Glucosamine
A natural component of cartilage, and one of the most widely studied — and most hotly debated — joint supplements.
Benefits
- Relieves knee pain and stiffness at a dose of 1,500 mg of sulphate per day — just as effectively as ibuprofen over a four-week period, with significantly fewer gastrointestinal side effects
- Slows the loss of knee joint volume over 3 years, whereas the placebo group continues to experience a decline
- Eight years later, 6.3 per cent of the patients treated had received a knee replacement, compared with 14.5 per cent of those on the placebo
- When combined with chondroitin, it proved just as effective as celecoxib over a six-month period in 606 patients
Precautions
Often extracted from shellfish shells: avoid if you have an allergy. Monitoring is recommended in cases of diabetes or where anticoagulant treatment is being taken. It is also important to note that the results are decidedly mixed. The largest independent trials — including GAIT, involving 1,583 patients — found no greater benefit than placebo in terms of pain relief. The form matters: glucosamine sulphate shows an effect, whereas glucosamine hydrochloride does not, and the trials funded by the manufacturer of the most widely studied form are the most favourable. Allow at least 8 weeks before making a judgement, and stop if there is no improvement.
Recommended dosage
1,500 mg of glucosamine sulphate per day, taken as a single dose or in divided doses. Allow at least 8 weeks before assessing the effect.
What the studies say
Une vaste étude a évalué l'efficacité et la sécurité de la glucosamine et du sulfate de chondroïtine, seuls ou combinés, pour l'arthrose du genou chez 1583 patients. Dans l'ensemble, ces compléments n'ont pas réduit la douleur significativement mieux que le placebo. Cependant, une analyse exploratoire a suggéré que la combinaison de glucosamine et de chondroïtine pourrait être efficace pour les patients souffrant de douleurs modérées à sévères au genou. Les effets indésirables étaient légers et peu fréquents.
Clegg DO, Reda DJ, Harris CL, Klein MA, O'Dell JR, Hooper MM, Bradley JD, Bingham CO, Weisman MH, Jackson CG, Lane NE, Cush JJ, Moreland LW, Schumacher HR, Oddis CV, Wolfe F, Molitor JA, Yocum DE, Schnitzer TJ, Furst DE, Sawitzke AD, Shi H, Brandt KD, Moskowitz RW, Williams HJ. — The New England journal of medicine (2006) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more