Arthritis Relief: Chondroprotection
Millions of Americans are afflicted by some form of arthritis ranging from rare to common and from trivial to serious.
Arthritis has left medical science searching for explanations. Many products are available to relieve the symptoms such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Ironically, several studies indicate that long-term use of NSAIDs actually inhibits cartilage repair and accelerates its destruction.
The long-held view of medicine has been that cartilage can not repair itself, at least not efficiently enough to make substantial improvement after it has been damaged. Little has been found to control or reverse the condition until recently.
CHONDROPROTECTIVE AGENTS
The results of more than a decade of European research has led to the emergence of a new class of nutrients.
According to the January issue of The Townsend Letter for Doctors, chondroprotective agents as defined by leading researchers, Ghosh and Smith, must include four actions. First, they must support or enhance macromolecular synthesis by chondrocytes. Second, they must support or enhance synthesis of hyaluronan by synoviocytes in synovial fluid. Third, they must inhibit degradative enzymes or inflammatory mediators. Lastly, they must remove or prevent formation of fibrin, thrombi and plaque in synovium and/or subchondral blood vessels.
The substance that can do all four of these functions are found inside cartilage and chondrocyte metabolism. Two such clinically tested chondroprotective agents are Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate.
Glucosamine Sulfate
Glucosamine Sulfate, found in high concentrations in healthy joints, is critical to the integrity of joint tissues. Its main function is to stimulate the synthesis of cartilage components allowing joints to be repaired. It has been shown to exert a protective effect against joint destruction.
During the early 1980s, a total of 1500 people in nine European studies were given 500 milligrams of glucosamine sulfate three times per day and showed a significant reduction in joint pain, joint tenderness and joint swelling. The studies were so convincing that Glucosamine Sulfate has become the preferred treatment for osteoarthritis in several European countries.
Although 10 years of European research have been completed, Glucosamine Sulfate has not been available in the United States until recently. A U.S. study cited in July 1993 Townsend Letter showed a number of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who received 500 milligrams of Glucosamine Sulfate per day and 10 who received a placebo. At the conclusion of the 6-8 weeks, the patients taking Glucosamine Sulfate rated their treatments as excellent whereas the placebo patients rated their results as fair and poor.
When taken orally, this amino acid sugar is a small and highly absorbable molecule. Although it is neither an analgesic nor an anti-inflammatory, it initiates repair of damaged joint tissue. Double-blind studies have shown Glucosamine Sulfate relieves pain and inflammation and has passed tests required for safety and bioavailability.
Chondroitin Sulfate
Chondroitin Sulfate, a mucopolysaccharide, contains a ling chain of chondrosine units containing glucoronic acid and glucosamine.
Although the body must expend energy to break down this large molecule, it has been shown to reduce pain and improve joint function in osteoarthritic patients.
According to the January Townsend article, in long-term clinical studies, osteoarthritis was slowed, radiographic evidence of reversal was found, and previously disabled subjects were able to return to work.
Other chondroprotective agents
include manganese, antioxidants and omega-3
fatty acids,
Joint health nutrients include niacin, magnesium, pantothenic
acid, boron, zinc,
and the antioxidants: selenium, vitamin A, vitamin E, and
especially vitamin C.
Antioxidant Revolution
Free radicals are highly reactive, unstable oxygen molecules with an unpaired electron. Byproducts of oxygenation and other environmental factors, these molecules are found in over 60 chronic age-related afflictions including cancer and heart disease.
Antioxidants counteract the cell damage done by free radicals by binding with the electrically unbalanced electron. The major scavenger vitamins include beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E. The levels being used to combat free radical damage in research are significantly higher than the U.S. RDA. Research recommends a beta-carotene intake of 15-30 mg. (U.S. RDA is 6 mg.), a vitamin C intake of 250-1000 mg. (U.S. RDA is 60mg.), and a vitamin E intake of 100-400 I.I. (U.S. RDA is 30 I.U.) daily.
Vitamin E & Heart Disease
One in three Americans will die of cardiovascular disease. Antioxidant vitamins, which are postulated to reduce the risk by 20-30 percent, could have substantial clinical and public health impact.
Increasing evidence indicates that free radicals may play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Free radicals may transform low-density lipoproteins (LDL) into an oxidized form. If oxidized LDL proves to be important in the causation of atherosclerosis, then antioxidant vitamins may prevent the oxidation of the unsaturated fatty acids in lipoproteins in the early stages of the disease.
The Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, a 1986 investigation of approximately 45,000 men, aged 40 to 75 years, found that men who took vitamin E supplements for more than two years had a 26 percent reduction in heart attacks.
The researchers add that the protective effects of vitamin E were found in people taking approximately 100 I.U. daily which is more than could be reasonably obtained from dietary sources alone.
The other two major antioxidants-beta-carotene and vitamin C—have also been linked with reduction in heart disease.
Antioxidants & Cancer
According to the June 7 issue of Newsweek, health authorities have calculated that if antioxidants explain the variations seen in the population studies, simply getting people to consume more of them could reduce the U.S. cancer mortality by a third.
A study of 30,000 residents of linxian County, Henan Province in north-central China, where cancer death rates are among the highest in the world, showed that antioxidants could reduce the risk of dying from cancer. The residents aged 40 to 69, who received antioxidants over a five-year period saw their overall cancer death rate drop by 13%.
The National Cancer Institute has analyzed over 20 studies that have tracked cancers of the lung and other tissues in relation to beta-carotene intake. All of the studies have linked high levels of beta-carotene to low rates of lung, mouth, throat, stomach, bladder and rectum cancer.
A study conducted by Dr. Gladys Block of the University of California, Berkley, surveyed the results from 20 studies that monitored the rate of mouth, throat and stomach cancers in relation to vitamin C. In 18 of those 20 studies, low intake equaled high risk factor. According to Block, on the average, people consuming the lease vitamin C were stricken at twice the rate of those consuming the most.
Although clinical trials are being conducted, the data currently available from basic research, clinical observation and epidemiology suggests that the implication for disease prevention is enormous. Researchers suggest the longer the usage of antioxidants the greater the benefit.
If the positive correlation between antioxidants and the reduction of free radical damage continues antioxidants may soon revolutionize healthcare.
Index of Articles
Next Previous
Click Here
Signup • Lost
Password • Edit Profile
for any specific ingredient, concern, vitamin, herb, etc...
• Health Club • Home •
Vitamins • Herbs • Minerals • Amino Acids • Enzymes • Hormones
Homeopathics • Ayurveda • Glandulars • Fatty Acids • Xtra-Cell
• Natural Medicines • Library • Physicians Only
Read The Latest Health Research • Prescription Drug Support Formulas Frozen Cellular Extracts • Xtra-Cell • Top Products •
Contact Us • Customer Service • Privacy Policy • Conditions Of Use
Pricing, Availability and Returns • Privacy Companies
Development Team
Nutrition Dynamics, Inc.• 510 West Court Street • Seguin, Texas 78155
800.926.2906
Copyright © 1998-2008 • All Rights Reserved • Patent Pending