Glucosamine
(Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chitosamine, Glucosamine Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride and N-Acetyl Glucosamine)
What is it?
Glucosamine sulfate is a compound that your body uses to make cartilage.
Does it occur naturally in the body?
What are the claims?
That people with arthritis may not produce enough glucosamine, and that by taking it as a supplement might help restore eroded cartilage in arthritic joints.
Does it work?
In a 2003 study researchers analyzed data from 15 studies that involved glucosamine. The result is that researchers concluded, "We found that the drugs do work on symptoms - mobility, pain relief, quality of life - and that they are very safe."
Another study by scientists in Belgium reported in the Journal of the North American Menopause Society (11: 138-143, 2004) that post-menopausal women who took 1,500 milligrams of glucosamine for three years demonstrated improvement in knee cartilage, while those in the placebo group showed cartilage deterioration.
In 2006 a study was finished by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and skin Diseases. 1,583 patients who had symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee were studied to determine benefit. Participants were randomly assigned to receive glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, both supplements, an anti inflammatory Celebrex or a placebo. There was no statistical benefit for any group other than the one taking Celebrex.
Based on the studies, glucosamine MAY benefit post-menopausal women but doesn't seem to offer any benefit for people with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee.
What are the dangers?
Only mild side effects have been reported which include nausea, diarrhea, increased blood-clotting time, constipation and heartburn. During the Belgium study, possible side effects noted include resistance to insulin and IGF-1 (two important tissue building hormones). In addition, researchers have noted that it may be less risky than conventional non-steroidal (NSAID) painkillers which can cause stomach bleeding and even liver or kidney damage with long term use.
The Bottom Line
Glucosamine has only clinically been shown to provide benefit for post-menopausal women (especially when paired with chondroitin). For that group it seems to have few side effects.
If you are experiencing joint pain due to symptomatic osteoarthritis, glucosamine does not appear to offer any benefit.
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