Glucosamine Sulphate: A Brand-new Delivery System For Glucosamine Spells Even Greater Benefits For Your Joints To Help Fight Arthritis And Sports Injuries

If you're a member of HSI you're probably more than familiar by now with the benefits linked to supplementing with glucosamine sulphate. We've brought you reports in the past on numerous studies that all attest to its remarkable ability to maintain healthy joints and help with the renewal of cartilage, tendons and ligaments. For this reason, it has proven particularly effective in the battle against osteoarthritis - joint pain caused by cartilage degeneration and bone erosion, which commonly affects the knee and hip joints.1, 2

Our bodies produce glucosamine naturally but as we age our levels gradually start to decline as the body becomes less efficient in manufacturing it. For this reason, taking it in supplement form from middle age onwards can be a good way of protecting your joints. Now there is a new way of administering it in the form of glucosamine sulphate gel patches, which help ensure that it goes directly to the areas of your body that need it most.

These were inspired by the consumer craze in Japan for delivering all sorts of medication to the body via patches. The patches are designed to be an extra, rather than an alternative, way of taking glucosamine sulphate internally. Unlike the oral supplements, they are designed specifically for short-term use for soothing acute flare-ups of joint pain. This makes them especially useful for sports injuries and strains.

HSI panel member and homeopath, Nigel Summerley, recently put the patches to the test when he used them on his knee following a running injury. He was interested to see if the patches were just another fad or if they really do work. Apart from finding them difficult to keep in place at times on such a highly mobile joint, he found them extremely soothing and effective overall. Fortunately, the patches come with a set of adhesive bandages for securing them in place; but as Nigel discovered they seemed to stay put and work best overnight.

He says, 'I am already a convert to the benefits of glucosamine sulphate and take a daily supplement. I was not sure that anything could relieve the discomfort of my knee quickly but I was pleasantly surprised that the patch seemed to bring, quick soothing relief. It's not a miracle cure - it took a day or two for the discomfort to go completely, but the patch certainly seemed to make it less of a problem.'

How glucosamine sulphate helped a professional sportsman recover from a serious knee injury
Another person who has benefited from glucosamine sulphate is England rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio. He originally took glucosamine sulphate supplements to help get his knee back to full strength after sustaining ligament damage to it - an injury that could have threatened his future playing career.

He says, 'It has definitely contributed to my comeback and I believe it would also be of major benefit to those who put pressure on their joints through training or a fitness regime'. After his speedy recovery with the glucosamine sulphate supplements, he recently decided to give the glucosamine sulphate gel patches a serious test during heavy training sessions and also in match conditions. The patch stayed on for the equivalent of the first half, which he says is 'impressive'.

'The patch is a very effective format for delivering ingredients via the skin'
The patches don't just contain glucosamine sulphate alone. They are also made up of two additional ingredients: menthol, which has a cooling and soothing effect, and horse chestnut, which acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. The gel in the patches was developed at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Services at the University of Brighton, and contains two per cent glucosamine, 0.1 per cent horse chestnut and 0.5 per cent menthol.

Although these might seem like miniscule amounts of the active ingredients, they are all that is in fact required to ensure the effective absorption by the body according to Dr Neil Barnes, an expert in hydrogel patch technology who helped develop the glucosamine gel patches.

Dr Barnes, says: 'The patch is a very effective format for delivering ingredients via the skin', adding that, 'if you have arthritic pain, you can place the patch wherever the pain is... the patches are skin-friendly and their safety record is extremely good.'

Although small user trials have been carried out on the glucosamine gel patches (involving tens rather than hundreds of participants), the feedback of which has been very positive so far, there have not been any clinical trials performed as yet to test their efficacy. The patch has been developed based on an accumulation of knowledge already gleaned about its individual components and gel patch technology in general. However, it has been announced that the University of Glamorgan plans to carry out a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on ex-sportsmen and women who suffer from mild to moderate arthritis, in about six months' time. Obviously, HSI will report on the results as soon as they become available.

What to take for best results
The most effective way of deriving the joint-protective benefits of glucosamine is to take it in capsule form. The recommended dosage is one 500mg glucosamine sulphate capsule taken three times a day. However, even those taking the supplements for their arthritis can still experience the occasional joint flare-up from time to time, particularly if they overdo things, and this is where the patch can be extremely helpful.

'One patch lasts up to 12 hours,' explains Dr Barnes. He says, 'You can use two patches a day. A box of five patches equals two and a half days' treatment'. The patches are free of side effects and do not cause any irritation. The only caution is that they should not be placed anywhere near your eyes or lips, and they should not be used on children under the age of 12.

1. Muller-Fassbender H, Bach GL, Haase W et al. Glucosamine sulphate compared with Ibuprofen in osteoarthritis of the knee. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage (1994).
2. Reginster JY, Deroisy R, Rovati LC, Lee RL, Lejeune E, Bruyere O, Giacovelli G, Henrotin Y, Dacre JE, Gosset C. Long-term effects of glucosamine sulphate on osteoarthritis progression: a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Lancet (2001).