What Are The 3 Kinds Of Glucosamine?

According to 2008 information from the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems in the United States and one of the nation's most common causes of disability. Further, osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear type of arthritis characterized by the breakdown of cartilage, is the most common, affecting nearly 27 million Americans. A likely contributing cause of osteoarthritis is thought to be an age-related decline in the body's ability to repair cartilage and other joint tissues. The supplement glucosamine is a pre-cursor to compounds that can repair cartilage and ligaments within joints, which is why it is used to treat the conditions and symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Glucosamine Sulfate

Glucosamine sulfate is the most common form of glucosamine supplement. Most glucosamine sulfate products are derived from grinding up the shells of shellfish, such as shrimp, crab and lobsters, and then stabilizing the compound with sodium or potassium-based salts. Glucosamine sulfate is not recommended for people with shellfish allergies. It is often manufactured as 500 mg tablets, but can also be made into capsules or a liquid, which are frequently mixed with other supplements such as chondroitin and MSM.

Glucosamine is a natural molecule found in the body and produced by chondrocyte cells within joints under normal conditions. Once produced, glucosamine is utilized as a building block to make glycosaminoglycan and proteoglycan molecules, which combine with collagen to produce cartilage. The products of glucosamine also maintain the proper viscosity of the joint fluids, allowing for normal lubrication and cushioning within joint capsules.

Glucosamine sulfate is the form that has been used for most investigations of the effects of glucosamine on humans and animals. Most of the benefits of glucosamine supplementation, such as reduced arthritic pain, reduced inflammation, reduced progression of cartilage destruction and increased joint flexibility, have been attributed to glucosamine sulfate products, according to MedlinePlus.

Glucosamine Hydrochloride

Another form of glucosamine supplement is glucosamine HCl, which has not performed as well as the sulfate form in the clinical trials. Despite having a greater percentage of usable glucosamine within its structure--83 percent compared to 80 percent for the sulfate types--and having better stability as a molecule, glucosamine HCL has not shown consistently good effects in clinical studies, as summarized by Prescription2000.com. A theory as to why glucosamine HCL might be less effective than glucosamine sulfate at treating osteoarthritis is that the sulfur portion of glucosamine sulfate might be needed within the joint capsule in order to effectively produce cartilage. Some glucosamine HCl products are now made from vegetable sources instead of shellfish, so there are no concerns of potential allergic reactions.

N-acetyl Glucosamine

A third form of glucosamine supplement is called N-acetyl glucosamine, or NAG, and it is the least produced and used of the three main forms. NAG is not effective for treating the conditions or symptoms of osteoarthritis, according to the "American Journal of Natural Medicine." NAG is unique compared to the other forms of glucosamine in that it doesn't have a sulfur, chloride or potassium molecule attached to stabilize it. Instead, NAG is a larger and more complex molecule that the body metabolizes differently. Specifically, NAG is broken down quickly in the intestines and absorbed as fragments, so it does not reach joints via the bloodstream, in forms that can be used to produce glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, which are used to synthesize cartilage.