Chondroitin and Knee Pain

It is common for people in their 40s and 50s to have wrist and knee pain as well as arthritis. The cause of such is because of the cartilage that wears out with age and should you look around, there are lots of people who have joint discomfort. Osteoarthritis is a common disease that occurs in 8 out of 10 people over the age of 50 and about 30 million American adults have osteoarthritis. Recently, even young people in their 20s and 30s complain of joint pain. Joint management is very important because once damaged, it cannot be regenerated. The key to joint health is cartilage, and chondroitin is a nutrient that you must eat to take care of cartilage health. Chondroitin stops cartilage degradation and restores lost cartilage.

What is Chondroitin?
Why Should You Take Chondroitin?
Chondroitin Efficacy
Chondroitin Side Effects and Precautions
Which Chondroitin Products Are Good for You?

What is Chondroitin?

Chondroitin is a physiologically active substance that exists in the joints, cartilage, skin, and blood vessel walls of the human body. Chondroitin is a natural component synthesized by our bodies and promotes the production of cartilage and joint connective tissue. It also produces synovial fluid that protects articular cartilage. ‘Chondros’, the origin of the word chondroitin, means cartilage in Greek. It not only supplies nutrients to cartilage but also acts as a skeleton for cartilage structure, which decreases with age, so intake is essential for cartilage health and joint health.

Why Should You Take Chondroitin?

Chondroitin is a key component that accounts for 2/3 of cartilage and accounts for the second most weight inside of cartilage after water. Chondroitin serves as a skeleton and support for the cartilage structure. It has been found that the chondroitin in the cartilage shortens, breaks, and decreases in size with aging. This change promotes the deformation of the cartilage matrix structure and accelerates the aging. Therefore, the International Society of Osteoarthritis and the European Rheumatology Society recommend chondroitin intake for joint management.

Chondroitin Efficacy

- Helps treat osteoarthritis joint pain

• Osteoarthritis is a disease that we cannot avoid. As long as we continue to move on and about with our daily lives, our joints are constantly wearing out. Chondroitin helps relieve the pain of arthritis by preventing the wear and tear of thin, brittle cartilage and helping to maintain the cartilage's volume. According to one study, a patient with knee pain was given chondroitin for 4 months and the joint pain was reduced by 43% along with improvement in walking ability. After 6 months of ingestion, it was found that the time in joint stiffness was reduced.

- Recovery from injuries and exercise

• Even in people without arthritis, chondroitin can help preserve valuable cartilage, reduce pain, increase body function, and improve self-care activities. In particular, it is most important to maintain the joints that are used a lot during exercise, and chondroitin helps the body to synthesize this new cartilage, keeps the joints flexible, and regulates the inflammatory response. A study in the International Journal of Rheumatology, a world-renowned academic journal, found that it blocks the cartilage destruction process and stimulates protein assimilation for the formation of new cartilage. In another study, among 622 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, those who took chondroitin sulfate reduced arthritis and widened the joint space.

- Healthy skin

• Chondroitin is very helpful in the treatment of wounds, skin-related defects, and skin inflammation. It also helps the body produce collagen, which is essential for healthy skin, heals, and fights the effects of skin aging. It is used as a raw material for various cosmetic products such as snail cream, meaning excellent effects on skin cell regeneration and lessening skin wrinkles. It is also used to treat burns.

- Helps suppress inflammation

• As arthritis is a disease related to inflammation, it is important to protect the joints, but it is also important to suppress the inflammation. Chondroitin's anti-inflammatory properties help reduce inflammation in the cartilage. One study found that over 14 days, rats with arthritis that ingested chondroitin had reduced inflammatory symptoms by more than 50%.

Chondroitin Side Effects and Precautions

Chondroitin is well tolerated and is known to be safe for long-term use, so it is generally reported to be safe for most people when ingested. However, this may vary from situation to situation. The recommended daily intake of chondroitin recommended by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is 1200 mg, but in some cases, minor indigestion symptoms such as bloating, and diarrhea may occur. Since chondroitin has been proven to be safe in long-term studies of more than two years, there is no need to worry about side effects. However, to those who are pregnant, lactating, have allergies, or certain diseases, it is advisable to consult a doctor before taking it.

Which Chondroitin Products Are Good for You?

Chondroitin occurs naturally in connective tissue inside many different animals. Cartilage attached to animal bones contain a lot of chondroitin, and is mainly found in foods such as skates, snails and eels that have a lot of stickiness. Chondroitin is mainly extracted from the cartilage of fish and mammals such as sharks and cattle. According to one study, chondroitin, a natural ingredient present in only 2% of bovine cartilage, is very similar to human cartilage and boasts a high absorption rate in the body. In the case of bovine cartilage chondroitin, the time to reach the maximum concentration in plasma and absorption was 2.4 hours, whereas shark cartilage chondroitin was absorbed over 8.7 hours, showing a difference of about 4 times the absorption rate. When choosing chondroitin, it is important to check whether it is chondroitin made from bovine cartilage extract that can be quickly absorbed by the body as a component similar to that of the human body, and whether it contains 1200mg of the recommended daily amount. It must be safety certified, containing 100% proprietary chondroitin, and shows the daily recommended amount of 1200mg in one capsule.