Are Glucosamine & Chondroitin Ineffective?

Each year Americans spend $20 billion on glucosamine and glucosamine with chonroidin compounds which occupy shelf after shelf near the vitamin section of supermarkets, pharmacies, vitamin stores and big box stores throughout the country. Since these are considered herbal supplements rather than medications, their effectiveness and side effects are not monitored by governmental agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration. My reference for the above information is from the American Family Physician, January 15, 2008 article entitled Dietary Supplements for Osteoarthritis.

The New England Journal of Medicine, February 23, 2006 reviews a double-blind test using glucosamine with and without chondroitin versus placebo to determine the effectiveness of this dietary supplement in controlling pain due to osteoarthritis pain of the knees. The conclusion of this study indicated a statistically insignificant increase in knee pain control and function over the placebo. The response to placebo alone was a 60.1% improvement reported by study subjects. The group taking glucosamine with chondroitin was only 6.5% higher than placebo, which is not statistically significant for the main group. The one subgroup that showed a possibly significant improvement was people with moderate to severe cases of knee pain.

The majority of people in the study showed little if any benefit from the supplement indicating that many billions of dollars are being spent by the American consumer for no valid reason and with no reasonable hope of improvement .

Another study by R. Hughes and A. Carr of St. Peter's Hospital, Nottingham, UK also reached the same conclusion of no statistically significant improvement in knee joint pain. "There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in knee flexion" the authors write, "but this could have been due to measurement error".

In summary, these studies conclude that with the possible exception of people with moderate to severe knee pain, glucosamine with or without chondroitin appears to provide little benefit for most users. This indicates that the consumer should be wary about spending the relatively high price of the continued use of this supplement. Website and literature indicates that there any benefits would only be seen after 2 to 3 months of continuous usage of the supplement. It is possible that positive, anecdotal testimonials are due to the normal healing process over such a prolonged period of time.

My Own Experience with Glucosamine and Chondroitin

I personally have been on three self medicated regimens of this supplement ranging from 3 to 5 months. I have not seen any difference with knee pain during any of these periods. I finally concluded that even using three different brands of expensive supplements, only my wallet was affected.
Please ask your doctor or research the literature on the internet or medical journals before spending the significant money to self medicate with this dietary supplement of dubious benefit.