Glucosamine New hope for thousands of Arthritis Sufferers

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Initial Results of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funded Study

Reveal Glucosamine and Chondroitin Effective in Treating Moderate to

Severe Osteoarthritis Knee Pain. Thursday November 10,

Findings Bring New Hope for Millions of Americans Suffering from

Arthritis

Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- For 21 million Americans hobbled by

osteoarthritis, new science confirms nutritional supplements

glucosamine and chondroitin are the right combination for effective

knee pain relief(1). The Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis

Intervention Trial (GAIT), funded by NIH, rigorously evaluated the

efficacy and safety of glucosamine and chondroitin in 1,258 people,

concluding in its abstract that the " combination of glucosamine and

chondroitin sulfate is effective in treating moderate to severe knee

pain due to osteoarthritis. "

 

GAIT lead researcher Daniel O. Clegg, M.D., Professor of Medicine and

Chief of Rheumatology at the University of Utah, will present

findings from the full study on November 14, 2005 at the American

College of Rheumatology's Scientific Meeting in San Diego, California.

" GAIT brings good news to adults suffering from the wear and tear of

cartilage degeneration, particularly those who cannot tolerate the

side effects of taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

(NSAIDs), " said C. Thomas Vangsness, Jr., MD, Professor Orthopaedic

Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern

California. " For years glucosamine and chondroitin have been well

recognized alternative solutions to pharmaceutical options in

treating osteoarthritis patients in Europe, Asia and Russia. In fact,

preliminary results reported in the GAIT abstract indicated

glucosamine and chondroitin were found to be more effective than

Celebrex® in treating moderate to severe knee pain. Clearly, the GAIT

abstract suggests glucosamine and chondroitin together may be a good

non-surgical pain relief choice for arthritis patients, " added Dr.

Vangsness.

 

Funded by NIH, the $14 million GAIT study is the largest placebo

controlled, double blind, clinical trial ever conducted to test the

effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin. All 1,258 patients who

completed the study were over the age of 40 with knee pain and

randomly assigned placebo; glucosamine 1500 mg; chondroitin 1200mg;

glucosamine/chondroitin at above mentioned doses; or celecoxib

(Celebrex) 200 mg daily for 6 months. The abstract published each

treatment group's response rate to pain. Of note, the group taking

the glucosamine/chondroitin combination experienced greater relief

for the treatment of moderate to severe knee pain than the Celebrex

group.

 

GAIT was designed to test the safety and efficacy of glucosamine and

chondroitin alone and in combination in reducing knee pain associated

with osteoarthritis. The study's abstract concluded that when taken

together, " glucosamine and chondroitin is effective in treating

moderate to severe knee pain due to OA [osteoarthritis]. "

Naturally occurring in the body, glucosamine stimulates the

production of cartilage, the connective tissue which cushions joints.

Chondroitin is also naturally occurring in the body and like

glucosamine stimulates the production of cartilage. Previous research

indicates glucosamine is just as effective as non-steroidal anti-

inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in reducing osteoarthritis pain and has

fewer gastrointestinal side effects than NSAIDs.

 

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans (nearly 70 million) live with some form of

arthritis, costing the United States $82.5 billion a year in

healthcare costs related to treating the illness.(2) For arthritis

knee pain sufferers who find relief in taking glucosamine and

chondroitin, they will also find the supplements to be great values.

Widely used in Europe for years to treat osteoarthritis, glucosamine

and chondroitin are safe and effective nutritional supplements, as

proven by the GAIT abstract.