The Best Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplements Available
Glucosamine Chondroitin Product Reviews & Suggestions
As a consumer, you want the most powerful joint care product you can buy. At the same time, you also want a product that offers the greatest value for your dollar. In this article, we have featured various liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin formulas due to their superior absorption and bioavailability. However, we added a few pill and capsule formulas for comparison purposes. We encourage you to read the information below regarding the best Glucosamine Chondroitin supplements available today so you can make the best decision possible.
What Smart Glucosamine Buyers Want
- Quality & Quantity of Active Ingredients
- Daily & Monthly Cost
The Concentrated Power of Liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin
Many customers wonder if a 16 or 32-ounce liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin product is a better choice than Synflex’s 8 ounce bottle for their needs. Based on our analysis, it is clear they are “not” the best value. In the chart below we provide more information about how Synflex liquid Glucosamine products are concentrated and do not contain any fillers. Please note: “Active ingredients” means ingredients that are beneficial to joint care.
Product
Synflex 1500
Size
8 Ounces
Daily Dose
1/4 Ounce
Cost
$29.66 (Subscribe & Save)
$32.95 (One Time Purchase)
Duration
32 Days
Daily Cost
$0.93 (Subscribe & Save)
$1.03 (One Time Purchase)
Note: Synflex® 1500 contains pharmaceutical-quality liquid Glucosamine/Chondroitin and other joint-healthy ingredients. Product price varies depending on quantity purchased.
Product
Synflex Original
Size
8 Ounces
Daily Dose
1/4 Ounce
Cost
$29.66 (Subscribe & Save)
$32.95 (One Time Purchase)
Duration
32 Days
Daily Cost
$0.93 (Subscribe & Save)
$1.03 (One Time Purchase)
Note: Synflex Original Formula also contains pharmaceutical-quality liquid Glucosamine/Chondroitin. The formula contains 1,250 mg. of Glucosamine.
Other Popular Glucosamine Chondroitin Products
These larger bottles of liquid glucosamine chondroitin appear as if they provide you with a larger quantity. However, when you look closely at these products you notice two things. First, they have fewer joint-healthy ingredients, and they are more expensive given the daily dosing required.
Product
Puritan’s Pride
Size
16 Ounces
Daily Dose
1 Ounce
Cost
$22.99
Duration
16 Days
Daily Cost
$1.43
Price Source
Puritan’s Pride Official Website (product page)
Product
Nature’s Way
Size
16 Ounces
Daily Dose
1 Ounce
Cost
$16.79
Duration
16 Days
Daily Cost
$1.05 (Read our write-up discussing the ingredients used and nutrition facts of this product)
Price Source
Nature’s Way Official Website (product page)
Product
Tropical Oasis
Size
32 Ounces
Daily Dose
1 Ounce
Cost
$34.95
Duration
32 Days
Daily Cost
$1.09
Price Source
Tropical Oasis Official Website (product page)
Glucosamine Chondroitin Capsules & Tablets
There is simply no comparing the performance of liquid glucosamine chondroitin to pills. Even if a pill were to have a higher concentration of an ingredient, the body only absorbs approximately 10% to 20% of its nutrients. Meanwhile, liquids have an estimated 85% to 90% absorption rate.
In addition, with glucosamine chondroitin pills you run the risks that binders and fillers are in the pills, reducing the actual amount of the beneficial supplement. This causes the pill to be less absorbable and less bioavailable than liquid glucosamine. As a result, passing through your digestive system without having the intended beneficial effect on your osteoarthritis. The outside coating of pills and capsules can cause a barrier in the breakdown of the supplement, meaning that the supplement may pass through your digestive track before it is able to dissolve fully.
“In fact, the Physician’s Desk Reference (page 1542) states that 85-90% of nutrients in liquid supplements are absorbed in 22 to 30 seconds. Compare this to hours it takes for the nutrients in pills to be absorbed by the body. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that only 10%-20% of the nutrients in pills actually are absorbed.”
