NOW ® Glucosamine, Chondroitin & MSM combines three of the most popular and effective nutrients for supporting joint health in one dietary supplement. Our Glucosamine and Chondroitin are both 100 sulfate, the most studied form of these nutrients. In addition, we also include the Lingnusil^TM brand MSM (methylsulphonyl-methane), an organic form of sulfur found in all living organisms. Studies have shown that these nutrients provide dietary components that support healthy joint structure and function.

Glucosamine is composed of glucose (a sugar) and Glucosamine (an amino acid). It is utilized by chondrocytes to formglycosaminoglycans (GSG) and proteoglycans (PG). Both of these constituents attract and bind water into cartilage, increasing resiliency. Research indicates that glucosamine may actually help your body repair damaged or eroded cartilage. A number of studies have been conducted on glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride, with a preponderance of positive results. Glucosamine sulfate is considered the more effective of the two. One study from the University of Liege in Liege, Belgium studied the effects of glucosamine sulfate on 212 patients with knee osteoarthritis. Participants took either 1500 mg glucosamine or a placebo once daily for three years. The study compared joint space width at enrollment, one year, and at the studies conclusion. The 106 patients on placebo had a progressive joint space narrowing, all participants taking glucosamine experienced no significant joint space loss, indicating glucosamine may beneficially modify cartilage structure. A study published in the Journal osteoarthritis and cartilage in 1998 investigated the in the trail of facts of glucosamine sulfate on proteoglycan and collagen production by chondrocytes taken from osteoarthritic articular cartilage. The results showed "a statistically significant stimulation of PG production by chondrocytes from the human osteoarthritic cartilage cultured for up to 12 days in three dimensional cultures." Another study from Italy enrolled 80 in patients with established OA. They received either 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfate or placebo daily for 30 days. The patients treated with glucosamine sulfate experienced in reduction and symptoms almost twice as large and twice as fast as those receiving placebo. Researchers also used electron microscopy of patients articular cartilage to support this hypothesis. Patients who received a close nine sulfate showed a picture more similar to healthy cartilage. The researchers concluded that glucosamine sulfate tends to rebuild damaged articular cartilage and restore articular function. Chondroitin is classified as a glycosaminoglycan. Its bonds with collagen to form the basis of connective tissue. Chondroitin helps attract fluid into proteoglycans, thereby bringing nutrients into cartilage and providing shock absorption. While glucosamine helps manufacture and maintain cartilage, chondroitin keeps cartilage from becoming malnourished. Chondroitin works synergistically with glucosamine, and east to nutrients will form the basis of most joint health supplements on the market today. A six month randomized, multi-center, double-blind, double dummy study published in 1996 compared the effectiveness of chondroitin versus a popular nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). 146 patients with knee osteoarthritis were recruited and separated into two groups; an NSAID group and a chondroitin sulfate group. The NSAID group was given the NSAID and a placebo for the first month, then placebo alone for months two and three. The chondroitin sulfate group was given the NSAID and chondroitin sulfate for the first month, and then chondroitin sulfate alone for months to and three. Both groups were then given 1200 mg of chondroitin sulfate for months four through six. "Patients treated with the NSAID showed prompt and plain reduction of clinical symptoms, which, however, reappeared after the end of treatment; in the chondroitin sulfate group, the therapeutic response appeared later in time but lasted for up to three months after the end of treatment. Chondroitin sulfate seems to have slow but gradually increasing clinical activity in osteoarthritis; these benefits last for a long period after the end of treatment. MSM is an organic form of sulfur found in all living organisms. It is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body (10th most abundant in the known universe) and is found in every cell. Sulfur provides the chemical links needed to create collagen, which forms and holds the molecular structure of connective tissue. It forms the disulfide bonds in connective tissue that are links in the glycosaminoglycan chains that form cartilage. MSM is an essential nutrient, not only for connective tissue, but also for other tissues in the human body. Unfortunately, modern food processing methods greatly reduce natural MSM levels and foods, so very little is obtained from the diet these days, unless your diet is rich in unprocessed milk, vegetables and grains. Sulfur is abundant in chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid, to constituents that support healthy joint function.

As a dietary supplement, take 3 capsules daily, with meals or on an empty stomach.