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Comparative analysis of popular chondroprotectors

Author: Sergey Yezhov - sports medicine physician.
2017-03-06

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In my previous article I have already talked about medications that can improve the nutrition of joint cartilage. The most common class among them are chondroprotectors (chondroitin and glucosamine preparations). In today's pharmaceutical market and the sports nutrition market, there are probably hundreds of brands of such supplements. Many of them are only positioned as effective, while the product is “pumped” with a bunch of unnecessary components, just to make the label filled with incomprehensible terms.

I want to note one moment immediately. At the last congress of rheumatologists, it was established that a truly effective chondroprotector should contain a daily dose of at least 1500 mg of glucosamine and 500 mg of chondroitin. In addition, it is desirable for the preparation to contain collagen. Next, we will consider the composition of the most popular chondroprotectors so that you can choose the necessary one on your own. The combined use of supplements is not excluded.

I have provided the information in the form of a table to highlight only the truly “working” components.

Product Name	Collagen mg.	Glucosamine mg.	Chondroitin mg.		Vitamins and minerals	Additional components	Daily dose and duration of course.
Geladrink Forte	8000	1500	800		Vitamin C Vitamin E manganese, selenium.	MSM – 600 mg. Boswellia extract – 100 mg.	14 g. Or 12 caps. 2 months.
Geladrink Plus	9500	200	100		Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Biotin, manganese, selenium. calcium, magnesium	MSM – 100 mg.	12 g., 2 months.
Artranov	390	300	150		Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin D3, phosphorus, manganese, selenium, calcium	Boswellia extract – 90 mg., turmeric – 30 mg.	3 caps., 2 months.
Collamin 80	The supplement is not registered in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Glucosamine AJF		600	300			Shark cartilage extract	2 caps., 2 months.
Osteomax - Premium		420	120		Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin D3, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc		3 caps., 6 months.
Arthrostop Plus		1000			manganese		2 tabs., 1 month.
Arthritozamin Helenpro		1500	600		Vitamin E		3 tabs., 2 months.
Chondronorm		500	300		Vitamins B1, B6, B12, zinc, copper, salicin		2 caps., 1 month.
Dona		1500					1 pack., 2 months.
Structum			1000				2 caps., 6 months.
Artra		1500	1500				3 tabs., 6 months.
Teraflex		1500	1200				3 tabs. 6 months.
Glucosamine Sulfate		1500					2 tabs., 6 months.
ArthroFlex		1500	1050				4 tabs., 1.5 months.
CHONDROnova		1500	1200				6 caps., 2 months.
Artron		1500	1500				3 tabs. 2-3 months.
Glucosamine-Chondroitin Complex		750	375				5 tabs. 3-4 months.
Inoltra		1000	200		Vitamin C Vitamin E	Omega 3,6,9	3 caps. 3 months.
Honda		400	400		Calcium	Burdock root extract, White willow bark extract	4 caps., 6 months.
Maxler: Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM		1500	1200		Calcium, magnesium, silicon	MSM – 1200 mg.	3 caps., 2 months.
SAN: Glucosamine Chondroitin with MSM		1500	1200		Calcium, magnesium	MSM – 1200 mg.	3 caps., 2 months.
Universal Nutrition: Animal Flex		3000			Vitamin C Vitamin E manganese, selenium, zinc	Omega 3, MSM, Hyaluronic acid Boswellia extract, Bromelain quercetin	1 pack., 2-4 months.
BioTech: Glucosamine Chondroitin		605		400	Calcium magnesium		4 caps., 3-4 months.

Thus, acceptable according to the composition are Geladrink Forte, Arthritozamin Helenpro, Artra, Teraflex, CHONDROnova, Artron, as well as supplements from SAN, Maxler, and Universal Nutrition. There is one more nuance: among all the listed preparations, only Artra and Teraflex are registered in the Russian Federation specifically as medicinal products, i.e. only their composition has been laboratory-tested.

Nevertheless, I use sports supplements in my practice because I find them more comprehensive. Recently, I have been using Geladrink Forte more often. It has a good price for a monthly course (about 2700 rubles). It is easier to take in powder form (I usually divide the daily dosage into 2 doses: 7 grams in the morning and evening). There are also good reviews about Animal Flex and Elasti Joint from Labrada. Be that as it may, the final choice is still yours. Just remember: increased loads on the joints require enhanced nutrition for cartilage tissue. Therefore, when actively engaging in sports (even if you have no concerns), be sure to take chondroprotectors in courses at least once a year.