Glucosamine (NaturGlux®) Powder

WHICH FORM OF GLUCOSAMINE IS BEST?

Glucosamine as a molecule is inherently unstable and undergoes transformation into a salt by the addition of another molecule. The most common forms of glucosamine salts on the market are:

• Glucosamine sulfate.2KCl
• Glucosamine sulfate.NaCl
• Glucosamine HCl

There is some uncertainty as to which of these three forms is most effective. However, many scientists agree that the specific form of the salt should not be essential. This is because in the acidic environment of the stomach the salt breaks down into a glucosamine molecule and a residual group. The glucosamine molecule is then absorbed in the intestine, while the remaining molecule is completely broken down by the numerous molecules of hydrochloric acid (-HCl) in the gastric juice.

Purity and dosage protocol

Purity

According to some experts, glucosamine sulfate.NaCl is the only form of glucosamine that has been scientifically proven to be effective. But recently it has become clear that this ‘proven’ effectiveness is related to the purity of the glucosamine rather than its specific form. The glucosamine sulfate.NaCl used in several high-quality studies was a patented and pharmaceutical-grade form of glucosamine. Other studies have been conducted with alternative forms of glucosamine, such as glucosamine sulfate.2KCl and glucosamine-HCl. Although these forms are approved as generic medications or dietary supplements, many authors suggest that the quality of the glucosamine used may have had more influence on the results of the studies than its specific form (sulfate versus HCl).

Dosage protocol

Furthermore, the intake protocols differed across studies. Most studies used an intake schedule of 500 mg three times a day, while the successful glucosamine sulfate.NaCl studies were designed with an intake schedule of 1500 mg once a day. Different intake patterns can lead to varying pharmacokinetic profiles of glucosamine in the body, making these studies difficult to compare.

Aghazadeh et al. (2011) gave rats an equal dose of glucosamine of both forms orally. The glucosamine sulphate.NaCl used was a proprietary pharmaceutical grade manufactured by Rottapharm, while the glucosamine HCl used was high quality vegetarian Glucosamine. The results showed that the changes in plasma glucosamine concentration over time were almost identical.

The same authors examined the excretion of glucosamine in the urine of four human volunteers after oral ingestion of 1500 mg of high-quality glucosamine sulfate.NaCl (Rottapharm) or Glucosamine.HCl. The results showed that the excretion of both forms was almost identical.

The authors concluded that both the absorption and excretion of both the glucosamine sulfate.NaCl and glucosamine HCl used were identical and showed no difference in bioavailability to the body.

Since differences in bioavailability are excluded, it becomes interesting to look at the economic aspects. A sulfate group has considerably more weight than an HCl group. This is clearly reflected in the percentage of elemental glucosamine: only 58% for glucosamine sulphate.2KCl and 62% for glucosamine sulphate.NaCl, while glucosamine-HCl contains as much as 82% elemental glucosamine. In other words, to obtain a comparable amount of elemental glucosamine, you need to take 41% and 32% more glucosamine sulfate.2KCl and glucosamine sulfate.NaCl, respectively, than glucosamine-HCl.

In conclusion:

• Research shows that the bioavailability of glucosamine HCl and glucosamine sulfate.NaCl is identical. Glucosamine HCl contains 32% more elemental glucosamine and can also come from vegetarian sources (through fermentation of corn dextrose).
• Using vegetarian sources eliminates the risk of allergic reactions, providing an added benefit over glucosamine derived from shellfish.
• For equal (pharmaceutical) quality, vegetarian glucosamine HCl is preferable to glucosamine sulphate.NaCl.
• The least preferred form is glucosamine sulfate.2KCl due to the relatively low amount of elemental glucosamine and often questionable quality.