Move Free Advanced MSM + Vitamin D3 with Glucosamine, 120 Coated Tablets

Product Overview

Move Free Advanced MSM + Vitamin D3 with Glucosamine is a joint supplement from Schiff. Each serving of 2 coated tablets gives glucosamine hydrochloride 1,500mg, chondroitin sulfate 200mg, MSM 750mg, calcium fructoborate 216mg, hyaluronic acid 3.3mg and vitamin D3 50mcg (2,000 IU). The bottle holds 120 tablets, which is 60 servings, a two-month supply.

The figures on this page are from the supplement facts panel in the product photos. The listing title says “40 servings”; the label says 60, which is what 120 tablets at two a day gives. Move Free makes several Advanced formulas, so check that this is the MSM + Vitamin D3 version you want.

Key Benefits

• Glucosamine is a building block of cartilage and one of the most studied joint supplements. Trial results are mixed (see below).
• Chondroitin is another component of cartilage, usually paired with glucosamine. Its evidence is also mixed.
• MSM is a sulfur compound. A few small trials in knee osteoarthritis report modest reductions in pain and stiffness over about 12 weeks.
• Calcium fructoborate (FruiteX-B) is a boron compound found in plants. A few small, mostly company-funded studies report a modest easing of knee discomfort within about two weeks.
• Vitamin D3 helps the body absorb calcium and contributes to normal bones, muscle function and immune function. Deficiency is common in Bangladesh despite the sunshine, because of indoor work, covering clothing and air pollution.

What the Evidence Says

• Large, well-run trials of glucosamine and chondroitin in knee osteoarthritis have given mixed results. Some found a small easing of pain, and others found no more benefit than a placebo.
• Most trials used 1,500mg of glucosamine a day, the amount here, but usually as glucosamine sulfate. This product uses glucosamine hydrochloride, which has generally done less well in studies.
• Chondroitin trials mostly used 800 to 1,200mg a day. This product has 200mg.
• Where there is an effect, it usually builds over two to three months. There is no good evidence that these supplements rebuild worn cartilage.

Losing weight if you are overweight, strengthening the muscles around the joint and staying active do more for knee and hip arthritis than any supplement. A hot, swollen or red joint, or pain after an injury, needs a doctor.

What the Listing Claims, and What Is Known

• “Supports 5 signs of joint health” and “joint support in 14 days”: the maker’s marketing, based on small studies of calcium fructoborate. Do not expect a quick change.
• “Helps maintain healthy cartilage”: not shown in good trials.
• “Bone and immune health”: this comes from the vitamin D3, which contributes to normal bones and immune function. 2,000 IU is a useful daily amount if you are low in vitamin D.

Key Features

• Glucosamine HCl 1,500mg, chondroitin sulfate 200mg and MSM 750mg per 2 tablets
• Calcium fructoborate 216mg and hyaluronic acid 3.3mg
• Vitamin D3 2,000 IU (50mcg), 250% DV
• 120 coated tablets: 60 servings, two months
• Made in the USA with ingredients sourced from around the world (as labelled)

Ingredients / Specifications

Per serving (2 tablets), from the label: calories 10; total carbohydrate 2g; vitamin D (as D3, cholecalciferol) 50mcg (2,000 IU), 250% DV; sodium 15mg; glucosamine hydrochloride 1,500mg; chondroitin sulfate 200mg; hyaluronic acid 3.3mg; calcium fructoborate 216mg; MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) 750mg.

Other ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, coating (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, modified corn starch, titanium dioxide, polyethylene glycol, magnesium silicate, glycerin), magnesium stearate.

Allergen: contains shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster and crayfish).

The label does not state the animal source of the chondroitin. If that matters to you for religious or dietary reasons, message us.

How to Use

1. Adults: take two tablets once a day with a meal, or one tablet twice a day with meals, as the label directs.
2. A meal with some fat in it helps the vitamin D absorb.
3. Give it two to three months before deciding whether it helps.
4. Check your other supplements for vitamin D before taking both. 2,000 IU is already a full daily amount for most adults.

