Glucosamine remains one of the most popular dietary supplements for arthritis despite a lack of convincing evidence that it helps. Now a study from the University of Arizona has once again demonstrated no significant difference in knee pain or cartilage damage between people taking glucosamine and those on placebo.
Two hundred people with chronic knee pain were recruited to the study and randomly assigned to drink a 16-ounce diet lemonade containing 1500 mg glucosamine or placebo daily. The study lasted six months, and cartilage was assessed by MRI. Pain was evaluated with standardized scales [WOMAC].
The investigators were chagrined to discover that there was less deterioration in knee cartilage than they had expected, even among those on placebo, meaning that the study did not have enough power to detect moderate differences. The consensus among scientists familiar with the study, however, is that it confirms results of an earlier study conducted by NIH showing that glucosamine and chondroitin are ineffective for treating osteoarthritis of the knee.
[Arthritis & Rheumatology, online March 11, 2014]
Although home remedies have for the most part not been subjected to double-blind trials, some people find them helpful. We list quite a few popular ones in our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis.