Source: Medicare Europe
Synflex Joint Pain Relief Products Offer More for Less
One last thing to consider: Some glucosamine chondroitin products require you to take 3 capsules or tablets per day. As a result, the bottles that contain 60 to 120 tablets don’t last nearly as long as you may think they would. This is even before taking the inferior absorption rate into consideration.
Compare Liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplements
Puritan’s Pride Product Evaluation
The largest red flag with this product is that they are using shark cartilage. Not only is this a controversial ingredient, but products containing it are outright banned from Amazon — which is why you can only find pills sold from this brand on Amazon and not their liquid glucosamine line. For reference, Synflex is formulated with bovine trachea in place of shark cartilage.
As mentioned before, the serving size is a massive concern. The directions are to take 1 fluid ounce per day, so a bottle of Puritan’s Pride Glucosamine only will last 16 days which is only half the amount of time a bottle of Synflex lasts. Considering the Synflex dosage is 1/4 fluid ounces, theirs is 4 times as much which indicates they may be using a heavy amount of binders or fillers to dilute their formula.
Also, there are 20 calories and 4g carbohydrates per serving in their product. 4 carbs add up quickly if you are on the keto diet. Synflex liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin only contains 1.5g carbs. Another question you can ask yourself is where the extra calories and carbs are coming from if its primary ingredient is Glucosamine. That’s something you should be concerned about.
Nature’s Way Product Evaluation
Like the previous product, they offer a 16 fluid ounces bottle and the serving size is 1 ounce per day. Nature’s Way glucosamine supplements also contains a whopping 7g carbohydrates per serving (not keto friendly when taking multiple servings). It does beg the question as to why would you want unneeded carbohydrates in your liquid glucosamine supplement. The ingredients include 3g of sugar alcohol and stevia leaf extract which may lead to temporary digestive issues for those sensitive to sugar alcohols. Considering the serving size is on the larger side of 1 whole ounce, they may have found it to be a necessary concession to sweeten their product. When you have to drink that much at once to get the full effect of their liquid glucosamine formula sweeteners become a “shortcut” in enhancing taste. It has a list price of $16.79, so similar to Puritan’s Pride, it will end up costing you more to use this product compared to Synflex for what we believe to be a clearly inferior formula due to the aforementioned need to sweeten the product because of the higher dosage.
Tropical Oasis Product Evaluation
Price is the biggest factor with Tropical Oasis’ liquid Glucosamine supplement. It is currently being sold for $34.95 for a 32 oz bottle, but the dosage is 1 fluid ounce per day. This works out to $1.09 per day. Compared to Synflex where you can get a 32-day supply at $0.93. Those 32 ounces do not get you far and it begs the question of what they may be doing with the formula that’s making it so inefficient.
Ingredients in Liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplements
Synflex’s powerful blend of synergistic ingredients is what sets it apart from just about any other glucosamine chondroitin supplement on the market (both liquid and pills). For reference, here are the ingredients used in our flagship Synflex 1500 Formula:
Synflex 1500 Ingredients
Nature’s Way Ingredients
Tropical Oasis Ingredients
As you can see, the Synflex blend of ingredients is much more comprehensive and conducive to joint health. Both of the other products are lacking essential vitamins and minerals which Synflex uses in combination with Glucosamine and Chondroitin to deliver the most effective joint health supplement on the market.
As far as glucosamine pills and tablets are concerned, there really is no comparison. It doesn’t matter what ingredients they’re using nor the concentration. Your body simply will not absorb anywhere near the amount on the label.
One major reason why Synflex is so effective with its low dosage of ¼ fluid ounces is thanks to the pharmaceutical quality Glucosamine Chondroitin being used and its rigorous manufacturing process. If competitors are selling higher volumes of liquid glucosamine ranging from 16 to 32 fluid ounces and recommending a dosage of 1 fluid ounce, their products are either:
- Not using high-quality ingredients like Synflex
- Diluting their products with other ingredients to give you the perception of getting more for your money
Ingredients to Avoid
At Synflex we do not use fillers like most companies on the market today. We do not use average quality nutrients either; we use 98% pure liquid glucosamine. Synflex contains key ingredients that are not found in other products on the market today. Here are some commonly found ingredients in other glucosamine chondroitin products you will want to avoid.