Shellfish Allergy Warning

This product contains shellfish. The label lists shrimp, crab, lobster and crayfish, because glucosamine is commonly made from crustacean shells. If you are allergic to prawns, shrimp, crab, lobster or any other shellfish, do not take it. A shellfish allergy can cause a severe and rapid reaction. Get medical help urgently if you notice swelling of the face or throat, a spreading rash or difficulty breathing.

Blood Thinners and Diabetes

• If you take warfarin or any other blood thinner, speak to your doctor first. There are reports of glucosamine and chondroitin increasing the effect of warfarin and causing bruising or bleeding.
• If you have diabetes, check your blood sugar a little more closely when you start. Glucosamine is an amino sugar. Most studies show little effect on blood sugar, but it is worth watching.

Who Is It Suitable For?

Adults with stiff or aching joints who want to try glucosamine alongside exercise, weight management and medical care, not instead of them.

• Not for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
• Not suitable for vegetarians: the glucosamine comes from shellfish, and chondroitin normally comes from animal cartilage.
• Kidney stones or high blood calcium: ask your doctor about the vitamin D.
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding or regular medicine: ask your doctor first.
• Not for children. The directions are for adults.

Why Choose Move Free Advanced MSM + Vitamin D3?

A well-known US joint brand that combines glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and vitamin D3 in two tablets a day, with a full label. The vitamin D3 makes it a sensible choice for older adults who are also low in vitamin D.

Symptoms Need a Doctor, Not a Capsule

If you have symptoms — pain, a change in how your body is working, something that has been getting worse — the useful thing to do is get it looked at. A supplement bought because a listing named your symptom delays that, and delay is the part that causes harm.

Take this if you and a doctor have decided it is a sensible addition. Do not take it as a way of avoiding the appointment.

This Is a Supplement, Not a Medicine

A dietary supplement is a food product. It is not a medicine, it has not been through the testing a medicine goes through, and it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Supplement labels use health language — “supports”, “helps maintain”, “promotes” — precisely because they are not permitted to claim treatment. Read them that way. If a listing anywhere promises that a capsule will fix a medical condition, that promise is not one the product can keep.

What a supplement can honestly do is fill a gap in your diet. That is worth something, and it is a smaller thing than most packaging implies.

Talk to a Doctor First

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before you start, particularly if you:

• take any prescribed medicine — supplements interfere with medicines more often than people expect
• are being treated for a heart, liver, kidney, thyroid or blood condition
• have diabetes
• are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding
• have surgery or a dental procedure coming up

Never stop or reduce a prescribed medicine in order to take a supplement instead. That is the single most dangerous thing anyone does with a product like this, and it is what the marketing language quietly invites.

Do Not Exceed the Stated Dose

Follow the dose printed on the pack. More is not better with supplements — for several of them, more is worse.

• Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) build up in the body rather than being flushed out. A high daily dose taken for months can accumulate to a harmful level.
• Taking two products that both contain the same vitamin is an easy way to double a dose without noticing. Check every label you are taking.
• Stop and see a doctor if you get nausea, stomach pain, unusual bruising, a rash, or anything else new after starting.

Storage

• Keep the container tightly closed, somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight.
• Do not store it in a bathroom. Heat and humidity break supplements down faster than anything else, and a Dhaka bathroom is the worst place in the house for them.
• Leave the desiccant sachet in the bottle. It is there to keep moisture out, not by mistake.
• Softgels and fish oils are best kept in a fridge in hot weather — they go rancid otherwise.
• Keep it out of reach of children.
• Do not use it after the expiry date, and throw it away if the capsules smell strongly off, have stuck together or changed colour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as other Move Free Advanced products?

No. Move Free makes several Advanced formulas with different ingredients and doses. This one is MSM + Vitamin D3 with Glucosamine: two tablets a day, 60 servings, with 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. Check the name before ordering.

How long does one bottle last?

60 days at two tablets a day.

How long until it works?

If it helps you at all, expect it to take 8 to 12 weeks. The maker’s “14 days” refers to small studies of one ingredient.

Can I take it with my other supplements?

Check the labels for anything that appears in both — doubling a dose by accident is easy. If you are on prescribed medicine as well, ask a pharmacist. They do this check quickly and for free.