Glucosamine and allergy
A vast majority of today’s glucosamin supplement manufacturers use shellfish to extract glucosamine. This means that if you are allergic to shellfish you may experience allergic reactions to glucosamine. Glucosamine and allergy is not a thing to be taken lightly, because shellfish allergies can manifest as severe swelling of the lips, tongue and throat which makes it difficult to breath. Wheezing and shortness of breath is not that uncommon, and a life threatening drop in blood pressure can occur.

Seafood allergies grow more and more common each year in the western world. Over 6 million persons are allergic to seafood in the United States state alone, and over 11 million individuals have some type of food allergy. No one knows for sure why allergies are so common today, but it may be linked to our high living standard where the immune system have to much free time since it never has to battle tuberculosis, polio, smallpox and so on.

Glucosamine and allergy is a complicated subject, because a lot of people who are seriously allergic to shellfish can still use glucosamine supplements. This is because they are only allergic to a protein found in the flesh, and no flesh is used in glucosamine supplements. It is however a bad idea to experiment with this on your own, because you may be one of those who reacts even to other parts of the animal. If you know that you are allergic to shellfish gelatin, you should definitely stay away from glucosamine supplements derived from shellfish since gelatine is made from skin and bones. As mentioned earlier: do not experiment with this on your own. If you are allergic to shellfish, you should discus glucosamine and allergy with your doctor.

Glucosamine and allergy – the solution
Since a few years back, a new alternative is available for those allergic to shellfish – corn based glucosamine. Since glucosamine and allergy to shellfish grew in to quite a problem for supplement manufacturers, an American producer decided to create a vegetarian alternative to shellfish derived glucosamine supplements. This new glucosamine supplement is based on corn and ideal for vegetarians, vegans, people with allergies, and people who chose to refrain from shellfish due to ethical, environmental, religious or cultural reasons.

Chondroitin glucosamine and allergy
Combining glucosamine with chondroitin, a type of sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) known to have a beneficial effect on the structural integrity of human tissue, is popular among supplement producers. When it comes to glucosamine and allergy, this does however create a problem for some, since chondroitin is derived from animals. Chondroitin can be extracted from a wide range of different animals, including cows, pigs and sharks, and knowing exactly which animal the product has been derived from can be difficult.