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Glucosamine: Does it protect cartilage in osteoarthritis?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/glucosamine/AN00619
- With Mayo Clinic rheumatologist
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
Dr. April Chang-Miller is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology and is a consultant in the Division of Rheumatology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
Dr. Chang-Miller's primary field is rheumatology with special interests in inflammatory joint diseases called seronegative spondyloarthropathies, such as ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. She also cares for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.
The New York City native is a graduate of the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Chang-Miller joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Rochester, Minn., in 1991, and in 2002 she relocated to Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She is a fellow in the American College of Rheumatology and has been on the board of directors of the Arthritis Foundation North Central Chapter.
Definition (1)
- 'Degenerative changes' in the spine: Is this arthritis?
Symptoms (1)
- Tailbone pain: How can I relieve it?
Treatments and drugs (4)
- Botox injections: Can they relieve arthritis pain?
- Hip resurfacing: An alternative to conventional hip replacement?
- Opioids: Safe for older people?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Lifestyle and home remedies (3)
- Glucosamine: Does it affect blood sugar?
- MSM for arthritis pain: Is it safe?
- Water exercise: Does pool temperature matter?
Alternative medicine (2)
- Yucca: Can it relieve arthritis pain?
- Glucosamine: Does it protect cartilage in osteoarthritis?
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Question
Glucosamine: Does it protect cartilage in osteoarthritis?
Can glucosamine supplements protect my knee cartilage from osteoarthritis?
Answer
from April Chang-Miller, M.D.
Glucosamine is a natural compound in your body that helps make your cartilage strong and rigid. In Europe, glucosamine is a prescription drug with a standardized formula. In the United States and some parts of Asia, glucosamine is sold over the counter as a dietary supplement.
Many people regularly take glucosamine to protect cartilage, as well as to help manage osteoarthritis pain. In theory, some of the glucosamine in dietary supplements makes its way from your digestive tract to damaged joints, where it reinforces worn cartilage. But research has never demonstrated this effect.
Studies randomly assigning people with knee arthritis to two or three years of treatment with glucosamine or placebo have found that the rate of cartilage loss — measured as narrowing of space in the knee joint on X-rays over time — has been about the same in both groups.
Some experts consider glucosamine supplements harmless. If you're already being treated for arthritis, though, talk to your doctor before you take glucosamine or any other dietary supplement.
Next question'Degenerative changes' in the spine: Is this arthritis?
- Towheed T, et al. Glucosamine therapy for treating osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005:CD002946.
- Lee LH, et al. Effect of glucosamine and chondroitin on the osteoarthritis progression: a meta-analysis. Rheumatology International. 2010;30:357.
- Wandel S, et al. Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis. British Medical Journal. 2010;341:c4675. http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c4675.long. Accessed April 25, 2011.
- Sawitzke AD, et al. The effect of glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulfate on the progression of knee osteoarthritis: A report from the glucosamine/chondroitin arthritis intervention trial. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2008. 58:3183.
- Chang-Miller A (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 25, 2011.
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