One of the more frequently asked questions I get questions the validity of claims that the supplement glucosamine, can help repair cartilage in damaged joints. Most the people who ask the question are using the supplement for knee problems and pain. As usual I looked under the surface for the cause of these knee problem. I discovered what I expected-that joint deterioration, like many of the other health problems we have later in life reflect how we treated ourselves in our early years.

A milk-free diet predisposes us to osteoporosis and a french-fried childhood can predispose us to heart disease later in life. Now researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have documented another cause-and-effect : young adults who injure their knees have a "substantially increased risk of developing osteoarthritis as older adults." The study followed 1000 medical school graduates for 40 years. Participants in the study who had knee injuries as teens or young adults had an almost threefold increase in osteoarthritis of the knee by age 65.

Last year almost one million people injured at least one knee. More than 70 percent of these injuries were sports related.

Should we stop the recreational games that predispose us to these injuries? Absolutely not. Can we do everything we can to prevent them and, if they occur, be sure that proper rehabilitation and support of the joint occurs? Yes we can.

This week do your best to play safe! If you or a young loved one is injured, think to the future before you decide it's not an injury worth worrying about now.