Me: This idea was a very easy idea once I found the PubMed article and understood its implications. In the study we see that when glucosamine sulphate (GS) and chondroitin sulphate (CS) were used in the treatment of surgically created focal cartilage defects.
The results showed …”surfaces of the ACI-repaired sites appeared smooth and continuous with the surrounding native cartilage“. We know how hard it is for articular cartilage in the knees (and other joints) to grow, if they even do regrow at all. this showed that with either a GS & CS oral intake or injection, the articular cartilage regrew back! What we are seeing that the thickness of the cartilage layer increased, and from a axial direction, that means the human vertical has been increased, or their height has increased.
This proves for me within a 99.9% confidence level that if you did start taking both glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate you will at least regain the 1-2 mm you might have lost through the years of wear and tear on the surface of the articular cartilage in the joints. I know that my grandmother has no more cartilage in any of her knee joint ends so this would probably help her a lot. . If however the GS & CS is not supposed to be taken orally because the mineral supplements can not get to the long bone ends of the articular joints due to capillary diffusion bottleneck issues or stomach digestive acids breaking it apart, it would still work to get the mineral to be directly applied in the epiphysis region through injection and get at most 2 mm of extra height. I know, it’s not a lot of extra height increase but it is a start and I think I have proved without a shadow of a doubt of the first real supplement that can lead to some (but very little) height increase during one’s adult years.
[Note: This PubMed study has already been cited before in a previous post on this website, however I am not sure which one though.]
From the PubMed article link HERE….(For the Full Text article, click HERE)
Eur Cell Mater. 2011 Mar 15;21:259-71; discussion 270-1.
A preliminary study of the effects of glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin sulphate on surgically treated and untreated focal cartilage damage.
Source
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery (NOCERAL), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Abstract
The effects of Glucosamine Sulphate (GS) and Chondroitin Sulphate (CS) on the healing of damaged and repaired articular cartilage were investigated. This study was conducted using 18 New Zealand white rabbits as experimental models. Focal cartilage defects, surgically created in the medial femoral condyle, were either treated by means of autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) or left untreated as controls. Rabbits were then divided into groups which received either GS+/-CS or no pharmacotherapy. Three rabbits from each group were sacrificed at 12 and 24 weeks post-surgery. Knees dissected from rabbits were then evaluated using gross quantification of repair tissue, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) assays, immunoassays and histological assessments. It was observed that, in contrast to untreated sites, surfaces of the ACI-repaired sites appeared smooth and continuous with the surrounding native cartilage. Histological examination demonstrated a typical hyaline cartilage structure; with proteoglycans, type II collagen and GAGs being highly expressed in repair areas. The improved regeneration of these repair sites was also noted to be significant over time (6 months vs. 3 months) and in GS and GS+CS groups compared to the untreated (without pharmacotherapy) group. Combination of ACI and pharmacotherapy (with glucosamine sulphate alone/ or with chondroitin sulphate) may prove beneficial for healing of damaged cartilage, particularly in relation to focal cartilage defects.
- PMID: 21409755 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] Free full text