PRODUCT

ULTIMATE GLUCOSAMINE contains only 100% pure N-acetylglucosamine. Almost all marketed glucosamines are isolated from the shells of crustaceans, in which glucosamine is present as polymers of N-acetylglucosamine. Some isolation processes use strong acids that break down the polymer. Unfortunately, this also removes the N-acetyl group from N-acetylglucosamine resulting in a low-molecular-weight glucosamine molecule. If sulphuric acid is used, glucosamine sulphate, a sulphate salt results. Correspondingly, if hydrochloric acid is used, glucosamine hydrochloride, a chloride salt results. Our more gentle treatment and purification process yields the intact N-acetylglucosamine molecule.

ULTIMATE GLUCOSAMINE is free of additives, salts or preservatives, and contains more of the biologically active ingredient than other preparations. Most marketed glucosamine tablets and capsules contain the salt glucosamine sulphate and the stabilizer sodium or potassium chloride. However, the only biologically important ingredient is glucosamine. This is a weakness in products containing 500mg of glucosamine sulphate and possibly as little as 325mg of the critical component. In a recent study⁵ of glucosamine products, the majority of preparations contained less than 60% of the stated amount of glucosamine. With ULTIMATE GLUCOSAMINE there are no salts or additives, what you see is what you get.

ULTIMATE GLUCOSAMINE is the most direct route to the important macromolecules such as hyaluronic acid, keratan sulphate and chondroitin sulphate. Unlike the low-molecular glucosamine found in glucosamine sulphate or glucosamine hydrochloride, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine is an advanced molecule that requires fewer enzymatic steps before being incorporated into the macromolecules of cartilage.

ULTIMATE GLUCOSAMINE does not interfere with glucose metabolism. Low-molecular glucosamine, as in glucosamine sulphate or glucosamine hydrochloride, has been associated with elevated blood glucose in patients⁶. This probably occurs because low-molecular-weight glucosamine and/or its break down product glucosone, inhibits hexokinase⁷. N-acetylglucosamine has its own kinase⁸, and is not dependent on glucokinase. Nor does it cause a rise in glucose levels when infused into humans⁹.

ULTIMATE GLUCOSAMINE is available in a once-a-day powder dosage, making it one of the most convenient supplements to take. The N-acetylglucosamine molecule is more stable and, with a melting point of 205°C, it can be taken with hot beverages and used in baking. ULTIMATE GLUCOSAMINE is also sweet tasting, and can be used in hot beverages such as tea or coffee. Low-molecular-weight glucosamine salts have a melting point of only 88°C, are bitter and generally have an unpleasant taste. Glucosamine is unstable which results in both degradation products and condensation products.¹⁰

The University Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology at the Royal Free Hospital in London used N-acetylglucosamine at a total daily dose of up to 6 grams for up to 2 years.

N-acetylglucosamine is present in human breast milk at a concentration of 1.5 grams per liter. Since a newborn consumes about 600 milliliters of breast milk per day, the daily consumption of N-acetylglucosamine in an 8-pound infant is about 0.5 to 0.8 grams.

Rats have been fed diets in which N-acetylglucosamine constituted 5% of the total diet. In this 13-week trial, no toxicity was noted in any organ system.

An abstract of a paper presented at a meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in November 2005 suggests that in normoglycemic individuals, glucosamine salts do not present a clinical problem. In subjects with an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test, the average value went from 145 to 191 mg minute/ml when the glucosamine salt was co-administered. Individual data were not given. One of two subjects with an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test became diabetic on the co-administration of a single dose of glucosamine sulphate. However, this small study offers no basis for predicting the rates in a larger study¹¹.

11       Biggee BA, Blinn CM, Nuite M, Silbert JE, McAlindon TE. Effects of oral glucosamine sulphate on serum glucose and insulin during an oral glucose tolerance test of subjects with osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2007 Feb;66(2):260-2. Epub 2006 Jul 3.

A basic study of insulin release in the rabbit pancreas found that N-acetylglucosamine, at a concentration of 15 mg/mL, did not affect glucose-stimulated insulin release under high or low glucose conditions. In contrast, glucosamine hydrochloride, at a concentration of 4 mg/mL, inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin release under high-glucose conditions (3 mg/mL) but not under low-glucose conditions (0.6 mg/mL)¹².

In humans, an infusion of 100 grams of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine did not result in an increase in blood glucose. Insulin injection did not alter the clearance of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, suggesting that N-acetylglucosamine does not use the insulin-sensitive transporters used by glucose¹³.

12       Miwa I, Mita Y, Murata T, Okuda J, Sugiura M, Hamada Y, Chiba T. Utility of 3-O-methyl-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, an N-acetylglucosamine kinase inhibitor, for accurate assay of glucokinase in pancreatic islets and liver. Enzyme Protein. 1994-1995;48(3):135-42. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8589800
13       Gaulden EC, Keating WC. The effect of intravenous N-acetylglucosamine on the blood and urine sugar concentrations of normal subjects. Metabolism. 1964 May;13:466-72. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14169225

Chondroitin sulphate is a co-polymer of N-acetylgalactosamine and glucuronic acid. N-acetylgalactosamine is an epimer of N-acetylglucosamine (the –OH on carbon 4 is flipped in a different plane). All cells have epimerases, which can interconvert N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine (meaning one -OH is flipped in a different plane).

Chondroitin is a high-molecular-weight polymer, which is not absorbed as an intact molecule¹⁴. Individual molecules of N-acetylgalactosamine and glucuronic acid are probably the largest units that are absorbed from the gut¹⁵.

Thus, the combination product glucosamine and chondroitin supplies more glucosamine equivalents (N-acetylgalactosamine or N-acetylglucosamine) than glucosamine-only products, with only half as much amine sugars.

14   Jackson C. G., A. H. Plaas, J. D. Sandy et al. (2010) The human pharmacokinetics of oral ingestion of glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate taken separately or in combination. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 18:297 –302. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19912983
15  Liau, Y. H., N. Galicki, et al. (1981). “Degradation of chondroitin 4-sulphate by rat stomach exoglycosidases, sulfohydrolase and hyaluronidase-like enzymes.” Digestion 21(3): 117-24. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6783467