Joint pain can come from numerous types of arthritis including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid, gout and even TMJ. At times joint pain can be very debilitating and interfere with our lives. Glucosamine is one supplement that might help relieve joint pain and arthritis. What do the studies say?
What is Arthritis
Arthritis actually means joint inflammation, and there are more than 100 conditions that can be classified as arthritis.
Simply put, a joint is where a bone moves against another bone. Some examples of joints are the knees, elbow, ankle, jaw (TMJ), shoulder, wrists,and fingers. Cartilage is the tough and flexible tissue that covers the end of the bones at a joint.
Joint pain can be caused by an injury to the joint or ligaments that hold the bones and joint together and helps them move. Joint pain from arthritis can also be caused by the joint wearing out or actually losing the fluid causing the cartilage to wear down.
Osteoarthritis
Most of the studies with glucosamine dealt with osteoarthritis, which is the most common type of arthritis and joint pain.
About Glucosamine
Glucosamine can be made naturally in our body by combining sugar with the amino acid glutamine. It is the combination of glutamine and glucose, which is what the body turns simple sugars and carbohydrates into. As we age, our natural production of glucosamine decreases.
The thinking behind glucosamine supplements is that since our naturally occurring glucosamine is what heals and maintains our cartilage, a supplement would do the same thing.
The Different Types of Glucosamine
There are different types of glucosamine supplements, glucosamine hydrochloride, and glucosamine sulfate.
There is a much higher amount of sodium in glucosamine sulfate than in glucosamine hydrochloride. If you have a problem with too much sodium, you should check the sodium amount on the container.
Does Glucosamine Work
As usual, there are conflicting findings with numerous studies. In 2002, a three-year randomized placebo-controlled study using 202 patients defined with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee were given 1500 mg (milligrams) of glucosamine sulfate once per day with the second group given a placebo.
The study tested the narrowing of the joint spacing (narrowing means worsening) and found that there was no further narrowing with the patients using the glucosamine sulfate.
The narrowing did progress in the placebo group. Significant improvement was found with pain, stiffness, and function of the knee joints. The conclusion of this study was that glucosamine slowed the progression of knee osteoarthritis [1].
A large 6- month double-blind placebo-controlled study, titled GAIT (Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial) and reported in the February 2006 New England Journal of Medicine, studied 1583 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
This study was designed to find out if these supplements alone or together would be effective in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis compared with the celecoxib (COX-2 inhibitor) or a placebo. The group was given one of the five following treatments per day:
- 500 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride 3 times per day (1500 mg daily), or
- 400 mg of chondroitin sulfate 3 times per day (1200 mg daily), or
- Combination of 500 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride 3 times per day (1500 mg daily) plus 400 mg of chondroitin sulfate 3 times per day (1200 mg daily), or
- 200 mg of celecoxib (Celebrex by Pfizer) per day, or
- A placebo
The conclusion of the GAIT study was that glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin alone or in combination did not effectively reduce pain in the overall group with knee osteoarthritis.
In a subgroup of patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis pain, this combination did reduce pain more than the placebo did.
This could be because those with more severe knee joint pain were more readily able to notice the relief from the pain [2].
Glucosamine for Rheumatoid Arthritis
A small 12-week-long study in 2007 of 51 patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed noticeable improvements in symptoms. 25 of the patients received 1,500 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride per day and 26 patients received a placebo [3].
Chondroitin
Sometimes these supplements combine both glucosamine with chondroitin. Chondroitin can be synthetically made and or made from shark or cow cartilage.
Glucosamine with Fish Oil Relieves Joint Pain from Arthritis
A new study using glucosamine combined with modest amounts of omega-3fish oil was found to bring significantly better relieve of joint pain than glucosamine by itself.
The study used 177 patients with moderate to severe knee or hip pain from arthritis. Half the patients received 1,500 mg glucosamine sulfate and the other half used 1,500 mg of glucosamine sulfate combined with 440 mg of fish oil daily for 26 weeks [5].
Conclusion
Most doctors will recommend trying 1,500 mg of glucosamine for 90 days. If there is no improvement in your joint pain, you could then try it again with the other type of glucosamine, hydrochloride or sulfate.
Glucosamine warnings and Side Effects
In theory, glucosamine could worsen bleeding in people with a bleeding condition or who take any blood-thinning medications.
Make sure you talk to your doctor if you are on any type of medication, especially insulin, heart medication, and Warfarin or another blood thinner. Some Glucosamine products could be high in sodium, causing a problem for people with high blood pressure.
Always talk to your doctor before taking supplements. Supplements can interfere with medications.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
© 2010 Sam Montana
