Study: Glucosamine, Chondroitin No Help for Arthritis

Analysis Shows the Supplements Aren't Effective to Ease Pain of Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis
By Denise Mann
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Sept 16, 2010 -- The popular supplements glucosamine and chondroitin don't do much to relieve the pain associated with hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a new analysis of 10 studies.

This is not the first time that research has cast doubt on the effectiveness of these two supplements. The heavily anticipated, government-funded Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) also showed that overall they did not improve knee OA pain. A follow-up arm of this study showed that they did not do any better than placebo in slowing loss of cartilage that occurs in osteoarthritis of the knee. OA is the wear-and-tear form of arthritis, and affects more than 20 million people.

A smaller subset of GAIT participants with moderate-to-severe OA pain, however, did get some relief with the combined supplements. Because this group was small, researchers said the findings were preliminary and needed to be confirmed in further studies.

The new analysis of 10 studies, comprising 3,803 people, reinforces the negative findings of the GAIT trial.Glucosamine, chondroitin, or their combination are no better than placebo (dummy pill) when it comes to joint pain and joint space narrowing, the new study shows.

(More here.)