms of Glucosamine.
Effectiveness:
It's suggested that Glucosamine Hydrochloride ( HCL ) has approximately 85% working Glucosmaines compared to 65% in the Sulphate versions.
The growing popularity and demand for pure vegetable source Glucosamine Hydrochloride ( HCL ) has all but stopped sales of Sulphate!
Many former Glucosamine Sulphate customers now swear by Glucosamine Hydrochloride ( HCL )
Moving on lets look at the other types of Glucosamine - these are:
N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG)
Another possible alternative is N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG) however, NAG differs from D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride and D-Glucosamine Sulphate; instead of a sulphur or chloride molecule, NAG has a larger, more complex molecule attached to it. As a result, NAG is an entirely different molecule and appears to be handled quite differently by the body.
Studies have demonstrated that NAG is inferior to other forms of Glucosamine in terms of absorption and utilisation.
Poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine (Poly NAG)
A recent human study compared the absorption of NAG to a long chain of NAG molecules (POLY-Nag). Results showed that orally ingested NAG and POLY-Nag are absorbed and increase the blood levels of NAG, with both forms yielding similar results. In addition, there was some conversion of both molecules to Glucosamine. However, the degree of conversion resulted in lower blood Glucosamine levels compared to D-Glucosamine Sulphate and D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride, both of which are absorbed extremely well.
Studies have demonstrated that Poly NAG is inferior to other forms of Glucosamine in terms of absorption and utilisation.
Some suppliers, particularly those on the Internet, are claiming 99.99% purity for all types of Glucosamine. This shows a basic ignorance of the nutrient!
Before the vegetable source varieties were discovered, Glucosamine Sulphate was manufactured predominantly from shellfish source and had to be stabilised with a percentage of either Potassium Chloride (KCl) or Sodium Chloride NaCl. Therefore the percentage of Glucosamine was generally around the 95% mark however, some shell fish derived glucosamines were found to contain hormones and other impurities. This is why the vegetable source varieties are now preferred.
Chondroitin is produced predominantly from shark cartilage extract. Unfortunately there are large inconsistencies in the concentrations of Chondroitin from this source, so its benefits are somewhat doubtful.
Of considerable interest is that some researchers are suggesting that the body converts Glucosamine to Chondroitins (chemical chains) i.e. the body manufactures it's own Chondroitins from Glucosamine.
What about other joint combinations?
D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride (HCL) and MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) both contain quite different sulphur molecules each playing roles in building articular cartilage and synovial fluids. MSM has the additional benefit of being a constituent (Building block) of keratin (hair and nails), collagen (skin) and elastin (giving flexibility to skin and internal membranes)
The latest independent double-blind study by an Indian University found the combination of Glucosamine and MSM far superior to either agent used singularly.
Most commercially available Glucosamine Sulphate is derived from shrimp, crab and lobster shells from the South China Seas. The shellfish are farmed in huge nets and beds - factory farming of the ocean!
Some 6 years ago the UK Food Standards Agency banned all shellfish imports from China! Unfortunately, some Chinese companies were indiscriminately adding huge amounts of growth hormones to fatten the factory-farmed shellfish up quickly for profit.
The shellfish were heavily impregnated with growth hormones, which apparently caused severe side effects in people, hence the UK ban! However, no one at that time seemed to mention that most Glucosamine imported into the UK was also derived from these hormone and impurity laden shell fish!
Vegetable Source Glucosamine
100% Vegetable source Glucosamine Hydrochloride is manufactured solely from vegetable source and is the best choice for purity.
More about Glucosamine and Shellfish Allergy
Manufacturers use the term "Chitin" for ground up or crushed mollusc shells!
If you have a shellfish allergy don't buy anything labelled as:
- Chitin
- Chitin source
- Shellfish source, or
- Marine source
This should be displayed on the product label or product information on web sites
Tip: Look carefully at the small print !
Tip: Glucosamine Sulphate from Chitin source smells and tastes fishy!
Note: Most versions of Glucosamine Hydrochloride (except the vegetable source version) are also derived from shellfish source. This is synthesised from a protein taken from the shellfish.
Note: Glucosamine Hydrochloride from shellfish source has no detectable fishy odour but it does have a very, very slight fishy taste.
If you've tried the different forms of Glucosamine and they didn't suit you then try MSM. MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) has a much smaller, biologically active sulphur molecule than any of the Glucosamines. MSM is not known to cause allergic reactions, so is very safe to take.
See also - Glucosamine Dosages and how to take
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