Glucosamine does not help with osteoarthritis
The results of a study conducted by scientists at the University of Arizona showed that oral dietary supplements based on glucosamine do not reduce pain and do not improve the condition of cartilage tissue in patients with osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and one of the main causes of disability in the elderly. Patients with this disease often resort to alternative methods of treatment, including taking medications whose active ingredient is glucosamine. Earlier studies have shown that glucosamine is in second place in popularity among biologically active additives of natural origin. According to the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Gallup Institute of Public Opinion in 2007, 10% of Americans over the age of 18 took glucosamine, while the volume of sales of this drug at the global level exceeded 2 billion US dollars.
A double-blind placebo-controlled study conducted by the authors involved 201 people experiencing mild or moderate pain in one or both knee joints. Participants were randomly divided into groups that received 1,500 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride dissolved in a 450 ml bottle of carbonated beverage or placebo daily for 24 weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to assess the condition of the cartilage tissue of patients.
The study did not reveal any differences between the dynamics of cartilage tissue degradation and other symptoms of the disease detected by MRI in the participants of the experimental group and the placebo group. It also turned out that glucosamine intake does not reduce the urinary excretion of type II collagen C-telopeptides (CTX-II), which is a prognostic factor for the destruction of cartilage tissue. There was also no demonstrated positive effect of taking this popular dietary supplement on the severity of pain syndrome and joint functioning.
Article by C. Kent Kwoh et al. The Joints on Glucosamine (JOG) Study: The effect of oral glucosamine on joint structure, a randomized trial published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Wiley materials:
Glucosamine Fails to Prevent Deterioration of Knee Cartilage, Decrease Pain.
14.03.2014