Nutrition

My recent article, Osteoarthritis and Supplements, outlines a topic that interests me because of my mom. She suffers from osteoarthritis and has had problems with pain, stiffness, swelling, and gnarling of her fingers. I had heard about glucosamine and chondroitin helping with joint pain about a year ago, so I bought a glucosamine chondroitin supplement for her, and she has stated numerous times how much it has helped her, especially with the pain.

But with so many brands of glucosamine and chondroitin on the market, how did I choose which one to buy? I'll share with you what I did (and these are the steps I take before buying any dietary supplement) to help me decide which brand to get.

The first thing I do is check the list of USP verified dietary supplements. I then check the manufacturer's website to see if they manufacture the type of supplement I am looking for. If they do not (and sometimes even if they do), I go to ConsumerLab and check their supplement tests. ConsumerLab is a fee-based website; however, I have found it to be an invaluable resource. I was totally shocked to find so many brand name products that do not contain what the bottle says it does! Some supplements have a hefty price tag, so I want to be 100 percent certain that I get what I am paying for, and CL has saved me quite a few times from spending money on supplements that would've been a waste of money.