Many people suffering from osteoarthritis of the hip rely on their daily dose of glucosamine to help them make it smoothly and painlessly through the day. A recent study suggests the glucosamine might not be that effective after all.
According to study spokesperson Rianna Rozendaal, MSc, of the Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands, patients in a controlled trial study of the effects of glucosamine sulfate versus a placebo did not get any better relief from the glucosamine sulfate than patients receiving the placebo instead.

Pain and function were measured before, during, and after the trial with focus on the hip only. The narrowing of joint space in the hip was also measured at intervals using a weight-bearing anteroposterior hip x-ray. No other joints were included in the study.

Each patient who received glucosamine sulfate took 1,500 mg/day for two years. All study participants were in the early stages of osteoporosis of the hip.

Final analysis identified the rate of improvement as insignificant between patients receiving glucosamine sulfate and those receiving the placebo.

During the study, 15 of the 222 study participants underwent hip replacement surgeries, which made analysis a bit complicated.

Critics of the study praised the methods but expressed concerns with other issues, such as the expected rate of cartilage reduction and the fact that only the hip joint was studied. It was suggested the study might have produced different results if it had been extended for another year or if patients with more severe osteoarthritis were studied instead.

As the debate continues, the February 19 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine carries the full story.

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine