How to Improve Joint Health With Supplements

When your achy joints flare up, you might want to try some of the supplements you've heard so much about to prevent, or even reverse, some of your joint discomfort. Here are tips on some of the most popular supplements on the market today.

Instructions

1. Pick up some calcium. This supplement appears in many joint health formulations as a base. Calcium is vital for bone health because our bones lose calcium and become more brittle as we age. Calcium carbonate and calcium citrate are most commonly found in supplements and increase absorbency when combined with vitamin D and magnesium to increase absorbency.

2. Swallow a MSM ( methylsulfonylmethane) supplement daily to provide more lubrication in your joints. Arthritis sufferers find their knees popping and grinding as they bend due to joints that are losing their lubrication. MSM, a naturally occurring member of the sulfur family, increases the lubrication in joints, improving movement and reducing the pain associated with it.

3. Start a daily regime including glucosamine and chondroitin culfate. These two supplements, taken together, contribute to joint health, by drawing fluid into the cartilage and the connective tissue called fascia. Considered the "ground substance" of the cartilage in your joints, taking these two together showed positive results in clinical testing when used to treat arthritis. Tests on animals concluded that either agent, taken alone, was not as effective in slowing the degeneration of cartilage.

4. Consider taking Omega-3 fatty acids. This supplement, not produced by our bodies, shows hope in treating the symptoms of joint pain and stiffness. To improve your joint health, take only the recommended dosage listed on the bottle, since taking too much can have undesirable side effects. If you eat a lot of fish, you are probably getting enough already.

5. Swallow that vitamin C. You've heard it's good for warding off colds and helping gum tissue, but now we know it promotes good joint health, too. Try to get most of your Vitamin C from eating a balanced diet, but supplement with a tablet to make sure you get at least 60 milligrams per day. This supplement helps produce collagen, needed by the joints for free movement. Getting the recommended amount may help improve flexibility in the joints.

Tips & Warnings

• Read the label on the supplement bottle for recommended dosage.

• Always check with your physician before taking any vitamins or supplements to determine any possible side effects or negative interactions with medications you are already taking.