Anyone here take Glucosamine ?

VTech

Anyone here taking glucosamine ?
Ive heard its great for joints, especially knees and a few people at the spin classes take them with good results.

drlodge

Yup I take it daily, together with a bunch of other tablets on the advice of my chiropractor (slipped disc in 2007).

bompington

Its beneficial effects are about the same as most dietary supplements, i.e. research so far shows that it has little or no benefit except to the trading surpluses of its suppliers.

VTech

My problem is that I am getting constant knee pain when cycling, ive had a bike fit, I have done several hundred km since the fit with no problem but now its starting to ache.
Today is a bad day as the knees are aching a lot and I am loving getting out on the bike but need something.
I can see a doc but im sure this is just an ache as im getting fitter and doing more km.

chris_bass

i used to take it as I have a damaged cartilidge from running, I took it for about a year or year and a half and i'll be honest i noticed no difference before or after taking it. research says it takes up to 3 months before you notice any difference and even then the jury is still out.

i'd save the money and go and see a physio.

farrina

I'm just coming up to age 50 and take Glucosamine daily

As well as cycling (started when I was 14) I started running in 2010 (whilst having a break from cycling) and now run approx 20 miles a week as well as cycling again.

My experience is that when I stopped taking it for a month I started to feel twinges from my knees and when I went back on it they went away.

It may just be coincidence on my part but I would suggest that there is very little to be lost (well £10 or so) in giving it a whirl and see whether it works for you or not.

If you have an underlying medical issue (as opposed to just normal degeneration with age - if this is not a contradiction in terms) it may be of little benefit.

Regards

Alan

sloppyschleckonds

drlodge wrote:

together with a bunch of other tablets on the advice of my chiropractor

At your next Chiropractor appointment ask questions such as; "Are you classed as a medical professional? Can you show me some validated clinical research to support your treatment? How is your competence and standards regulated, and by who"?

drlodge

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

drlodge wrote:

together with a bunch of other tablets on the advice of my chiropractor

At your next Chiropractor appointment ask questions such as; "Are you classed as a medical professional? Can you show me some validated clinical research to support your treatment? How is your competence and standards regulated, and by who"?

Don't think I'll bother, he seems to know his stuff and he fixed my back when others had failed so I have faith in him. The tablets aren't going to do me any harm are they? So then its just a matter of me wasting my money, which is none of your concern.

team47b

No real evidence that they do anything but avoid taking more than the recommended dosages, researchers found in preliminary studies that glucosamine may damage pancreatic cells, possibly increasing the risk of developing diabetes.

You'll miss those pancreatic cells when they're gone, probably more than your knees

richard_farrant

I find that the tesco codliver oil and glucosamine supplement have helped my knees out, used to hurt at about 40 odd miles now riding 70+ without issue. could be down to more training but for the sake of £4.50 a month it seems worth it

farrina

team47b wrote:

No real evidence that they do anything but avoid taking more than the recommended dosages, researchers found in preliminary studies that glucosamine may damage pancreatic cells, possibly increasing the risk of developing diabetes.

You'll miss those pancreatic cells when they're gone, probably more than your knees

Not been a good week for us self dosers - apparently Omega 3 oil tables significantly raise men's risk of suffering prostate cancer.

The headline is here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2359466/Taking-omega-3-fish-oil-supplements-increase-risk-aggressive-prostate-cancer-70.html (Dont you just love the Daily Mail)

With a more considered response here http://www.drbriffa.com/2013/07/16/my-take-on-the-fish-oil-and-prostate-cancer-study/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+drbriffa%2FsOZf+%28Dr+Briffa%27s+Blog+-+A+Good+Look+at+Good+Health%29

Regards

Alan

AndyT79

I used it for about two months and felt little to no benefit

sungod

everything is fatal, eventually

speshsteve

The bodies ability to take up the supplement are limited, some studies show evidence that if you consume with marine condroitin you improve take up. I don't think the supplement will repair damage, I believe it just helps with reduced wear in the joints (think maintenance as opposed to a cure). If you have already damaged the joint its not really going to ever fully repair.

Martin bikeradar

Snake oil! Surprised and disappointed to hear a medical professional is recommending it.

bompington

Martin bikeradar wrote:

Snake oil! Surprised and disappointed to hear a medical professional is recommending it.

