Arthritis Supplements Found to Be of Little Help

By Alicia Chang

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate — two hot-selling supplements used by millions of Americans — are of little help to most people with mild arthritis, according to 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 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 is considered the largest and most scientific test to date.

“We still have a bit of a conundrum,” said Dr. Timothy E. McAlindon, a Tufts University rheumatologist who had no role in the research.

Rheumatologist Dr. Daniel O. Clegg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, who led the study, suggested that people with severe arthritis talk with their doctors about trying the supplements short- term to see whether 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 removed from the market in 2004.

At least 5 million Americans use the two supplements either alone or together, government figures show.

The supplements showed no known side effects during the government’s six-month study, but the scientists did not address the safety of longer-term use.

The arthritis research, published in today’s issue of the 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 did not reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate, and last year a study indicated that echinacea did not prevent or treat colds.

Unlike drugs, such supplements are only loosely regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and their makers do not have to prove that the products are safe or effective.

The Arthritis Foundation said Wednesday it was recommending that people with severe knee pain speak with 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.