Contents
The deteriorating efficiency of the joints may be manifested in the form of impaired mobility. It may even be the most active. Early prophylaxis of joint efficiency, i.e. proper care for their condition, also means modifying the diet and enriching it with ingredients that may positively affect their operation.
Keeping your joints in good condition is a prerequisite for fitness. Unfortunately, not only do they wear out with age, they are also damaged by all past injuries, high body weight, competitive sports, and even stress. That is why joints need to be looked after throughout life.
Joints under pressure
Joints are not only the elements connecting our bones. Thanks to them, we move our fingers, hands, walk, run, dance, do acrobatics on skis or skateboards and do not fall over. If not for them, our teeth would be completely useless, because without the temporomandibular joint, we would not be able to chew food. Man is equipped with over 200 joints. Without them, we would be as stiff as statues.
The joints do the hard work. During sports, our knee can withstand loads of up to 300 kg. All thanks to the fact that the joints have elastic cartilage tissue that allows bone movement with minimized friction. However, its quantity and structure will change with age. Joints deteriorate and wear out.
Feeding the joints
Nutritionists recommend giving up animal fats. So let’s avoid fatty meat and cold cuts, butter, cream and fatty cheeses. The diet should be rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C, as well as other ingredients that deactivate free radicals.
Vitamin C is also necessary for the synthesis of collagen. The diet should include fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon and halibut. It is also worth enriching it with linseed oil and olive oil, as well as garlic, onions and ginger, which contain compounds with properties that affect inflammatory processes. Avoid coffee, tea and alcohol, as they hinder the absorption of calcium.
Glucosamine hope
Proteoglycans are an important component of articular cartilage. They give it flexibility and resistance to deformation and the pressure that affects the joints when we walk, run or work. Proteoglycans are joint lubricants. They moisturize and nourish them.
In order for the body to make them, it needs glucosamine. It is an amino sugar that occurs naturally in the human body. Unfortunately, this ingredient is not found in food, so it is impossible to provide glucosamine with the diet. Instead, it is found in the shells of crustaceans. So it can be obtained from shellfish chitin or obtained by chemical processes from corn.
Glucosamine research
A study by Charles University in Prague, published in the Archives of International Medicine, has shown that glucosamine may have a beneficial effect on joints. For three years, scientists followed 202 patients over the age of 45. Half of them received 1500 mg of glucosamine once a day, the rest – a placebo. After three years, it turned out that those in the group that received glucosamine showed better joint function.
The results of another study showed that with the right dose (2000 mg / d), glucosamine hydrochloride may have a positive effect on the functioning of the joints, affecting their mobility, which in turn may translate into an increase in the comfort of daily activities and an improvement in the quality of life.
Not only shellfish
People who are active or take care of their joints have long appreciated glucosamine. Remember that the ability to produce it decreases with age. Since glucosamine is not found in the normal diet, we can provide it in dietary supplements in various forms. Most often it is made of crustaceans.
People allergic to seafood ingredients, however, can reach for glucosamine of plant origin produced in the process of fermentation from corn, e.g. the dietary supplement Glucosamine HCl from Solgar containing 1000 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride. This product is not only safe for allergy sufferers, but can also be used by vegetarians and vegans. In addition, it is gluten-free and does not contain sugar, salt, starch, wheat, dairy products, soy, yeast, artificial substances extending shelf life and sweeteners, flavors and dyes.