I don't think anyone mentioned a medical professional anywhere did they? :twisted:

imposter2.0

Martin bikeradar wrote:

Snake oil! Surprised and disappointed to hear a medical professional is recommending it.

Don't confuse a chiropractor with a medical professional...

VTech

Appointment set for Friday with chiropractor.
I'm sure it's just down to not having done much excersise for years.
I got some glucosamine from morrisons at lunch. Can't say my knees are any better yet though.

imposter2.0

Someone's not listening.....

jgsi

This NHS webpage is very very useful - not just for Glocosamine ...
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/09september ... nefit.aspx

I do think that whoever is in charge of it, do not have any axes to grind, but I doubt if anything on the 'web' will ever change anyone's set in concrete opinion... hey ho

Headhuunter

I take glucosamine and chondroitin in a combined supplement. Many docs were recommending it until recently but I think a BMJ double blind (or whatever) analysis returned the conclusion that it is ineffective largely due to the fact that, although glucosamine is a major component of cartilage, there is no way for the body to deliver glucosamine to the joints as ther are no nerves or blood delivery to to cartilage....

stevewj

I found that Speedplay pedals massively improved my knees having tried SPDs, Crank Bros and Look pedals previously.

cyclingDoc

I'm a nephrologist, and used to work with rheumatic patients a few years ago. About 7-8 years ago, glucosamine was a huge thing and the company that made it spent a lot of time and money promoting it. Then there was quite a few studies that showed no effect. Haven't heard it promoted at all for the last three years. That tells me quite a bit! If the company that makes it won't even bother talking about it, it's not all that...
If you look at the contents, it's mostly sugar. (Oh, and if you're allergic to shellfish, it's made from shrimp.)

chris_bass

I think that people start taking this when they have issues with their joints but they then rest until it feels better, warm up, warm down, stretch before and after and increase their mileage slowly but they are then convinced its the tablets that make the difference!!!

VTech

Ive been taking anti inflamatories for 2 days now and the pain seems to have eased.
Im going to properly warm up/warm down from now on and see how it goes.

trekvet

When I started taking glucosamine, or was it glucosamine and chondroitin, anyways noticed hair loss (that left in bath after water has gone) stopped overnight. So may be worth trying it if you suffer hair loss as it is easy to see any improvement - less or no hair in bath and none on your jacket, etc.

Ditto to Speedplay pedals. Why use pedals that restrict your float when you've got ligaments to do that job? Every bike should have them.

VTech

Are speedplay that good ?
I have always suffered from pain in the soles of the foot.

phil_smeeth

I've taken glucosamine for a few years. It takes about 4-5 days of taking it before I notice a difference. I take it all the time except when I go on holiday. I always regret not taking it on holiday as I always have stiff sore knee's after a few days of not taking it.

team47b

Headhuunter wrote:

although glucosamine is a major component of cartilage, there is no way for the body to deliver glucosamine to the joints as ther are no nerves or blood delivery to to cartilage....

...also if you eat a lot of tomato you wont turn red either, life can be a disappointment sometimes

trekvet

VTech wrote:

Are speedplay that good ?
I have always suffered from pain in the soles of the foot.

Look at it this way - if you dance on the pedals and your feet want to rotate say 5°, yet your pedal float is say 3° do you think your legs/feet appreciate the imposed restriction? If yes then continue to use what you have, but if "no" then fit Speedplay X5.

While you Google "Speedplay x5" check out also Foot Pain http://www.foot-pain-explained.com/bottom-of-foot-pain.html. Not that you're asking, but I had Plantar Fasciitis in both feet and ended up with something like http://www.footcaresupplies.com/shoe_orthotics/productdetailone-item-orthaheel_shock_absorber.htm in all footwear (from slippers to wellies).

imposter2.0

TrekVet wrote:

VTech wrote:

Are speedplay that good ?
I have always suffered from pain in the soles of the foot.

Look at it this way - if you dance on the pedals and your feet want to rotate say 5°, yet your pedal float is say 3° do you think your legs/feet appreciate the imposed restriction? If yes then continue to use what you have, but if "no" then fit Speedplay X5.

Or alternatively, fit one of the many other road pedals that offer more than 3deg float, like Look, Time and others.