Lee Swanson Research Update

Studies Confirm Efficacy of Glucosamine, Chondroitin

February 2006

GAIT study

Advance findings of the so-called GAIT Study (the National Institutes of Health Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial), released at a meeting of the 10th World Congress on Osteoarthritis, OARSI (Osteoarthritis Research Society International), support the role of glucosamine and chondroitin in promoting joint health in osteoarthritis patients.

The congress was a global forum for scientists, clinical investigators, clinicians, rheumatologists, orthopedists and professionals interested in the latest research and treatments for osteoarthritis. Highlights of the event included approximately 30 different presentations of pre-clinical and clinical studies in which the efficacy of chondroprotection (chondroitin and glucosamine) was confirmed.

According to the researchers, 1,258 people participated in the trial, and results showed that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin is better than placebo, although the severity of pain tended to influence the findings. Subjects with mild pain received modest help. Among those with moderate to severe pain, however, 79% who took the glucosamine and chondroitin reported pain relief, as opposed to just 66% who took glucosamine alone, 61% who took chondroitin alone and 54% who took placebo.

A second, smaller study, the GUIDE trial, conducted in Spain and Portugal, pitted a 1,500 mg daily regimen of glucosamine against a 3,000 mg daily dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) in 318 people with osteoarthritic knees. According to an article in Arthritis Today, the official publication of the mainstream Arthritis Foundation, "The researchers concluded that glucosamine relieved pain significantly better than the acetaminophen or placebo."

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