CHONDROITIN

• Chondroitin is a dietary supplement used to treat arthritis and heart disease.
• Other names for Chondroitin include: CDS, CSC, and CSA.

Dosage: There are many doses for this medicine. The most common doses for Chondroitin are listed below. Ask your doctor if your health problem is not on the list or if the dose is not given for a product you want to use.

• Arthritis, capsules or tablets: 800 to 1200 milligrams daily, by mouth (1,2,3)
• Heart disease, capsules or tablets: 1.5 to 10 grams daily, by mouth (4)

• Since so many people over age 50 have some painful joints, we assume it’s just a part of growing older. Research shows that it need not be so. There are reasons why joints break down and ways to slow or even reverse the process.
• Cartilage, the very smooth substance that caps the ends of the bones, consists of water - 65 to 80% - collagen, chondrocytes and proteoglycans. Jason Theodosakis’ excellent description of how cartilage works: "To get an idea of what cartilage does, imagine rubbing together two perfectly flat, smooth, slightly wet ice cubes. They glide across each other quickly and easily, never catching or slowing. Now imagine a surface that’s five to eight times more slippery than ice. That’s your cartilage, the material that makes it possible for the ends of your bones to slide smoothly and easily across each other. In fact, no man-made substance can compare to the low-friction and shock-absorbing properties of health cartilage." (Jason Theodosakis, M.D. The Arthritis Cure: the medical miracle that can halt, reverse and may even cure osteoarthritis. St. Martin’s Press. New York. 1997.)
• A number of factors - especially trauma to the mobile joints - interfere with the careful synthesis of these ingredients that causes cartilage to break down. The result is sore, stiff joints with limited movement. Once smooth and slippery, cartilage now becomes thin and uneven, with bones painfully rubbing together.
• Chondroitin sulfate is a natural substance found in cartilage where it performs several important functions that keep cartilage healthy. A bit like a magnet, chondroitin attracts precious water, including nutrient-rich fluid into the cartilage. Not enough water in cartilage can cause dryness, pain and loss of nutrients in the joints.
• Sometimes the body produces too many enzymes that ‘cut up’ connective tissue, acting as thousands of tiny scissors. Besides attracting fluid into dry cartilage, chondroitin inhibits the work of degradative enzymes that hasten cartilage destruction. Chondroitin stimulates the production of key components of cartilage, such as the chondrocytes and proteoglycans. It works well with glucosamine to rebuild damaged cartilage.
• As it naturally occurs in the body already, it is an extremely safe substance. People who took large amounts of chondroitin - 1.5 to 10 grams a day - for six years showed no ill effects.

• Chondroitin sulfate is one of the major constituents of cartilage. Animal studies indicate that chondroitin sulfate promotes the healing of bone. It has also been shown to help restore joint function in people with osteoarthritis. In addition, chondroitin sulfate may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attacks, as well as help prevent kidney stones.
• Chondroitin sulfate consists of repeating chains of molecules called mucopolysaccharides. It is a primary part of cartilage. Classified as a type of glycosaminoglycan, chondroitin sulfate is rich in sulfur and is a relative of glucosamine. Animal cartilage is the only significant food source of Chondroitin sulfate.

• Not only does chondroitin provide structure and holds water and nutrients, but it allows other molecules to move through cartilage. This is a very important property, as there is no blood supply to cartilage. As a result, joint healing is greatly increased through supplementation. Chondroitin and similar compounds are also exist in the bladder and lining of blood vessels. Here they help to prevent abnormal movement of blood, urine, or components across the barrier of the vessel or bladder wall.

• Japanese researchers have found that Chondroitin sulfate in synovial fluid collected from the temporomandibular joint provides a useful indicator of the degree of damage there, and that chondroitin may play a role in determining the viscosity and elasticity of tissues and fluids. A recent in vitro study done by scientists in Belgium found that chondroitin had potentially beneficial effects on human cartilage cells.

• Because the body makes chondroitin, the possibility of a dietary deficiency is uncertain.
• A daily requirement has not been set.
• Chondroitin sulfate may be used to rebuild and repair joint cartilage affected by osteoarthritis and possibly other forms of arthritis.

• For atherosclerosis, researchers have used very high amounts, such as 5 grams twice per day with meals, lowering the amount to 500 mg three times per day after a couple of months. However, before taking such high amounts, people should consult a nutritionally oriented doctor. For osteoarthritis, the typical level is 400 mg three times per day. Chondroitin is often combined with the similar arthritis-relieving supplement glucosamine. Chondroitin may also be combined with vitamin C. Most products potency ranges from 400 to 600 mg. Nausea might occur at intakes greater than 10 grams per day. No other adverse side-effects have been reported.