In addition to the large bones in our body, there are also joints formed by the merging of small bones. Close and open your hand or just sit and get up, this is what we do thanks to our joints. There is a liquid that allows the two hard bones to move without damaging each other, and the main component of that liquid is glucosamine. Glucosamine occurs naturally in our body.
When the rate of glucosamine in our body decreases due to different reasons such as some diseases and malnutrition, joint pain comes along. In such a case, your doctor may want you to take additional glucosamine as a food supplement or with a diet change. Let’s get down to the basics and examine in detail what glucosamine is, what it does, what are the benefits and harms of taking supplements.
Let’s start by making a definition for those who don’t know; What is glucosamine?
Glucosamine is a type of amino sugar component naturally found in our body. It is the main component of the fluid that surrounds the joints and enables them to move in a healthy way, as well as in the cartilage tissue. When people say glucosamine, the food supplement for this component comes to mind.
Fine, but what does glucosamine do?
Close and open your hand, what happened? The joints that were there moved. However, what we call a joint is the union of two hard bones, and two hard bones rubbing against each other are expected to be damaged. This is where joint fluid comes into play. This liquid, whose main component is glucosamine, allows the joints to move in a healthy way without damaging each other. Glucosamine, which is also found in the cartilage tissue in our body, ensures that this tissue is strong.
What is glucosamine deficiency, in which diseases does it occur?
One of the main causes of joint calcification, joint inflammation, cartilage loss, arthritis, rheumatic joint inflammation and many other joint disorders that come to mind is the decrease in the rate of glucosamine in the joint fluid.
Glucosamine deficiency can actually be both a cause and a consequence of these conditions. Glucosamine in the joints decreases due to a different ailment, and these diseases arise or these diseases occur for another reason, and glucosamine decreases as a result of incorrect movements of the joints. The result is what happens to your joints.
But what is glucosamine supplement, what does it do?
Most of the time, the person goes to the doctor with the complaint of joint pain without any other symptom, and as a result of the examination, it is revealed that the glucosamine ratio has decreased. Depending on the patient’s condition, either a special diet is recommended or glucosamine supplementation is often given.
The glucosamine supplement is a food supplement, not a drug. It is one of the different supplement forms such as glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, N-acetyl glucosamine. Since these are not interchangeable, a doctor’s advice is required. Glucosamine food supplement is obtained by processing the shells of shellfish.
As the name suggests, glucosamine supplement is used in cases where the body cannot take this component naturally and it decreases in the body. When the ratio of glucosamine, which is the main component of the joint fluid, increases, the complaints of the person decrease. Frequency of use and duration of use should be determined by the doctor.
Is it safe to use glucosamine supplements, what are the benefits?
My joints hurt, stop, if you don’t want to drink some glucosamine supplement, there is no harm in glucosamine supplementation as long as you use the dose recommended by the doctor. As soon as you start using it, your joint pain will decrease. Of course, there are drugs that can be harmful when used together, you should definitely tell your doctor about this.
When you use glucosamine supplements, you will see that the pain in your joints decreases in a short time because one of the main causes of joint pain is glucosamine deficiency. Since it strengthens the cartilage tissues and prevents them from being damaged by rubbing against each other, it prevents bigger problems that will occur in the future.
Nothing is one hundred percent safe; Possible side effects of glucosamine supplementation:
- Nausea
- chest pain
- burning in chest
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- feeling of numbness
- Skin blistering
- skin flushing
- Headache
- dizziness
It may not happen to everyone or even no one, but these are some of the possible side effects of glucosamine supplementation. If these side effects continue to increase, you need to go to the nearest health institution and state the situation because emergency intervention may be required in a possible allergic reaction.
Some of the situations where using glucosamine supplements pose a risk include:
- There is not enough research that it is safe to use in pregnant and nursing mothers.
- It can make the attacks of people with asthma more severe.
- It can have a negative effect on diabetic patients as it raises blood sugar.
- It can increase eye pressure and create a feeling of pressure in the eye.
- It can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood.
- May increase blood pressure in some high blood pressure patients.
- People who are allergic to shellfish may experience severe allergic reactions.
Here are some of the conditions and diseases where using glucosamine supplements can have much more dangerous results than side effects. Of course, none of this is certain to happen, but there is still a risk. This is exactly why you should not use glucosamine supplements without a doctor’s advice.
You don’t have to take supplements, here are the foods that contain glucosamine:
- Wheat
- Soy
- Sweetcorn
- Wheat
- Mushroom
- Offal products
- Bone marrow
- Prawn
- rosehip
In general, foods that contain glucosamine in different proportions are like this. Of course, you should listen to the doctor’s advice as these can have different effects on the body. Most of the time, glucosamine levels are already normal in people who eat regularly, but they decrease due to different diseases.
When should I go to the doctor?
Of course, no one goes to the doctor thinking that my glucosamine has decreased, the biggest symptom of this deficiency is joint pain. You should be examined by a specialist physician for joint pain that occurs without any reason and does not go away for a long time or continues to increase. According to the results of the examination, your doctor will reveal the cause of joint pain and give glucosamine supplements if necessary.
We answered the curious questions such as what is glucosamine, the number one need of healthy joints and cartilage, what it does, what are the benefits and harms of supplementation. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about glucosamine supplementation from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.
59756
