Arthritis Supplements

The popular supplements glucosamine and chondroitin may not offer much benefit for people with mild arthritis pain, but could help people with more severe arthritis. Those are the findings of two studies presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Diego this week. The first study looked at about 1,600 people with knee osteoarthritis for six months. Most of the patients had mild arthritis; about 20% had more severe disease. The patients were treated either with glucosamine, chondroitin, the drug Celebrex, or a placebo. The patients were also allowed to take daily doses of acetaminophen along with the other treatment. The researchers found that Celebrex relieved pain, but the supplements did no better than the placebo at relieving pain. However, the findings suggested that glucosamine and chondroitin together could help people with moderate to severe osteoarthritis, The New York Times News Service reports. However, the second study by European researchers, which looked at about 300 women treated with acetaminophen, glucosamine or a placebo, suggested that glucosamine might work better than acetaminophen at relieving knee arthritis pain.