Doctors report that large numbers of their patients are taking the supplement, with and without their blessing. Indeed, a Canadian article reported that more than a billion glucosamine capsules were sold in the United States in 1998. Targeting Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis affects some 21 million Americans, men and women alike, but women are at particularly increased risk after menopause. Researchers suspect estrogen has a protective effect on cartilage, so the decreasing supply of it postmenopause may speed cartilage degeneration.
Cartilage is the smooth, rubbery covering over the bones in the joints.
Its precise cause is unknown. But chronic use of these medications can cause serious gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers. It's little wonder so many patients are looking for gentler, less expensive ways to treat their pain. About Glucosamine Glucosamine occurs naturally in the body and encourages cartilage cells to produce glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, two protein-sugar compounds thought to stimulate the growth, repair, and maintenance of cartilage. While claims that glucosamine supplements can treat, and perhaps even slow down, osteoarthritis seem reasonable, how the body metabolizes ingested glucosamine is unclear.