The Glucosamine Product Guide

Glucosamine has been shown in clinical trials for decades to be effective at easing the joint discomfort and largely increasing flexibility. Some studies even indicate that glucosamine may help rebuild cartilage - something traditional NSAID pain relievers are unable to do. Indeed, the research is there, scores and scores of placebo controlled double blind studies report these same facts over and over.

Because so few manufacturers actually line their products up against the competition, here is a list of popular commercially available products out there to review. For each product, the following items are evaluated: (Read below for a full product review).

As many of you have heard, there have been problems with several nutraceutical (dietary supplement) manufactures out there, for some of the less honest ones have been selling products that simply do not contain what they claim to contain. Many others use tricks like giving you 60 pills and then requiring you to take 4 a day, so you really think you are getting a 60 day supply when in reality you are only getting a 15 day supply. Many places wait to charge you shipping until after you have spent several minutes typing in all of your ordering information, thinking what is another 5 or 6 bucks once you have gotten that far. Fortunately there are good, honest companies out there. You just have to take the time to review the hundreds of generic and brand name glucosamine products out there. We have done the work for you and scientifically reviewed some of the more popular products below.

Rarely do products give you the cost per dose, instead relying on the above “smoke and mirrors” to give you a cheap overall price. These products typically require you to reorder twice as much, or they give you the much less effective KCl or the NaCl forms of glucosamine (only shown when you examine the ingredient list). As much as 30% or more of what you are buying is ordinary table salt, and more than likely less than effective glucosamine. Do not be fooled by these tricks! Demand that each product supply you with basic information such as the dosage, synergistic factors, the true monthly price and ingredient quality.

The Powerful Benefits of Liquids

Liquids, aside from offering the obvious benefit of being easy to swallow, have another very important trait. Unlike pills, liquid starts to be absorbed as soon as it enters the stomach. It is not uncommon to have capsules pass right through the body in a way that the product name is still visible after the pill has left the body completely. This does not happen with liquids, as they are absorbed almost 100% and are not wasted.

Pills and capsules may cost less, but in reality you get far less absorption for your money. No wonder they cost less! Liquids are fast - you do not even have to wait for them to dissolve. They start working as soon as you swallow and many have fairly pleasant flavors. Liquids are especially easy to administer to pets - simply pour over their food.

Stores like to stock pills because they have a long shelf life (although liquid glucosamine is stable for years), are easier to handle and can sometimes cost a little less because they have cheap fillers and binding agents. People are used to drugs being in pill form, so it makes sense to them. Unfortunately, many vitamins and minerals in pill form contain lab-created artificial chemicals or drugs that are easily bound with fillers and buffers. No wonder they can be so hard to absorb! Pills in some cases do give you some of the active ingredients, so people buy them - but when it comes to glucosamine, you know better than they do. Why go to all of the trouble to buy a product that will only give you half (or less) of the relief you deserve? Let's take a look at some of the leading brands.

	Product Image	Flexicose™	Liquid Health™	Corta-Flex™	Arthri-Gesic™
Glucosamine Dosage Amount:	At least 1,000 mg per day	1,500 mg, confirmed and guaranteed.	1,500 mg	100 mg	500 mg
Price (Per Dose):	Should be around $.85 and $1.20 a dose	Between $0.85 and $0.94 per day	$2.61 per day (10 oz) $1.55 (32 oz)	$1.16 per day (8 oz )	$2.62 per day (8 oz)
Price (Per Month):	Should be around $30 to $40 a month	$29.95 (Additional $10 off on 3 Bottles)	$83.52	$37.12	$83.84
Dosage Amount Supplied:	Should last a full month or more	Lasts 32 days per bottle	6.7 day supply with a 10 oz bottle.	24 day supply @ 2 tsp / day	24 day supply
Glucosamine Form:	Ideally contain both HCL and Sulfate	Sulfate and HCL	Only Sulfate	Sulfate * KCl (Potassium Salt)	HCL
Ingredient Quality:	Should be Superior Quality	Superior Quality, confirmed and guaranteed.	Unknown / Not Listed	Unknown / Not Listed	Unknown / Not Listed
Physical Form:	Should be Liquid	Liquid	Liquid	Liquid	Liquid
Synergistic Factors:	As long as cost is reasonable, should contain as many as possible	Chondroitin, MSM, Omega 3, Manganese, Yucca, Boswellia, Bromelain, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Niacinamide, and more.	Chondroitin Sulfate, MSM	MSM	White Willow Bark, Devils Claw, Curcumin
Shipping Cost:	Ideally it should be free or under $3.50	Free	$5.60	Free	$5.99
Overall Impression:	How does the product truly stack up against the competition? Does it have any particularly important strengths or weaknesses?	Overall Impression: This is one of the highest quality and cost effective glucosamine and chondroitin supplements out there today. Nowhere else can you get all of these synergistic ingredients together with glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM at this price. Plus the innovative built in measuring cup makes administration easy. Flexicose is a best buy. You can learn more or purchase Flexicose at: http://www.flexicose.com/	Overall Impression: This is pricey! It contains 1500 mg of Glucosamine, is in the liquid form and does contain the beneficial chondroitin and MSM. At $2.61 a dose in the 10 oz size, this is VERY EXPENSIVE and only lasts 7 days. Get ready to pay shipping about 4 times a month! Most formulations should be about a dollar a day. Only because this product is a liquid and contains a whopping 1,500 mg of Liquid Glucosamine can it be considered acceptable for people who are not on a budget.	Overall Impression: This product is a waste of money. The amount of Glucosamine you get is next to nothing. They give you the KCl form and Sulfate, which decreases the amount you get even further because KCl (Potassium Sulfate) is simply a filler. Aside from it being a liquid, this product does not have much going for it but low cost.	Overall Impression: If you have heard little about White Willow Bark, Curcumin or Devils Claw, you are not the only one. You only get 1 form of Glucosamine, the HCL form, and you only get 500 mg of Glucosamine per dose. $2.62 a dose for 8 oz makes this the most expensive Glucosamine we found. You also only get a 24 day supply, which is only a bit more than three weeks. Most products should give you a solid month of supply per bottle.

