In 2002 a study was done to compare the effects glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate to the prescription pain relief celecoxib (a NSAID). The study was coordinated by the School of Medicine at the University of Utah and involved 16 study centers across the United States. The study was funded by two branches of the National Institute of Health (NIH): National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). A link to the NIH general public release about the study is here: http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/gait/D310_BKG.PDF.
The study found that for moderate to severe pain the glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate treatment provided statistically significant pain relief when compared to the placebo; the prescription medication also had statistically significant pain relief. For participants with mild pain, the glucosamine and chondroitin treatment provided no statistically significant pain relief. The study also found that the glucosamine/chondroitin treatment was not effective at slowing the rate of cartilage loss when compared to the placebo treatment.
The conclusion of the study is that glucosamine/chondroitin treatments may be as effective in osteoarthritis pain as prescription NSAID treatments. However, there was no evidence to support the claims that glucosamine/chondroitin treatments can either help rebuild cartilage or slow the rate of cartilage loss.
This was a pretty interesting study, it was short but the researchers covered all their bases. I liked the question and answer format. :) I also liked that there was a section where the side effects were mentioned, this is always something I like to keep in mind while reading research papers.
ReplyDeleteThis study was very informative, however it would be interesting to explore what treatments may be effective in rebuilding cartilage or slowing the rate at which it is lost.
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