Joint & Cartilage Supplements

What are glucosamine and chondroitin? For almost two decades there has been a debate in the treatment of arthritis about the use of the joint supplements glucosamine and chondroitin. Although arthritis is common, affecting about 16 million Americans, exactly what causes the condition of cartilage damage is poorly understood.

It is known that patients with arthritis have a faster rate of cartilage breakdown, and a slower rate of cartilage production.

How do glucosamine and chondroitin work?
In the joint, cartilage undergoes a constant process of breakdown and repair. However, to be properly repaired, the building blocks of cartilage must be present and available. The theory behind using the glucosamine and chondroitin joint supplements is that more of the cartilage building blocks will be available.

Glucosamine is a precursor to a molecule called a glycosaminoglycan-this molecule is used in the formation and repair of cartilage.

Chondroitin is the most abundant glycosaminoglycan in cartilage and is responsible for the resiliency of cartilage. Treatment with these joint supplements is based on the theory that oral consumption of glucosamine and chondroitin may increase the rate of formation of new cartilage by providing more of the necessary building blocks.

One should note, however, that oral consumption of glucosamine and chondroitin does not mean that the amount of these joint supplements within the arthritic joints will change at all. It has not been shown that consumption of joint supplements increases the quantity of these cartilage building blocks within any joint.

What research has investigated glucosamine and chondroitin?
There have been numerous studies to examine the treatment effects of glucosamine and chondroitin over short periods of time. Most of these studies last only one to two months; however, they have indicated that patients experienced more pain reduction when taking the joint supplements than patients receiving a placebo. The improvement experienced by these patients was similar to improvements experienced by patients taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) which have been a mainstay of non-operative arthritis treatment. The difference is that NSAIDs carry an increased risk of side effects including gastrointestinal complaints and bleeding.

The joint supplements glucosamine and chondroitin have few side effects, and thus their use would be preferred if the effects of pain reduction were indeed the same. Furthermore, there is an indication that NSAIDs may increase the progression of arthritis, whereas glucosamine and chondroitin may offer a more protective effect to the cartilage surface.

How can the debate about glucosamine and chondroitin be solved?
There have been some recent investigations that are focusing on the two primary problems of earlier studies into the supplements glucosamine and chondroitin:
Studying more patients
Following these patients for a longer period of time

Because arthritis is a chronic disease that progresses slowly over time, in order to test a treatment, a long period of follow-up is necessary. In one recent study, the effects of chondroitin in 372 patients over a minimum three month period was published. This study, which combined the data from other smaller studies, found that patients did have an improvement in their symptoms of pain.

There have also been long-term studies lasting over one year into the effects of glucosamine.

These studies also have shown encouraging results. A presentation at the 1999 meeting of the American College of Rheumatology illustrated the findings of a three year long European study that compared the effects of glucosamine versus placebo in about 200 patients. The group of patients taking glucosamine had both subjective (less pain) and objective (no changes on x-ray) findings that were significantly better than the group of patients taking the placebo.

Is there a bottom line?
Again, the results of studies investigating glucosamine and chondroitin have been encouraging, but have not passed the test of a well-designed study to be accepted into the primary treatment plan for osteoarthritis. Furthermore, because these are unregulated supplements, a particular bottle of glucosamine or chondroitin may or may not be of satisfactory quality.

Ultimately, what patients should understand, is that glucosamine and chondroitin have shown evidence that these supplements MAY provide help with treating osteoarthritis. However, these studies have ranged from poor to satisfactory in quality, and in order to be accepted as an effective treatment for osteoarthritis, more research must be completed.

What is known, is that there are effective treatments for osteoarthritis that every patient should be using before considering these supplements. Specifically, recommendations for weight control, exercise, proper use of medications, and joint protection are known to minimize the progression and improve symptoms of osteoarthritis. These steps must be taken by all arthritis patients for optimal treatment to take place.