Chondroitin & Osteoarthritis

According to the Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT II), people with milder forms of osteoarthritis may benefit the most from chondroitin supplementation.*

Researchers Hochberg and Clegg, looked at data from 1,583 people with an average age of 58.6. Of these participants, 64 per cent were women, and 26.9 per cent of the study population suffered from swollen joints. Patients given chondroitin supplementation had significant improvement in knee pain compared to those given a placebo. A subset of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain at the beginning of the study, who were assigned to the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, did seem to experience some improvement. Additionally, patients taking chondroitin sulfate were noted to have a statistically significant improvement in knee joint swelling. Daniel Fabricant, vice president of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at the National Products Association said “If you look at the body of research there is plenty of evidence that glucosamine and chondroitin work for the estimated 20m Americans with osteoarthritis.”

Glucosamine is historically extracted from the shell of crabs, lobster and shrimps. Vitamin Health offers Neoflex® Caplets (Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM), and now non-animal, non-shellfish derived glucosamine in its new Neoflex® Powder.

*M.C. Hochberg, D.O. Clegg. “Potential effects of chondroitin sulfate on joint swelling: a GAIT report” Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. October 2008, Volume 16, Supplement 3, Pages S22-S24.