other · for joint pain
Glucosamine Sulfate
Supplies a building block of cartilage. Whether enough reaches the joint to matter is unresolved.
Say that in clinical terms
Supplies a building block of cartilage, though whether enough of it reaches a joint to matter is unresolved.
How strong is the research?
An independently funded trial found no benefit for pain or movement over two years.
8 papers read, 3 supporting, 4 against.
Tested as: crystalline glucosamine sulfate 1500 mg once daily — in the positive trials, specifically the Rotta preparation
How much to take
1500 mg
What we make of it
Six expert bodies disagree, and the one recommending it has financial ties to the maker.
The detail
The American College of Rheumatology, OARSI, NICE, the Australian college of GPs and Arthritis Society Canada all say do not bother. ESCEO in Europe says the opposite — that one patented crystalline form belongs in first-line treatment — and in several European countries that preparation is a prescription medicine rather than a supplement. The lead author of the European recommendation co-founded the body issuing it and has financial ties to the company that patented it. OARSI considered the same "only this form counts" argument and rejected it. As for why so many people swear by it: osteoarthritis pain fluctuates on its own, and the placebo response in these trials is unusually large, so feeling better after starting it is what you would expect either way.