Debate Over Popular Arthritis Supplement Heating Up

[Guest guest]

Debate Over Popular Arthritis Supplement Heating Up

November 24, 2004 02:03:21 PM PST , HealthDay

http://health./search/healthnews?lb=s & p=id%3A65825

 

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

 

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDayNews) -- Glucosamine, the popular dietary

supplement long promoted as a natural remedy for osteoarthritis, offers

no long-term benefit, a small Canadian study suggests.

 

Supporters of the supplement, however, say that the study is far from

the last word on the subject.

 

And everyone is awaiting the results of a larger, U.S. government trial.

 

The smaller study, published in a recent issue of the journal Arthritis

& Rheumatism, tracked 137 people who took glucosamine and had had at

least moderate improvement in knee pain. British Columbia researchers

randomly assigned half to continue on glucosamine, up to 1,500

milligrams a day, and the other half to take placebo pills.

 

They followed them for six months to determine if the disease flared; if

there was a flare-up in the interim, the patients stopped taking the

supplement.

 

The glucosamine didn't help, the researchers found. " Our conclusion is

that, certainly, maintenance treatment with glucosamine is of no

benefit, " said Dr. Jolanda Cibere, a research scientist at the Arthritis

Research Centre of Canada in Vancouver and the lead author.

 

Those on glucosamine didn't report less pain or less time for the

disease to flare up again. Disease flare was seen in 42 percent of the

placebo patients and 45 percent of those on glucosamine. The use of

painkilling drugs was similar in the two groups.

 

But the study sparked disagreement, with some saying it is flawed. And

many are awaiting the results of a large clinical trial, sponsored by

the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

(NCCAM), of glucosamine and another supplement, chondroitin. Data from

the study, including more than 1,500 subjects, is currently being

analyzed so that the results can be released.

 

A second NCCAM study of glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis, which

focuses on the absorption and distribution of the two supplements in the

body, is now recruiting patients. The NCCAM is a division of the U.S.

National Institutes of Health.

 

About 21 million adults in the U.S. have osteoarthritis, the

" wear-and-tear " form of the disease that increases with age, according

to the NCCAM. Both glucosamine and chondroitin are natural substances

that are found in and around cartilage cells, and are believed to help

in the repair and maintenance of the cartilage.

 

While the medical literature has produced mixed results on the value of

glucosamine, most recent studies show a benefit, said Dr. Kevin Stone,

an orthopaedic surgeon and chairman of the Stone Foundation for Sports

Medicine and Arthritis Research in San Francisco.

 

" We recommend it for all our patients, both athletes and those with

arthritis, " said Stone. " For those with arthritis, many of our patients

have given up using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories because glucosamine

has been adequate for them. " Stone prescribes 1,500 milligrams a day,

taken all at once.

 

When some of his patients complained about the " horse pill " size of

glucosamine supplements, Stone founded Joint Juice, a company that sells

glucosamine in liquid form.

 

Stone called the British Columbia study flawed. Among the problems, he

said, was to do it as a " discontinuation " study -- that is, to have some

patients stop taking the supplement.

 

" This discontinuation study method has never been used in osteoarthritis

before, " Stone said. " It's completely invalidated. "

 

But Cibere disagreed, saying the method makes sense. In her study, all

patients had reported improvement in knee pain when they began on

glucosamine, and her point was to determine if the therapy worked

long-term or if the disease flared up after they stayed on the therapy.

[Guest guest]

I am taking MSM and Glucocosamine, usually twice a day, for bone spurs and

shoulder problems. It was recommended to me to take for a month or more

before the healing effects would kick in and that was the case. Then just

keep on taking it. My son the Chiropractor did a study published in a

Chiropractic Journal with over 100 references to the uses of glucosamine,

a couple of years back. Someone else likes it evidently! I have had

good results. NG

-

" David Elfstrom " <listbox

 

Monday, November 29, 2004 12:00 PM

Debate Over Popular Arthritis

Supplement Heating Up

 

 

>

>

> Debate Over Popular Arthritis Supplement Heating Up

> November 24, 2004 02:03:21 PM PST , HealthDay

> http://health./search/healthnews?lb=s & p=id%3A65825

>

> By Kathleen Doheny

> HealthDay Reporter

>

> WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDayNews) -- Glucosamine, the popular dietary

> supplement long promoted as a natural remedy for osteoarthritis, offers

> no long-term benefit, a small Canadian study suggests.

>

> Supporters of the supplement, however, say that the study is far from

> the last word on the subject.

>

> And everyone is awaiting the results of a larger, U.S. government trial.

>

> The smaller study, published in a recent issue of the journal Arthritis

> & Rheumatism, tracked 137 people who took glucosamine and had had at

> least moderate improvement in knee pain. British Columbia researchers

> randomly assigned half to continue on glucosamine, up to 1,500

> milligrams a day, and the other half to take placebo pills.

>

> They followed them for six months to determine if the disease flared; if

> there was a flare-up in the interim, the patients stopped taking the

> supplement.

>

> The glucosamine didn't help, the researchers found. " Our conclusion is

> that, certainly, maintenance treatment with glucosamine is of no

> benefit, " said Dr. Jolanda Cibere, a research scientist at the Arthritis

> Research Centre of Canada in Vancouver and the lead author.

>

> Those on glucosamine didn't report less pain or less time for the

> disease to flare up again. Disease flare was seen in 42 percent of the

> placebo patients and 45 percent of those on glucosamine. The use of

> painkilling drugs was similar in the two groups.

>

> But the study sparked disagreement, with some saying it is flawed. And

> many are awaiting the results of a large clinical trial, sponsored by

> the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

> (NCCAM), of glucosamine and another supplement, chondroitin. Data from

> the study, including more than 1,500 subjects, is currently being

> analyzed so that the results can be released.

>

> A second NCCAM study of glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis, which

> focuses on the absorption and distribution of the two supplements in the

> body, is now recruiting patients. The NCCAM is a division of the U.S.

> National Institutes of Health.

>

> About 21 million adults in the U.S. have osteoarthritis, the

> " wear-and-tear " form of the disease that increases with age, according

> to the NCCAM. Both glucosamine and chondroitin are natural substances

> that are found in and around cartilage cells, and are believed to help

> in the repair and maintenance of the cartilage.

>

> While the medical literature has produced mixed results on the value of

> glucosamine, most recent studies show a benefit, said Dr. Kevin Stone,

> an orthopaedic surgeon and chairman of the Stone Foundation for Sports

> Medicine and Arthritis Research in San Francisco.

>

> " We recommend it for all our patients, both athletes and those with

> arthritis, " said Stone. " For those with arthritis, many of our patients

> have given up using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories because glucosamine

> has been adequate for them. " Stone prescribes 1,500 milligrams a day,

> taken all at once.

>

> When some of his patients complained about the " horse pill " size of

> glucosamine supplements, Stone founded Joint Juice, a company that sells

> glucosamine in liquid form.

>

> Stone called the British Columbia study flawed. Among the problems, he

> said, was to do it as a " discontinuation " study -- that is, to have some

> patients stop taking the supplement.

>

> " This discontinuation study method has never been used in osteoarthritis

> before, " Stone said. " It's completely invalidated. "

>

> But Cibere disagreed, saying the method makes sense. In her study, all

> patients had reported improvement in knee pain when they began on

> glucosamine, and her point was to determine if the therapy worked

> long-term or if the disease flared up after they stayed on the therapy.

>