since we are copying and pasting sources....here is one from Dr. Fox :smile:
Buck Mountain Botanicals, Inc.
HC 30
Miles City, MT 59301
(406) 232-1185 – phone
(406) 232-4491 – fax
8-16-06
Glucosamine Sulfate for Joint Health
The Real Thing
Glucosamine is a natural product of importance in veterinary medicine. It is
found in abundance in the shell of shrimp. It is not a complex substance and
is easily available as a nutrient when ingested. Glucosamine is necessary to
provide a cushion between bones where they meet. Further, it stimulates the
synthesis of glycosaminoglycans (GAG). It also supports the incorporation
of necessary sulfur into cartilage.
Glucosamine sulfate is an effective anti-inflammatory alternative to
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. Rimadyl, Etogesic, Deramaxx).
It provides the raw material necessary to repair arthritic joints. Licorice used
with glucosamine sulfate for arthritis is effective. Glucosamine sulfate
works! Five to ten days of treatment and results are apparent.
If painful arthritis is present double the dosage on the label for one week
then decrease to the recommended daily dosage. After symptoms disappear
use one half the recommended dosage as a geriatric supplement.
Beware of substitutes:
There are a lot of joint products, which are no more than concoctions, on the
market. There always is someone who will come up with some farce and
put enough hype in the air to sell it to someone. At the North American
Veterinary Conference (January 2006) I noted dozens of products being
promoted for joint health. Nearly all of them are overpriced mixtures of
substances that have little, if any, positive effect on arthritis or joint health.
One of these contained nearly equal preparations of chondroitin sulfate,
methylsulfonylmethane, glucosamine hydrachloride and glucosamine
sulfate. This joint “formula” had a catchy name and was expensive.
The young man attending the exhibit announced that it had “all the good
stuff in it” and asked me what I thought. I told him if he took out the
methylsulfonylmethane, the chondroitin sulfate and the glucosamine
hydrachloride and replaced them with lawn clippings that the resultant
mixture with the glucosamine sulfate and lawn clippings would be just as
effective for joint health because of the glucosamine sulfate, it would have
nutritional value because of the lawn clippings and it would be a lot less
expensive because methylsulfonylmethane, chondroitin sulfate and
glucosamine hydrachloride were removed!
• Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)
• Chondroitin Sulfate (CS)
• Glucosamine Hydrachloride (GHCl)
• N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAG)
• Mixtures of these.
All of these are inferior to unadulterated glucosamine sulfate.
There are over 300 studies on glucosamine sulfate lauding its laurels. Those
on MSM, NAG, CS and GHCl are negative or published, largely unrefereed
by those wishing to sell their products.
The facts are:
1. Chondroitin sulfate is a huge molecule, molecular weight is
approximately 50,000. Its bio-availability is near zero, no more than
13% by the most favorable report. There are those that argue that they
have low weight chondroitin and therefore it is more available. Avoid
their product for there is but one molecular weight in chemistry not a
high and a low. If they believe there is such a thing they are ignorant.
If they know better they are being dishonest.
2. Chondroitin sulfate is expensive.
3. Glucosamine hydrachloride is moderately effective but is not as bioavailable
as glucosamine sulfate and it is more expensive. Recent
press has reported Glucosamine hydrachloride to be no better than
placebo.
4. There is no, absolutely no, convincing evidence that MSM is
effective. It appears that MSM is only a catchy name that has gained
a following.
5. N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAG) has no advantage over glucosamine
sulfate.
6. The mixtures of these things are only mixtures of things that are
expensive, don’t work well and if mixed with glucosamine sulfate
make it more expensive and the efficacy of the mixtures is less than
that of glucosamine sulfate alone.
7. Glucosamine sulfate bio-availability is 90% to 98%. Glucosamine
sulfate is the preferred form and is the least expensive.
Some researchers/authors are so down on everything but glucosamine sulfate
that they deny that glucosamine hydrachloride has any merit whatsoever.
From the literature and personal experience with horses and dogs, I believe
that glucosamine sulfate is clearly the star and other concoctions are just that concoctions.
Terrence S. Fox, Ph.D.
President
Buck Mountain Botanicals
