For nearly fifty years, the nutritional supplement, glucosamine, has been used to help relieve the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. Its popularity has catapulted over the last fifteen years as some of the nine million people in Britain suffering with arthritis look for safer, natural alternatives to the widely prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics.

Now there has been a major breakthrough in glucosamine supplementation development thanks to new patent-protected technology, a new hypoallergenic, shellfish-free type of glucosamine which contains 40% more pure glucosamine than the previous standard has become available. So all such supplements are no longer the same!

Arthritis relief

Glucosamine is primarily employed to help reduce the pain and progression of osteoarthritis, a condition that affects the integrity of the cartilage that cushions your joints. Early on in your life, your cartilage acts as a sponge between the hard ends of bones in your joints, soaking up and squeezing out the synovial fluid in the joint every time you make a movement. But as we age, our cartilage begins to dry out, soften and crack, wearing away with the activity that it sustains. This can then cause the two ends of bone in the joint to rub against each other, which in turn can lead to the classic osteoarthritic symptoms of chronic pain and inflammation.

Glucosamine is a metabolite made in the body, which acts as a precursor for the major building-block proteins, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). These are essential for the production of new cartilage and help to reduce inflammation, as they bind water into the cartilage matrix, cushioning the joint and helping to prevent it from drying out.

But as your cartilage deteriorates, the body’s ability to manufacture GAGs declines and larger quantities are required for repair.

Research has now shown that supplementation with glucosamine can not only halt the progression of osteoarthritis but even reverse it, not to mention helping to slow arthritic joint degeneration in the first place. In fact, a systematic review of 20 scientific trials found that for those suffering osteoarthritis, glucosamine was 28% more effective than a placebo at reducing pain and 21% more effective at improving joint function. Furthermore, some studies have found it to be more effective than leading NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and Celebrex at reducing pain and inflammation. But while orthodox medicine can reduce pain, it does nothing to enhance the repair mechanisms within the joint or halt the degeneration process (as glucosamine does), which is why there is increasing interest in glucosamine supplementation among joint health experts.

Major breakthrough in glucosamine supplementation Glucosamine as a nutritional supplement has traditionally been manufactured from the shells of fish such as crab, lobster and shrimp and so was unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans and anyone that suffers a shellfish allergy. Most supplements on the market are made from glucosamine from this source, often in glucosamine sulphate form. However, recent advances in technology now mean that there is a purer shellfish-free source on the market, which has additional benefits to boot.

Shellfish-free glucosamine HCl contains almost 40% more pure glucosamine per tablet than the more widely sold glucosamine sulphate 2KCl form. Experts now talk about the yield’ of pure glucosamine in supplements standard glucosamine sulphate contains a pure glucosamine yield of 60% (mainly due to the bulky sulphate content); this compares to a whopping 83% for the pure new glucosamine HCl form.

So the bar has been raised and the expert recommendation is now to insist on the purer, more concentrated source.

The science

Both glucosamine sulphate and glucosamine HCl boast a robust efficacy and safety profile, but the standard sulphate form is much less chemically stable and must be modified by the addition of either sodium or potassium chloride in order to prevent it from degrading. This does, however, mean that each tablet provides less pure glucosamine than glucosamine HCl. Glucosamine HCl contains significantly more (40%) pure glucosamine per gram than the standard glucosamine sulphate 2KCl form, as it does not require any additives to maintain its quality.

The clinical evidence

It is glucosamine HCl that was studied in the landmark Glucosamine Arthritis Intervention Trial (known as GAIT’ in the scientific community) which was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in February last year. This robust scientific trial studied over 1,500 people suffering from arthritis. Significant efficacy results were proven for glucosamine HCl, when combined with chondroitin, in reducing moderate to severe arthritic knee pain. Moreover, supplementation with this form of glucosamine in conjunction with chondroitin was shown to be more effective than prescription arthritis medication (Celebrex, a COX-II inhibitor which is a type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) in those patients with moderate to severe knee pain.

Purity of shellfish-free glucosamine HCl

Shellfish-free glucosamine HCl is manufactured by a unique patent-protected fermentation process using the flora, Aspergillus niger, from a corn base (in contrast to the waste shells of various marine organisms which are used as the main source of standard glucosamine supplements).
A clear benefit of this unique, shellfish-free source of glucosamine means that a purer glucosamine can be produced. Any contaminants that could be linked to residual shellfish components (protein residues as well as potential allergens, dioxins or heavy metals) are simply eliminated.

What’s more, in a planet struggling to sustain the impact of human excess, a vegetarian source of glucosamine does not carry any of the environmental costs posed by the farming or fishing of shellfish, which can degrade habitats, cause pollution and deplete the already low fish stocks.

More joint-health benefits for your money

Because of the plethora of benefits of this new gold-standard glucosamine, Healthspan has decided to upgrade its entire range of glucosamine supplements to use this new premium source it’s called Optiflex glucosamine, reflecting its optimal quality and to differentiate it from the standard supplements on the market so look out for the Optiflex logo on the packs from now on.

Healthspan is the only nutrition company in the UK which can boast this concentrated, hypoallergenic, pure shellfish-free HCl form in its entire range of glucosamine tablets. And for anyone worried that new improved’ equals digging deeper into pockets, you can be reassured that you will be paying the same for Optiflex and its additional benefits as you did for glucosamine sulphate from Healthspan it is still over 50% less expensive than most other glucosamine supplements in the UK.

So make sure that you look for Optiflex glucosamine when you’re choosing your glucosamine supplement next time to ensure that you get more of the joint health benefits for your money than ever before.

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