Is Liquid Glucosamine Best?
The absorption rate of liquid glucosamine is much higher than that of glucosamine taken in pills or capsules. Your body has a much harder time absorbing pills into the blood stream than it does with liquids. The smaller particles in liquid suspension are easier to absorb without your stomach having to secret excessive levels of acid.
Pills contain glucosamine that is bound to many fillers and stabilizers (the casing). Pure liquid glucosamine is simply a suspension of glucosamine, without any wasteful binders and fillers.
Whenever you take a supplement in pill form, your body only uses part of it, in some cases only a small part, perhaps 20%. So 100mg of glucosamine taken in pill form may only really represent 10mg or 20mg of it being absorbed by the body. In contrast, liquid glucosamine is absorbed by the body far more efficiently and at a much greater rate.
Many manufactures now combine Glucosamine and Chondroitin into a single easy to take flavoured liquid. Pills or capsules may cost less, but in reality you get far less absorption for your money. Liquids start working as soon as you swallow and many have fairly pleasant flavors.
Faster benefit of Liquid Glucosamine
The greater 'bio-availability' or ease of digestion of liquid glucosamine translates into two things -1. You get more of the glucosamine that you need, so you will benefit more.
2. You'll also find that you may benefit faster. People using liquid glucosamine report that they feel an improvement in their health much quicker than those using pills.
Liquid glucosamine chondroitin is a very good alternative to pills.
Simply drink directly or mix with a favorite beverage. Most glucosamine liquid formulas are not glycerin based and will be soluble in water, a soft drink or fruit juice. People often report pain relief within a few weeks, compared to the two months or so reported by people taking glucosamine in pill form.
If you take 1,500 mg a day of glucosamine and chondroitin in pill form, you only get a small fraction of what your body needs, even if you are taking a full clinically recommended amount. This is because of absorption issues mentioned above. Added to this, some manufacturers sell the KCl or NaCl forms (the salts) which contain up to 30% salt bound to the actual glucosamine.
So while a pill might be 500 mg of “glucosamine (as potassium salt)”, you really are only getting 350 mg of ACTIVE glucosamine and of that perhaps only 10 or 20% is going to be absorbed in pill form anyway. So always check the ingredients to make sure you get correct amount of active glucosamine and chondroitin.