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Glucosamine Proven
to Reduce Cartilage Damage
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Supplement
Appears to Help Patients with Arthritis
NEW
YORK – January 26, 2001-- An over-the-counter
dietary supplement touted as an arthritis treatment
may indeed provide relief to millions of people
who suffer from osteoarthritis, the type of arthritis
that occurs with aging, a team of researchers
concludes.
Their
study found that after 3 years, glucosamine sulfate
reduced cartilage damage and improved osteoarthritis
symptoms up to 25% in patients taking the supplement,
compared with those taking a placebo, or inactive
treatment.
Osteoarthritis
is caused by a gradual breakdown in cartilage
and bone, and can lead to pain and limit daily
functioning, especially in the elderly. Nearly
40 million Americans have the disorder. While
many of these patients rely on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen to
ease pain and symptoms, an increasing number are
turning to 'natural' remedies such as glucosamine
because Aspirin is now known to cause internal
bleeding that kills 18,000+ Americans annually.
In
this most recent glucosamine study 212 patients
with osteoarthritis of the knees took either 1,500
milligrams (mg) oral glucosamine sulphate or a
placebo once a day. Patients on the placebo experienced
significantly more cartilage degeneration than
did patients taking glucosamine sulfate..
There
were no serious side effects to glucosamine, the
researchers noted.
“Symptoms
worsened slightly in patients on placebo compared
with the improvement observed after treatment
with glucosamine sulfate,'' according to Dr. Jean
Yves Reginster, from the University of Liege in
Belgium, and colleagues.
Dr.
Lucio C. Rovati, a co-author, noted that the supplement
is a prescription drug in over 40 countries including
most countries in Europe. In countries where it
is available without a prescription, such as the
US, doctors who recommend glucosamine should make
sure they are prescribing quality products, he
added. Cheaper products probably won’t cause
side effects, but they probably won’t work
either.
“Better
regulation will be helpful in the future to correctly
direct physicians,'' Rovati said. More studies
will need to confirm whether glucosamine can prevent
the need for joint surgery and lower the risk
of disability over a longer period.
Still,
the findings point to a new and effective therapy
for a painful and debilitating disorder. Dr. Tim
McAlindon, from the Arthritis Center at Boston
University Medical Center in Massachusetts, calls
the report “a landmark in osteoarthritis
research'' for highlighting the potential benefits
of a nutritional supplement.”
Although
inestimable financial resources have been poured
into the development of a panoply of pain medications,
scarce attention has been given to the notion
that progression of osteoarthritis could be retarded
by drugs, let alone by a nutritional product.
In
December, the National Institutes of Health said
it would begin one of the first trials of glucosamine
for arthritis and joint pain. The $14 million
study will investigate whether the supplement,
which is widely sold as an aid to joint pain,
actually works.
U.S.
sales of the supplement, usually derived from
the shells of shellfish, now top $230 million
a year, according to the Nutrition Business Journal,
which tracks sales of dietary supplements.
SOURCE:
The Lancet 2001;357:247-248, 251-256.
Glucosamine
sulfate, together with Chondroitin sulfate and
Hyaluronic acid, promote the production of building
blocks that account for one third of the joint
cartilage. Seventy five percent of the remaining
cartilage is composed of collagen.
For
information about Dr. Hansen’s Joint Repair
Formula that addresses all components of the
joint, click here: Joint
Repair
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