As you age, taking care of your hip and joint health becomes absolutely important. However, a lot of people don't like the idea of taking supplements to support joints. One of the biggest reasons behind this is the common notion that joint health is something only old people and athletes should be worried about. This is far from the truth. If you are above 30, you shouldn't only worry about your joints; you should also consider taking supplements for joints and ligaments.
Studies have shown that joint health is best supported when you start improving your diet and/or adding supplements to your nutrition. Doing this will make it easier to avoid problems like arthritis later in life. Now, the question is when is the right time to start taking supplements? And what type of supplements should you take? Well, you find answers to all such questions here. Read on—
Importance of joint health
Everyone should look after their joints, not just runners or elderly people. According to experts, joint problems can affect anyone, regardless of age, including children and the elderly. Few people will ever live their entire lives without experiencing some sort of problem with one or more of their joints. To ensure that your joints function optimally and stay in good shape for as long as possible, you need to take care of them.
There are many misconceptions about joints and how they react to certain activities. That is why you will find only a few people make time to care for them.
Your joints are used every day. Every movement you make needs the support of your joints. So, their care is imperative.
But the amount of work joints does vary from one person to another. Some people might need their joints to support marathon training, others might need to maintain a certain posture for extended times, and yet others might need to lift or carry weights as part of their job.
Hence, joint training must be adjusted according to the kind of use joints are put to. Also, you should do everything in your stride to keep your joints protected. You can do simple exercises to strengthen your joints and make them more capable of absorbing shocks. Flexibility exercises are also helpful to keep joint mobility intact.
Supplements and joint health
Supplements play a significant role in keeping your joint health intact. A lot of medical practitioners recommend taking healthy joint tablets for improved joint flexibility and health. And a lot of health practitioners' first recommendation is always glucosamine. This amino sugar is necessary to repair cartilage and give the synovial fluid more cushioning. The body uses glucosamine to signal it to activate joint repair processes. Note that the body's ability to produce glucosamine naturally decreases as we age.
Clinical trials have shown that pharmaceutical-grade glucosamine is as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in improving joint mobility. This evidence is so strong that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency classified glucosamine as a medicine when taken in a dose of 1,500mg per day.
Glucosamine is believed to reduce inflammation in the body. This may be why a UK-based study revealed that taking glucosamine is associated with an 18% lower risk for coronary heart disease, an 18.9% lower risk for stroke, and a 22% lower risk of cardiovascular deaths, even after considering other known risk factors.
Here is why glucosamine supplements are important
The best thing you can do for your hips and joints is to increase your intake of glucosamine. You can find this natural substance in many foods, but it is also available in capsules and gummy vitamins manufactured in high-purity concentrations for supplemental consumption. In simple terms, glucosamine helps build cartilage. Cartilage is the soft, flexible tissue that cushions and lubricates your joints. Pet owners have benefited profoundly by providing joint and hip treats with glucosamine to their dogs. Many dog owners have noticed a significant improvement in their dog's activity levels within a matter of weeks after they put their dog on supplementation. Research has also shown that supplementing with glucosamine can help reduce the risk of many bones- and joint-related diseases.
When is a good time to start supplementation?
Most people reach their hormonal and nutritional peaks between the ages of 25 and 30. After that point, they need to pay more attention to how they eat and live to avoid the negative effects of aging. Everybody has some glucosamine in their body, but the amount decreases as people age. If you don't supplement or eat a high-glucosamine diet, you will likely experience occasional joint pains as you get older. This is because your body needs more glucosamine to maintain healthy cartilage. The best way to get the required amount of glucosamine is by taking glucosamine supplements. And the best time to start taking them is between your 30s and 40s.
How to derive more glucosamine from your diet?
If supplements are not your thing, and you still want to increase the amount of glucosamine in your body. Further, there are many foods that have high levels of it. Many of these foods are delicious. Any meat with a lot of cartilage will have high levels of glucosamine. Good examples are the edible cartilage pieces found in chicken and seafood. Shellfish shells, which are rich in glucosamine, are used as the main ingredient to make supplements. You can't eat them, though, as they are too hard. However, you can make a broth with them and add some cartilage pieces to it for an extra boost of glucosamine.
Proper hydration is essential
You should drink plenty of water. It lubricates the cartilage as well as the tendons. Dehydrated bodies are more likely to sustain a joint injury, and dehydration almost always causes inflammation in the joints. To support your hip and joint health, it is recommended that you drink 6-8 glasses of water per day.
Glucosamine is believed to be a miracle treatment for numerous bone and joint disorders
Many bone and joint conditions can be treated with glucosamine supplements. Note that the majority of scientific research on glucosamine is focused on one form, glucosamine Sulfate.
Its potential for treating osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoporosis symptoms have been extensively studied.
Numerous studies have shown that glucosamine sulfate supplementation daily may be an effective and long-lasting treatment for OA. It has been shown to significantly reduce pain, help maintain joint space, slow down disease progression, and improve quality of life.
So, if you have joint issues or want to keep your joints in good shape, then supplementing your diet with glucosamine would be the best bet. However, for desired results, it's important to use the best joint support supplements.