Disclosure: This website is owned and operated by DTC Health, Inc, the makers of Flexicose and other high quality nutraceuticals for your health and well being. All statements that appear on this website about Flexicose are authored by DTC Health, Inc. We designed Flexicose from the ground up to simply be the best liquid glucosamine product available today - period. Only Flexicose contains a unique Flexibility complex in addition to 1,500 mg of liquid glucosamine in an easy to administer bottle. We back every single bottle up with a full money back guarantee. Try Flexicose today and you will quickly see why we are number one.

Capsule Reviews - Note: A Superior Quality Liquid Formulation is what you are looking for, but pill products
are reviewed for comparison purposes.

		MaxiLIFE™	Osteo Bi-Flex™ Double Strength	Expensive Joint Formula™
Glucosamine Dosage Amount:	At least 1,000 mg per day	1500 mg	1500 mg	1500 mg
Price (Per Dose):	Should be between $.85 and $1.20 a dose	$1.81 per day	$1.47 @ 3 softgels a day	$2.24 @ 8 softgels a day
Price (Per Month):	Should be between $30 and $50 a month	$57.92	$47.04	$71.68
Dosage Amount Supplied:	Should last a full month or more	20 day supply	17 day supply	12.5 day supply
Glucosamine Form:	Ideally contain both HCL and Sulfate	Sulfate (From Potassium Salt - KCL)	HCL	Sulfate
Ingredient Quality:	Should be High Quality	Unknown / Not Listed	Unknown / Not Listed	Unknown / Not Listed
Physical Form:	Should be Liquid	Tablet	Softgel	Softgel
Synergistic Factors:	As long as cost is reasonable, should contain as many as possible	Chondroitin Sulfate	Chondroitin Sulfate	Chondroitin Sulfate, MSM, Omega 3 & 6
Shipping Cost:	Ideally it should be free or under $3.50	$5.33	Generally not available online, subject to local sales tax.	$6.00
Overall Impression:	How does the product truly stack up against the competition? Does it have any particularly important strengths or weaknesses?	Overall Impression: This product left much to be desired. It delivers its Glucosamine in the Potassium Salt form, which means you get much less absorbable Glucosamine. Plus, this product is in pill form so absorption is even less. For a tablet form, it is also quite pricey. The Twinlab® name is fairly well known, but this product is pricey for only a 20 day supply.	Overall Impression: This product is still a bit pricey, apparently you pay more for the softgel form. Liquids are ideal, but if you absolutely must take a pill, this one is one of the more popular ones.	Overall Impression: As you can clearly tell by the name, this is one expensive joint formula! Over 70 dollars a month! One would have to go through two bottles a month and have to take many pills a day to get the suggested dose. This product has a lot in it, but it is really not worth the added cost. If money is not an option, its worth considering, but know you can get similar products for far cheaper.

Conclusion

We suggest products that contain superior quality glucosamine sulfate and HCL. Provided the cost is about $30 to $40 a month, if you can find a quality product that contains more than just glucosamine, it is highly recommended to try that one first due to the synergistic combined effects of the ingredients. The most effective products are going to be liquid and have a multi-pronged approach to easing your joint discomfort, and will contain some or all of the following complementary ingredients:

Measuring Methodologies:
Prices were effective as of June 20th 2003.
Price per dose was calculated with the smallest dosage supplied.
Price per month was calculated based on a 32 day month, to allow for variations.
When product was used up, it was “reordered”.
Shipping costs are included in the price per dose.
Shipping costs pulled whenever possible from the manufacturer’s website.