Shark Cartilage
Banned in some states and any products containing it are banned from Amazon. It is a controversial ingredient that threatens the extinction of certain species of sharks.
Stevia
A mostly safe, natural sweetener. There isn’t necessarily an issue with the ingredient itself, but it has no place in a glucosamine chondroitin supplement or dietary supplements in general. It’s extremely worrisome that it’s incorporated in dog supplements from other glucosamine brands. There is no rational reason to sweeten a product made for dogs.
MSM
This is an extremely popular ingredient found in many different glucosamine chondroitin supplements (both pills and liquids). It is sulfur based and primarily used for its pain relief qualities. Since it is sulfur based, the taste is quite terrible and can lead to a very unpleasant experience that ruins the flavor of a given liquid glucosamine supplement.
Synflex does not use MSM. It is an unnecessary addition to our highly concentrated, pharmaceutical-quality liquid glucosamine chondroitin formula. Competing Glucosamine brands may be using MSM as a crutch. They may be compensating for their lack of other synergistic ingredients or lower quality glucosamine.
Quick Tip on Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM
A note on MSM: There are very few studies of the effect of MSM on humans but some do show that MSM reduces inflammation and discomfort if taken in an adequate daily dosage. The human studies known to us are by Dr. Lawrence at UCLA, who gave the patients 2,250 mg per day (750 mg, 3 times per day) and by P.R. Usha who gave the patients 1,500 mg (500 mg, 3 times per day). If you are going to take MSM, it appears that large dosages may be necessary to experience any additional benefits it may have.
Synflex Offers Better Ingredients
As far as pain relief is concerned, Synflex 1500 contains white willow bark which also aids in anti-inflammation. Bromelain and Boswellin are two other ingredients with anti-inflammatory properties that may also help with pain relief like MSM. Both Synflex 1500 and Synflex Original contain these ingredients while only Synflex 1500 contains white willow bark.
“Willow Bark, which contains an ingredient called Salicin, may assist in reducing a class of prostaglandins, a group of compounds that can cause inflammation.”
“Besides the highly potent 1500mg of Glucosamine HCL and sulfate per serving, Synflex 1500 is boosted by the addition of white willow bark, vitamins (A, C & E), Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, and a variety of ingredients that support joint health and help in reducing the joint pain and inflammation. These extra ingredients include boswellin, yucca, manganese, and bromelain. This versatile antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory liquid glucosamine formula may also help in reducing cell damage and premature aging.”
What You Need to Know
We recommend products that contain pharmaceutical-level, high quality, liquid glucosamine sulfate or a mixture of both glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine HCL. The best supplements are also combined with ingredients that work synergistically with glucosamine to help rebuild cartilage, reduce inflammation, and increase mobility. These include:
- White Willow Bark
- Chondroitin Sulfate
- Boswellin
- Yucca Powder
- Manganese Ascorbate
- Bromelain
- Vitamin C
- Omega 3 Fatty Acid
- Omega 6 Fatty Acid
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
Glucosamine for arthritis is very beneficial and this has been proven to work in numerous double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. In these studies, liquid glucosamine chondroitin has been shown to assist in the rehabilitation of cartilage, reducing the progression of osteoarthritis, and significantly lessening the issues from arthritis. Further in the article we will discuss some important notes about glucosamine chondroitin MSM.
When your health is at stake, you need to know how to choose between competing products and see through the marketing hype.
The Creams
There is growing evidence that glucosamine can actually be absorbed through the skin. For that reason, the makers of Synflex® also make available a topical analgesic which contains glucosamine named Synflex® Power Plus.
Order the Best Liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplements Today
There is no question that Synflex offers the best liquid glucosamine chondroitin supplements on the market. We are so confident that you are going to love our product that we are offering a 30-day guarantee. If you are not happy for any reason, simply return the bottle and we will give you a refund.
