I’ve noticed that the latest “natural” nutrient/supplement fad has been glucosamine and chondroitin, to improve/repair joints… joint pain/arthritis. Is this the latest do-nothing fad, or do they actually have a scientific basis behind them… do they work? In other words, are they anything more than “magnetic bracelets”? I see even the big companies (Advil) has gotten into the market with Flexagen or whatever it’s called. Anyone try/use it?
I can’t give you any cites. However my SO is a physician, and does take it for minor arthritis. He says several of the ortho surgeons he knows recommend it to their patients.
FWIW, I’ve been giving it to my arthritic older dog, and it does seem to be helping. She can walk longer without starting to limp.
There doesn’t seem to be much decent evidence one way or another: Glucosamine for better knees
Given the ease with which cells can make their own glucosamine and chondroitin I’m inclined to think it’s a scam, but if we’re at the point of grasping for straws, it might be worth a shot.
The Arthritis Foundation says it works. Eases pain and rebuilds cartilege. They say the research on chondroitin was still inconclusive, but the glucosamine research was pretty solid. I switched my elderly dog to a food containing both chemicals, and it seemed to help him. I took g &c pills myself for a few weeks, but I seemed to be allergic to them, and I quit. The chondroitin is derived from shellfish shells, and if you’re allergic to that, g&c may give you trouble.
As I posted in the link Squink gave:
[Q] Doctors from Boston U. School of Medicine conducted a meta-analysis of research studies on glucosamine and chondroitin. Only the highest quality placebo-controlled, double-blind, and randomized studies were included in the analysis. They concluded that glucosamine and chondroitin are quite effective in treating the symptoms of osteoarthritis, but raised two points: no regulation of the supplements and the studies that show no effect may be less likely to be published and therefore skew the analysis. (Running & FitNews, June 2000) [/Q]
Other defects were pointed out in that link. Nonetheless, there is a bulk of good evidence for their efficacy.