Glucosamine does not stop knee cartilage deterioration or decrease knee pain in osteoarthritis

by Bruce Sylvester – Researchers from the Joints on Glucosamine study (JOG) report that oral glucosamine supplementation does not reduce knee cartilage deterioration in osteoarthritis or improve knee bone marrow lesions, a source of pain in osteoarthritis (OA).

The findings appeared on March 11, 2014 in Arthritis & Rheumatology, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

“Our study found no evidence that drinking a glucosamine supplement reduced knee cartilage damage, relieved pain, or improved function in individuals with chronic knee pain,” said lead investigator C. Kent Kwoh, M.D. professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.

The study was the first to investigate whether the supplement prevents the worsening of cartilage damage or bone marrow lesions.

For this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Dr. Kwoh and colleagues enrolled 201 subjects diagnosed with mild to moderate pain in one or both knees.

The subjects were randomized and treated daily for 24 weeks with 1500 mg of a glucosamine hydrochloride in a 16-ounce bottle of diet lemonade, or placebo in the same form of delivery.

The investigators used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was to evaluate cartilage damage. They found no decrease at endpoint in cartilage damage in subjects in the glucosamine group compared to the placebo group.

They reported no change in bone marrow lesions in 70% of knees, with 18% of knees worsening and 10% improving. Notably, the placebo group achieved greater improvement in bone marrow lesions compared to glucosamine subjects.

Glucosamine use did not decrease urinary excretion of C-telopeptides of type II collagen (CTX-II), which is a predictor of cartilage destruction.

This study was funded by the Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness, The Coca-Cola Company and the (US) National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.