The Best Supplements for Joint Health

The joints in our bone often experience wear and tear due to movements, rubbing, bending and pounding. The athletes and sportsmen experience this more than others. If you are experiencing wear and tear of your joint and want to prevent it from future injuries, it is a must that you take supplements for increasing the strength and health of your joints.

Joint health must be ensured and enhanced to live a happy, healthy and pain free life. For this, many a times food is not sufficient to provide the exact amount of essential vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients required for the body to function properly. In such cases, supplements are the best things for intake to balance and meet the body’s requirements. When selecting a supplement for joint health, one must check for a number of things in order to get the best one. Here are the ingredients that you must look for, while looking for the supplements for your joint health.

Chondroitin sulfate is naturally found in the bones and cartilage. However, the body still needs some additional support of this ingredient in order to increase the strength of the joints. This is because, chondroitin sulfate helps the bones and cartilage to hold water and other necessary nutrients; and thereby, after any sort of injury to the bones and joints, the healing is faster. It also prevents the enzymes that break down the cartilage and prevents shock. Usually, the supplements that contain this ingredient are derived from by-products of pork.

This too is naturally found in the body. The glucosamine sulfate is an amino acid, which is essential for the production of glycosaminoglycan. Glycosaminoglycan is an important component of the cartilage. Since cartilage helps in smoothening of the movements of the joints and in connecting the bones, it is important that glucosamine sulfate is supplied to the body. So, glucosamine sulfate helps in –

• Preventing loss of cartilage that is caused by ageing
• Healing damaged cartilage
• Lubricate the joints and thus, reduce the pain that is caused by osteoarthritis.

Glucosamine sulfate is derived from shrimp, crab and lobster shells. The shells of these sea-foods contain a good amount of glucosamine sulfate. This is usually taken with chondroitin sulfate.

An organic form of sulphur, Methylsulfonylmethane or MSM can be naturally found in all the fruits, vegetables, grains and even in humans and animals. Sulphur is an important component in –

• The formation of connective tissue
• Providing the ingredients that are necessary for building cartilage.

This ingredient also has an analgesic benefit that helps in numbing joint pain. Research studies have shown that it has very minor side effects and hence, is useful for consumption.

The benefits of fatty acids are not unknown to the health conscious individuals. Along with other benefits, the Omega-3 Fatty Acids and supplements rich in this ingredient, reduces joint damage by preventing the action of the collagenases enzyme. In strengthening the tendons and in reducing the wear and tear of the joints, the Omega-3 Fatty Acid rich supplements are very useful.

In producing body tissues, the S-adenosyl-methionine is an important ingredient. It is a co-enzyme that helps in reducing inflammation, in repairing joints, and healing pain. Stiffness of muscles, pain in the muscles and fatigue gets reduced, when S-adenosyl-methionine supplements are taken.

Just like S-adenosyl-methionine, Tri-methyl-glycine too helps in the formation of body tissues. Hence, to aid the function of S-adenosyl-methionine, Tri-methyl-glycine supplements are used.

Regardless to mention, calcium is one of the most important ingredient of the bones and joints. To increase the strength of bones and to reduce inflammation, calcium supplements are commonly taken.

However, while talking about calcium as an important bone health supplement, it must also be said that calcium alone has no significance in maintaining the bone health. It is vitamin D that jointly helps calcium in getting absorbed by the bones and body. Hence, vitamin D supplements must also be taken along with calcium in order to prevent the bones and joints from being fractured, torn or from losing its mass.

The maximum amount of wear and tear experienced by the sportsmen and athletes concentrate in the knees, because it is the joint that encounters maximum movement. Hence, to reduce the wear and tear, gelatine supplements are used. It helps in increasing the lubrication of the knee joints, so that friction is reduced.

Though only a trace amount of silicon is needed by the body, bones and joints, it is quite an essential element in binding the bone joints and bone tissue.

Though vitamin D is given most of the credit for contributing in the bone health, in the absorption of the calcium and maintaining the bone and joint health, vitamin C is no less important an ingredient. It is an anti-oxidizing agent and it protects the ligaments, tendons, and even the skin – or in short, the connective tissues of the body. In maintaining and increasing the flexibility of the blood vessels and muscles, there is no better alternative to vitamin C.

Now that all the major supplements that are best for increasing and maintaining the joint health are mentioned, it must also be said that the supplements should always be taken after consulting with the doctor. The doctors can recommend the best brands that make these supplements and tell about the right proportion and dosage needed for you. Some of these supplements come with minor to major side effects. Hence, if you have health problems like blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases, you need to consult with the doctor, regarding the chances of raising the health risks as a consequence of taking these supplements. Going through the ingredients is very important as not all the ingredients are vegan. Also, some of these supplements are really expensive and hence, the better alternative is to find one that combines two to three of these ingredients together. This helps in reducing the expense and it also makes it easier to consume.