Summary
Many people who suffer from osteoarthritis take supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin to fight the pain associated with the disease, but medical researchers are torn on their effectiveness. Supporters point to some very successful trials, but others say that more research is needed and more data needs to be collected before any conclusions can be made.
Glucosamine is supposed to repair cartilage damaged by osteoarthritis while chondroitin helps keep cartilage elastic. At least that is the theory. It is still unclear why or how it works, if indeed it does work, but many arthritis sufferers have used these supplements and found that they provide relief for their joint pain.
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Details
Glucosamine, often recommended for joint pain, is one of the most popular supplements on the market.
And considering the health concerns recently associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, I thought it would be worth looking into whether glucosamine lives up to the hype.
Background: Glucosamine and chondroitin are often combined together and used to treat osteoarthritis (OA), which occurs when the cartilage covering the end of the bone near the joint breaks down.
The most common treatments for OA are nonprescription, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - pain relievers like Tylenol, ibuprofen or aspirin - as well as the prescription medications Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex, which you've probably recently heard have significant cardiovascular concerns.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are substances produced by and found naturally in the body.
The glucosamine and chondroitin in supplements are extracted from animal tissue: glucosamine from crab, lobster or shrimp shells, and chondroitin sulfate from animals such as sharks.
Some research also indicates that the supplements might slow cartilage damage in people with OA.
In fact, the Arthritis Foundation believes there is emerging evidence that glucosamine is an appropriate treatment for people with OA of the knee, providing a number of benefits, such as symptom relief, improved function and a slowdown in the progression of cartilage damage.
In a key review completed by the Arthritis Center of Boston University School of Medicine and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the authors analyzed all available
glucosamine studies, concluding, "Trials of glucosamine and chondroitin preparations for OA symptoms demonstrate moderate to large effects, but quality issues and likely publication bias suggest that these effects are exaggerated.
One thing about glucosamine no one disputes is that it's generally safe.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening.
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Wednesday, April 13, 2005
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