What is Doctor’s Best Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM featuring OptiMSM? Doctor’s Best Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM featuring OptiMSM supports joint structure, function and comfort. It is a potent combination of three clinically proven, purified ingredients that help the body manufacture proteoglycans in healthy joints. Proteoglycans contribute to the maintenance of sound joint structure, ultimately enhancing healthy joint function. Glucosamine sulfate is extracted from chitin, a long-chain polymer consisting of many glucosamine molecules linked together. Chitin forms structural frameworks in many living things, including aquatic crustaceans. Doctor’s Best glucosamine is purified and then sulfated and stabilized with potassium chloride. It is processed to remove residues of protein and impurities, yielding pure glucosamine sulfate as the final material. Chondroitin sulfate is a chemical in cartilage around joints in the body. Chondroitin sulfate is manufactured from bovine cartilage. Doctor’s Best uses chondroitin sulfate with a purity of 90 percent or greater. Quality assurance testing is performed using sophisticated laboratory analytical methods. MSM is an excellent dietary source of bioavailable organic sulfur. Doctor’s Best MSM features OptiMSM, a highly purified form (99.9% pure) of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). Since the amount of MSM found naturally in living materials is too small to be extracted, the MSM used for dietary supplements is synthesized. The makers of OptiMSM developed a four-stage process to separate impurities including heavy metals and other contaminants and is 99.9% pure MSM. Each batch exceeds the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) monograph standards for MSM, and is validated by testing in independent laboratories. How does it work? Articular cartilage is a connective tissue composed of specialized cells (chondrocytes) embedded in a matrix of protein fibers (mostly collagen) and clusters of complex proteoglycan molecules that consist of a protein core with numerous side chains. These side chains, chiefly chondroitin sulfate and keratin sulfate, are long polysaccharide molecules called glycosaminoglycans. Chondroitin sulfate and the other glycosaminoglycans strongly attract water due to the negative charges of their sulfate groups. These negative charges also repel each other, creating spaces between glycosaminoglycan side chains where water can enter. This combination of solid and liquid gives joints a compressible qualitywhich may ultimately enhance healthy joint function. Glucosamine is a fundamental building block for proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans. Glucosamine sulfate (GS) helps to maintain joint health through its ability to both act as a component of and stimulate formation of glycosaminoglycans and the hyaluronic acid backbone essential for the formation of proteoglycans. MSM contains two oxygen atoms and two methyl groups bound to a sulfur atom. As it donates its methyl groups, MSM enables important metabolic functions, including energy transduction and enzyme regulation. MSM’s use in joint stems from its organic sulfur support of the disulfide bonds that reinforce collagen fibers, a property that’s believed to promote joint integrity and resilience. Why should I take Doctor’s Best Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM featuring OptiMSM? Healthy joints may get worn away by sports injuries, overuse, or wear-and-tear that can cause joint pain. Glucosamine helps stimulate the manufacture of proteoglycans in healthy joints. Chondroitin is a component of healthy joints that attracts water to the tissue, which helps the joint stay elastic and function as a shock absorber for joints. MSM is a natural sulfur to help form antioxidants and serve as a key structural nutrient in healthy joints and may help to give shape, strength and support to other tissues within the body. This combination of ingredients has been proven to support joint structure, function and comfort.
