glucosamine???
 

Does anyone have any info on the effects of taking glucosamine and chondroitin while on a low carb diet? I have been taking them for an arthritic knee.......while also trying to loose an extra 95 pounds. There was a question of not taking glucosamine if you were diabetic....I was thinking that maybe it provided some sugar but I can seem to find the answer through research or by asking people who are diabetic and were told not to take glucosamine...I'm not diabetic but I'm not wanting any extra sugars while trying to stay low carb.....Any insights? Thanks in advance.

I don't think it will have any significant amount of sugar -- but I think that it will help your knee a lot. In addition I would also recommend several grams of fish oil per day since fish oil reduces inflammation.

Other recommendations include:

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/...tter.cfm?nl=233

http://www.vitacost.com/Science/hn/...eoarthritis.htm

http://www.vitacost.com/JointAndBoneHealth.html

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/...tter.cfm?nl=192

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/...tter.cfm?nl=220

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/...tter.cfm?nl=195

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/...tter.cfm?nl=182

I use Sam's Club glucosamine since it does not seem to have calcium in it (I am calcium intolerant). Vitacost's glucosamine seems to have calcium in it. The microlactin seemed to work good for joints - but I had some calcium or constipation problem with it.

You will probably see significant improvement with just glucosamine and fish oil.

Glucosamine has been mentioned as increasing insulin resistance. There is a clinical trial (not started yet) that will try to determine if there is any truth to this. An excerpt from the trial proposal is If you are insulin resistant, you may want to avoid glucosamine until more data is available.

My husband takes the glucosamine/chondroitin supplement and it really helps with his osteoarthritis. He's also following Atkin's and it hasn't stalled him at all in terms of weight loss. However, he's not insulin resistant or diabetic...so not sure about that part.

He also takes lots of fish oil as well, to help with the arthritis, along with a host of other benefits.

Just wanted to reassure you that I don't think glucosamine is a "staller".

I have been taking glucosamine for 3+ years and it has not been a problem. I would prefer taking more chromium (to help with blood sugar control) than to be in so much pain when trying to walk.

My understanding is that the prescription drugs for joint pain are COX-2 inhibitors. Several herbs will do this naturally.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...ric+cox&spell=1

http://www.vitacost.com/articleResu...=1&Ntt=turmeric

http://www.vitacost.com/articleResu...cox%20inhibitor

It usually takes them about 2 to 4 weeks to be effective. Note that sometimes you don't realize how effective they are until two weeks after you stop taking them.

kebladwin,

Thank you so much! I'll forward this thread to my husband in case his arthritis starts acting up again. So far though, the heavy-duty pain he was experiencing has decreased dramatically since going off Vytorin and sticking with Niacin, glucosamine/chondroitin, fish oil, green tea, and LC'ing. He's also lost 22 pounds.

He was LC'ing before dropping the vytorin, but wasn't losing any weight and was experiencing a great deal of pain.

Anyway...this is totally off topic (sorry to the original poster!).

Thank you again for those great resources on reducing arthritic pain naturally, it is much appreciated.

Sara

PS - to 2fat42long: the effects of glucosamine are very subtle, and you have to take it for awhile to notice it's benefits. In fact, more often than not...it isn't until you forget to take them for a few days that you realize how much it was helping. My husband takes Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength, twice daily. The nutritional data on the back of the bottle lists 1 carb per serving (so you're looking at 2 carbs per day). It contains 1500mg glucosamine and 1200 mg of chondroitin. We get it at Walgreens when it's on sale (they often have a 2 for 1 deal) because this particular brand can be expensive at times.

Congrats to your better half ;-)

Seriously, it helps greatly to have a spouse that is also into it.