Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. Writing in the Townsend Letter, sports medicine experts Jason E. Barker and Chris D. Meletis say that using the large muscle groups at about 40-50% of your exercise capacity six days a week, with resistance training at least two days a week, has been shown repeatedly to reduce the risk of getting heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, obesity, depression, anxiety and other chronic diseases.

But, they warn, exercise itself can have some hazards, especially when it comes to wear and tear on your joints. They recommend glucosamine, as well as vitamin C to maintain healthy muscles and joints if you engage in regular strenuous exercise.

Glucosamine is the precursor for glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), the building blocks of hyaluronic acid and synovial fluid. These lubricants protect the joints from friction. Glucosamine is also used to build cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Glucosamine stimulates the production of cartilage and decreases the enzymes that break it down. It is particularly effective in protecting and strengthening cartilage around the knees, hips, spine and hands.

Barker and Meletis also recommend vitamin C. Vitamin C is critical to the formation of collagen, which in turn forms cartilage. Vitamin C and other antioxidants also combat free radicals generated in exercise that can damage joints and other tissues.

As glucosamine’s popularity has soared, concerns about contamination and poor quality have increased as well. It is important to buy glucosamine products from trusted sources like Beyond Health which have scrupulously high standards of quality.

We combine glucosamine with chondroitin, which works synergistically with glucosamine to increase production of cartilage and reduce enzymes that degrade it. Chondroitin also gives cartilage strength and resilience, and helps draw fluid into it, making the cartilage more elastic.

Here again, as chondroitin has become popular, problems have arisen. Because it’s expensive, many supplements contain far less than labels claim or formulations that can’t be broken down soon enough to be of any use. 

So by all means, work up a sweat on a regular basis, but don’t neglect the good diet and supplements needed to keep your joints in good working order.