Are there any good supplements (contents rather than brand name) for healthy joints? I've done quite a lot of running in my time and sometimes when I run from cold e.g. to a bus stop in shoes my knees feel it.
It's been said that Omega-3 fatty acids such as Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are good for the joints and important for good neural function - Omega-3 fatty acids are also known to reduce inflammation in the body and reduce arthritis conditions. I don't do many supplements but I get in regularly is an Omega-3 fatty acid gel-caps.. from Poliquin: EPA-DHA 720 blend (soft-gel) I tend to rotate it out with others in the Poliquin line (they make about 6 different ones I think) and I get them at a wholesale price so it's affordable. Otherwise the prices on the stuff are pretty steep. But there are many, many makers of this type of supplement so it won't be hard to find. Though no amount of supplement is going to help you if break into sprints from a cold state (eg. not warmed up at all) and especially not if you're wearing dress shoes. The joint at different stages of readiness has different amounts off synovial fluid evenly distributed in the joint itself... which is why it's so important to warm up and go through range of motion drills prior to running. If you've been running for a long time there will inevitably be wear and tear on the articular cartilage in the joint. It's just part and parcel with running. Avoid aggravating the wear by warming up. Even if that means you have to learn to plan better or schedule better so you're not sprinting from a cold stage in dress shoes for a bus. Anyhow - FWIW - you may want to give the EPA-DHA type fish oil capsules a try. Or better get more Omega-3 heavy fish into your diet (salmon, herring, fatty tuna). I take 4 gel caps a day but I also get in a good amount of Salmon on a fairly regular basis. If you live where you can get fresh wild salmon you're a lucky dog. Farmed fish isn't ideal but fresh wild fish salmon is hard to come by and makes even the most expensive supplements look cheap.
It's funny because Cod liver oil for years was the worst nightmare imaginable to many a kid! And now that they've all grown up they (we) can't get enough of it. To be fair - most of the products today are filtered and have a barely noticeable flavor.
How do the omega-3's help the joints exactly? I see in the health food shop most of the 'joints' section is devoted to glucosamine and chondroitin supplements with a little part for cod liver oil.
source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-fish-oil-helps-your-joints.htm That's just scratching the surface and very much aimed at the laymen. But I suggest if you really want to get to grips with it... you get your Google on and start reading... I could tell you pretty much anything... so best to get it from a variety of sources and get up to speed on it by reading up on all the angles and views.
I swore by fish oil for a good while, however after a short time up in the higher doses I got some side effects that I certainly did not want! I've found no literature about the SE but have spoke to others who experienced similar things. Dealing with inflammation if a big aspect of it, I use a concentrated stinging nettle supplement and work in fish oil when needed. Other than that, being sensible with your training and wrapping those knees when needed (I'm so bad for not doing this) is going to help. Things like glucosamine and chrondotrin interest me, I have plenty of anecdotal evidence from others but I noticed nothing. Amongst friends and family seven seas joint care is apparently their favourite. Cutting out pro inflammatory food and balancing your omega levels is going to do way more IMO.
I hear that! Some of the worse tasting stuff can be improved with a squeeze of lemon I found, still not exactly 5 star dining though.
I remember doing some pretty exhaustive reading several years back when I was rolling a lot and the Glucosamine and Chondroitin were all the rage. But there weren't any studies that I could come across that backed up the efficacy claims of the manufacturers. That's been several years... so perhaps by now there may be studies to back it up. Worth taking a look at.
I prefer the liquid versions of most to the capsules... but their is definitely a technique involved with getting the spoon/dose far enough back on the tongue that is essentially just goes right down without coating the tongue in fish funk. Once you're tongue catches hold of it... many you might as well try to scrape it off because it seems to congeal.
Wow is cod liver oil really that bad? Ive never had any. I always thought i had enough omega 3 or whatever you call it in my diet since i eat loads of fish. Tuna for my lunch at school. but alot of asain fish that are really fatty. Eat the skin of the fish, eat the fat of the fish (usually its like a big peice of fish and there is a chunk of fat stuck on one end that tastes damn awesome). Best bit of a fish is the fat, and the skin!!!
I'm currently going through physio for my knee (pain when bending under pressure and crepitus) and I asked the doctor about glucosamine (I've been using it for ages and increased dosage after my knee went dodgy). She practically had to hold back tears of laughter. She told me there is no clinical evidence that glucosamine has any beneficial effect at all. At best it may have a placebo effect, which, after she told me it's a placebo, it'll stop working for me... Having said that, a mate of mine swears by them and also had creaky joints, until he started on them...
i've been taking shark liver oil in place of cod liver. they are made of pretty much the same plus some other cool stuff. only problem is the lack of studies done on them
