Achy joints make it difficult to do even the most basic everyday chores. For example, it may be hard to go for a walk, climb your stairs, or chop veggies for your next meal. You can try taking a prescription or over-the-counter pain killer to find relief from the pain. But these don’t always work. And even when they do, they can give you unpleasant side effects. What else can you do to get relief? Add glucosamine chondroitin to your diet.

What are glucosamine and chondroitin?

Both glucosamine and chondroitin are naturally present in your body. An amino sugar, glucosamine is found in cartilage cells and other connective tissue. In comparison, chondroitin is a complex carbohydrate that makes it easier for cartilage to hang onto water. You’ll often find that glucosamine and chondroitin appear together in health supplements to optimize their benefit.

Here’s how glucosamine chondroitin can help to improve the health of your joints:

1. Relieves joint pain

Don’t want to rely on medication to relieve your achy joints? Try taking glucosamine chondroitin. Data shows that glucosamine chondroitin can reduce the pain that’s associated with arthritis, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome, and other joint conditions. For example, when scientists conducted a large randomized controlled trial, they found that participants with moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis pain experienced significantly more relief from glucosamine chondroitin than they did from a placebo.

2. Reduces inflammation

Researchers have also found that glucosamine chondroitin decreases inflammation. For example, in a study of 217 American participants, scientists found that men and women who took more glucosamine chondroitin had lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers in their bodies.

3. Enhances joint function

Even if you don’t have painful or inflamed joints, you may struggle to perform basic tasks because you have stiff joints. Glucosamine chondroitin can help with this too. In a network meta-analysis of 54 studies that included 16,427 participants with knee osteoarthritis, researchers found that glucosamine chondroitin significantly improved joint function.

4. Improves joint structure

It’s great to reduce the pain you feel because of a joint condition. But instead of getting just temporary relief from your symptoms, you want to enhance the structure of your joints for the long term. This is where glucosamine chondroitin comes in handy. Scientific evidence shows that chondroitin can improve joint structure. And data from a study with rats indicates that taking glucosamine on a daily basis can boost the health of connective tissues around bones and strengthen newly formed bones.

Get healthier joints with glucosamine chondroitin

Glucosamine chondroitin can improve the health of your joints in many ways. However, unlike the way you fill up on many key vitamins and minerals, you can’t get glucosamine and chondroitin from your diet. That’s why it’s important to find a high-quality, potent glucosamine chondroitin supplement to access the powerful healing properties of these natural substances.