Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM
Best Glucosamine Sulfate contains pure glucosamine sulfate, as confirmed by
HPLC testing. Glucosamine sulfate consists of glucosamine, an amino sugar
extracted from "chitin," a component of shellfish skeletons. ("Chitin," the
resilient polysaccharide that forms the structural framework of animal shells,
is a long-chain polymer consisting of many glucosamine molecules linked
together.) The purified glucosamine is then sulfated and stabilized with
potassium chloride.
Note: Glucosamine sulfate is derived from the shells of ocean-growing
shellfish. It is processed to remove all residues of protein and impurities,
yielding pure glucosamine sulfate as the final material.
Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM contains chondroitin sulfate with a purity of 90
percent or greater. Quality assurance testing is performed using two
sophisticated laboratory analysis methods: 1) HPLC and 2) C.P.C. Titration, a
newly developed method now accepted as the most definitive test for chondroitin
sulfate.
Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM contains pure LIGNISUL MSM (methylsulfonylmethane).
LIGNISUL MSM is natural-source MSM derived from trees. A biological compound
that occurs in the human body and in some foods, MSM is an excellent dietary
source of bioavailable organic sulfur.
Understanding Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate and Their Roles in
Joints
Cartilage contains connective tissue composed of cells (chondrocytes), protein
fibers (chiefly collagen) and clusters of complex molecules called "proteoglycans."
Proteoglycan molecules are formed from long proteins (polypeptides) with
numerous side chains. (The proteoglycan structure looks like a bottle brush.)
The attached side chains, chiefly chondroitin sulfate and keratin sulfate, are
long polysaccharide molecules called "glycosaminoglycans." 1,2 Glucosamine is a
key component of keratin sulfate, and it can be converted to galactosamine,
which, along with glucuronic acid, forms chondroitin sulfate.2
Cartilage contains collagen fibers embedded within a gel-like matrix known as
"intracellular cement." Proteoglycans are the key structural component within
this matrix. Chondroitin sulfate and the other glycosaminoglycans have a strong
attraction for water, due to negative charges on their sulfate groups. These
negative charges also repel each other, creating spaces between
glycosaminoglycan side-chains in the proteoglycan molecule. Water enters the
spaces, giving cartilage a sponge-like quality that allows it to function as a
shock absorber for joints. The movement of water in and out of cartilage allows
nutrients to flow in and wastes to flow out.2
Glucosamine is also a component of hyaluronic acid, another glycosaminoglycan
found in cartilage and other connective tissues. Hyaluronic acid forms the
backbone for the proteoglycan clusters.2 As essential components of cartilage,
glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are therefore critically important for the
health and function of joints.2,3
The MSM Story-One of Nature's Primary Sources of Organic Dietary Sulfur!
The human body requires a continuous supply of usable sulfur, and MSM is one of
the primary organic sulfur-containing molecules for use by living organisms.
From life's earliest beginnings, primitive marine organisms (blue-green algae
and phytoplankton) have absorbed inorganic sulfur from ocean waters and
produced organic sulfur molecules, primarily dimethyl sulfonium salts. These
salts are released back into the sea, where they are converted to dimethyl
sulfide, which readily evaporates into the upper atmosphere. Dimethyl sulfide
is then oxidized by UV light, forming DMSO and MSM. The two compounds are
delivered to land masses in rain water, and absorbed by plants. MSM is a stable
end-product of this process, serving as a primary source of sulfur in the food
chain.
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