Champion Nutrition Joint Support Formula

One of the prime active ingredients in Champion Nutrition’s Joint Support Formula is glucosamine. Glucosamine has been used by both athletes and non-athletes alike for years in the treatment of chronic joint pain. Joint pain is usually incurred due to overstressing the cartilage within the joints during intense training. 

Glucosamine is a naturally occurring integral component of animal/human cartilage. Cartilage is found in all joints in the human body and is unique in the fact that it is not vascularized, meaning cartilage cannot get nutrition directly from the blood like most tissues. Over time, cartilage gradually loses its ability to hold fluids, which can cause joint pain. Glucosamine supplementation will cause this fluid (called synovial fluid) to become thick and gelatinous, which allows the cartilage to hold more water. This will increase the nutrient availability of the cartilage, as well as increasing its ability to perform under pressure. In other words, glucosamine has the ability to decrease friction and pain around a joint. After about 12 to 18 months of glucosamine supplementation, the peripheral nervous system will extend nerve fibers into the joint tissue, which can improve nervous system function and mobility. In addition to this, glucosamine has been found to inhibit the breakdown of proteoglycans, which aid in the rebuilding of damaged cartilage and other joint structures.

Based on current scientific understanding, there are no long-term side effects of glucosamine supplementation in healthy individuals. Owens (2004) states that glucosamine stimulates “favorable effects on the balance between cartilage matrix synthesis and degradation.”

The staff at ABCbodybuilding recommends a scientifically sound protocol with glucosamine consisting of about 1.5 g per day, but can be increased as the need arises. Most athletes take anywhere between 3 and 12 grams a day, spaced out in even dosages of between 750mg and 1500mg. The optimal time to take glucosamine is with meals. 

Another active ingredient is Chondroitin Sulfate. The Journal of Hyperplasia Research will present a research article on this ergogenic aid in the near future.