Study: Supplements Fail to Ease Arthritis

[Guest guest]

Interesting article...what's even more interesting is who did the study

 

http://news./s/ap/20060223/ap_on_he_me/diet_arthritis;_ylt=AnZyBAQixPZr\

_LRPcwdMbBOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3czJjNGZoBHNlYwM3NTE-

 

Two hot-selling supplements used by millions of Americans are of

little help to most people with mild arthritis, concludes a large

government study that is part of an effort to scrutinize unproven

health remedies.

 

For most arthritis patients with aching knees, the health food store

supplements, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, turned out to be no

better than dummy pills. People who had more acute knee pain seemed to

show some benefit.

 

Because of that hint of possible relief and other factors, the study

may not settle the debate about these unproven treatments even though

it's considered the largest and most scientific test to date.

 

" We still have a bit of a conundrum, " said Dr. Tim McAlindon, a Tufts

University rheumatologist who had no role in the research.

 

Rheumatologist Dr. Daniel Clegg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake

City, who led the study, suggested people with severe arthritis talk

to their doctors about trying the supplements short-term to see if

they work.

 

More than 20 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, the most

common form of arthritis. That number is expected to double in the

next two decades as baby boomers age. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative

joint disease that affects the knees, hips, back and the small joints

in the fingers.

 

The search for pain relief helped boost worldwide sales of glucosamine

and chondroitin to $1.7 billion last year, according to the Nutrition

Business Journal, which tracks supplements. The supplements — made

from animal cartilage and shellfish — have had even wider appeal amid

safety concerns over certain painkillers, including the arthritis

medicine Vioxx, which was yanked from the market in 2004.

 

At least 5 million Americans use the two supplements either alone or

together, government figures show.

President Bush was among the customers for a while because of knee

pain, but spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday the president no

longer takes the supplements. Bush has replaced running with mountain

biking.

 

The supplements showed no known side effects during the government's

six-month study, but the scientists didn't address the safety of

longer-term use.

 

The arthritis research, published in Thursday's

New England Journal of Medicine, is the third major study in a year to

find no overall benefit from some of the most popular nutritional

supplements. Recently, research showed the herb saw palmetto didn't

reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate, and last year a study

indicated echinacea didn't prevent or treat colds.

 

Unlike drugs, such supplements are only loosely regulated by the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration and their makers don't have to prove the

products are safe or effective.

 

The Arthritis Foundation said Wednesday it was recommending people

with severe knee pain speak to their doctors about whether combined

glucosamine-chondroitin therapy might be a good addition to their

overall treatment. Generally, arthritis sufferers are urged to

exercise, keep their weight down and try hot and cold therapy, along

with painkillers if needed.

 

One person who plans to keep using the supplements is 72-year-old

Irene Schwartzburt. She said the remedies relieved the " sticking pain "

in her right knee when painkillers failed.

 

" I want to stay active, " said the retired teacher from Plainview, N.Y.

" The supplements work for me so why not continue with them? "

 

In the government study, funded by the

National Institutes of Health, 1,583 patients with arthritis knee pain

received one of five treatments: either glucosamine or chondroitin, a

combination of both, the painkiller Celebrex or dummy pills. Neither

the doctors nor patients knew which treatment was given.

 

After six months, patients filled out a questionnaire to determine how

many felt a 20 percent reduction in pain. Researchers found the

supplements when taken alone or together were no more effective than

dummy pills at pain relief.

 

Sixty percent who took the dummy medication had reduced pain compared

with 64 percent who took glucosamine, 65 percent who took chondroitin

and 67 percent who took the combo pills. These differences were so

small that they could have occurred by chance alone.

 

The drug Celebrex did reduce pain — 70 percent reported improvement —

affirming the study's validity. However, the drug is being studied to

see if it's safe for people at risk of heart problems.

 

Of the 354 people with moderate to severe pain, 79 percent who took

both supplements reported relief compared with 54 percent who took the

dummy pills and 69 percent who took Celebrex.

 

In a journal editorial, Dr. Marc Hochberg of the University of

Maryland noted the study's limitations: a high dropout rate (20

percent) and a whopping 60 percent who said the dummy pills made them

feel better — double the usual placebo effect. Hochberg has received

consulting fees from Pfizer Inc., which makes Celebrex, and Merck &

Co., which made Vioxx.

 

Clegg and 10 other researchers in the study reported receiving fees or

grant support from Pfizer or McNeil Consumer & Specialty

Pharmaceuticals, which makes Tylenol.

 

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, which represents dietary

supplement makers, said it was pleased about the positive findings in

the severe arthritis group.