Is Turmeric Better Than Glucosamine? Which is better for join health?

Read our Instaflex review and you’ll see that the main ingredient is turmeric. There is very good reason for this; turmeric is an extremely beneficial plant when it comes to reducing joint pain, especially joint pain caused by inflammation.

You will have also noticed if you’ve been browsing joint supplements that turmeric is often paired with glucosamine. In fact, these two ingredients are often the central ingredient in a joint supplement’s formula; it is glucosamine and turmeric that manufacturers are most keen to talk about, and they often take up the majority of a joint stack’s formula. Clearly, these natural substances are effective for maximizing joint health and flexibility.

Is glucosamine a good alternative to turmeric? Or should you use both?

Is turmeric better than glucosamine?

Let’s find out. First, we’ll look at turmeric, what it is, and how it reduces joint pain. Then we’ll look at glucosamine and see why it is in so many joint health supplements. Then at the end, we’ll compare turmeric and glucosamine and see if one is better than the other for alleviating joint pain and promoting good joint health over the long-term.

Turmeric and joint inflammation

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory. As inflammation is one of the primary causes of joint pain, reducing systemic inflammation (i.e. body wide inflammation) is a good way to ease joint pain.

Inflammatory joint pain can be due to a wide variety of factors. Some people have genetic conditions which makes them predisposed to inflammation. An example with this would be rheumatoid arthritis, which basically causes your joints to be constantly inflamed.

People who do a lot of high impact sport will also invariably find that they experience inflammatory joint pain on a regular basis. The constant pressure exerted on the joints, be it from hitting against a pavement, holding heavy weights, or just repeating a motion over and over again, will gradually irritate and inflame the joints, causing joint pain.

Then there are people who live a very inflammatory lifestyle, which ultimately causes chronic joint pain over the long-term. Be it very heavy drinking, exposure to pollutants, chronic stress, lingering infection, or a pro-inflammatory diet, having systemic inflammation will eventually take a toll on the joints.

This is where turmeric becomes extremely useful.

Turmeric contains a substance called curcumin. This has been shown in clinical trial after clinical trial to have powerful anti-inflammatory effects when consumed by humans. Sufficiently large doses of curcumin will reduce systemic inflammation, including inflammation at the joints. In doing so, it greatly reduces joint pain regardless of the exact reason for the inflammation.

So what about glucosamine?

Glucosamine and joint health

Glucosamine is an amino sugar. It is an extremely important constituent of many of your connective tissues, including cartilage and the synovial fluids that surround your joints.

Supplementing with glucosamine has been shown in clinical trials to promote the repair of damaged connective tissues, and to support the healthy maintenance of your joints going forward.

It is actually difficult to get the body to repair damaged cartilage, and there are very few ways to actively strengthen the protective fluids that keep your joints safe. Simply consuming cartilage isn’t a good option, as the body cannot absorb it and it passes through the digestive system unused.

Glucosamine offers a simple, safe and extremely reliable way to bolster your connective tissues and protect your joints going forward.

Can you take Turmeric and Glucosamine together?

The short answer is yes you can take turmeric and glucosamine together. In fact, taking turmeric and glucosamine at the same time is optimal for promoting joint health and flexibility. No interactions were found between Glucosamine & Chondroitin with MSM and turmeric.

Many of the most effective joint supplements on the market today combine a high quality turmeric extract with some form of glucosamine. On top of these two ingredients, these joint supplements will also use several other natural substances known to promote good joint health and reduce pain in some way. Even in an environment of several different herbal extracts and fatty acids, turmeric and glucosamine rarely cause any side effects resulting from interactions.

Furthermore, studies looking at the effectiveness of joint supplements typically find that results improve when turmeric is taken alongside other natural joint pain supplements like glucosamine. People usually find that their joint pain, stiffness and mobility improves much faster when they combine turmeric with other ingredients like glucosamine or chondroitin.

Turmeric vs. Glucosamine

It should be obvious to you now that turmeric and glucosamine have very different effects on the body, and on your joints.

So which is better?

Is turmeric better than glucosamine? Is glucosamine better than turmeric?

The answer to both of these question is no, because turmeric and glucosamine don’t do the same things. It makes no sense to compare turmeric and glucosamine in terms of their ability to promote joint health and ease joint pain. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, while glucosamine promotes the maintenance and repair of connective tissues. Both are common ingredients in leading joint supplements because they promote connective tissue health and alleviate joint pain in their own distinct way.

It is therefore impossible to say whether turmeric is better than glucosamine. They each benefit joint health and help to reduce joint pain in their own way. Both glucosamien and turmeric are effective supplements and they should be taken together for the best results when trying to fight chronic joint pain in a natural way.

Learn more:

• What is the best vitamin for stiff joints?
• How much turmeric should I take for arthritis?
• How much turmeric for inflammation?
• Is turmeric better than glucosamine?
• Turmeric for joint pain