"After two months on this remedy, I am about 30% better. I am not pain-free, and I still tend to get a little stiff after prolonged sitting, but I have stopped limping. I am playing tennis and ice skating with less pain and my knees have stopped swelling after strenuous activity." - Jane Brody, New York Times

What is this remedy that Jane Brody, well-known nutrition writer and natural foods industry skeptic, is touting? It’s a combination of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate.

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.

Glucosamine sulfate is an amino sugar synthesized in our bodies from glucose. It is the starting point for important macromolecules that make up many body tissues including proteoglycans, the substance of cartilage in the joints. It is involved in the synthesis of mucous membranes in the digestive and respiratory tract. It is one of the chemicals that forms the cushioning ingredients in joint fluids and surrounding tissue. It contributes to making the synovial fluid thick and elastic. In other words, Glucosamine sulfate plays a role in the formation of nails, tendons, skin, eyes, synovial fluid, bone, ligaments, heart valves and in mucous secretion of the digestive, respiratory, and urinary tracts. Any deficiency of glucosamine can slow the production of these macromolecules causing specific weakness in these tissues. Glucosamine sulfate’s positive effects on degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis are touted by many.

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.

As people discover chondroitin, more products will flood the market. Some products may contain very little chondroitin. Natural Factors Chondroitin Sulfate is 90% pure chondroitin. By itself chondroitin is a safe, effective remedy for painful joints; however, it seems to be more effective when taken with glucosamine sulfate. Both substances work together to protect and rebuild cartilage. Glucosamine sulfate enhances the viscosity of synovial fluid, providing much needed lubrication, while chondroitin inhibits damaging enzymes and stimulates the transport of nutrients.

Chondroitin and glucosamine can work wonders for aging, painful joints.