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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2007;297:351-352.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

While researchers continue to search for drugs targeting the cartilage loss that occurs with osteoarthritis, many patients with this condition and other causes of joint pain are emptying drug store shelves of the over-the-counter dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. An estimated 1 million people take these products regularly, spending between $800 and $1000 per person per year, said Marc Hochberg, MD, MPH, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore.

Although glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are often touted in the lay press as remedies for osteoarthritis, which affects at least 20 million US adults, their effectiveness in easing joint pain and preventing disease progression is unproven. Anecdotal reports from patients and results from studies in animals, particularly horses (Goodrich LR and Nixon AJ. Vet J. 2006;171:51-69), indicate that the supplements' effects are not likely solely attributable to a placebo effect.

Interpretation of results . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RESEARCH HISTORY



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