Fighting arthritis with glucosamine

Glucosamine is a glucose-based chemical produced in naturally healthy joints, where it is used to repair and maintain cartilage. It is also available as a supplement from health shops and many pharmacies. Glucosamine has a significantly reported success rate in relieving osteoarthritis symptoms, but news of its beneficial qualities have spread around the world largely by word of mouth.

Initially doctors were sceptical about claims made for glucosamine's benefits, even when patients insisted it was helping them, because there was little or no scientific research on glucosamine. But recent research indicates that it really is effective in easing pain and helping mobility and may even slow progression of the disease. The most convincing trial results relate to pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis of the knee. There is less trial evidence for benefits in other joints.

Joint pain relief
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of joint disease, affects 1.5 million people in the UK and is very difficult to treat. The incidence increases with age, particularly in women over 50. Cartilage, the slippery material that cushions the ends of bones, wears away, causing pain, stiffness, swelling, 'creaking' and ultimately incapacity. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually prescribed to relieve symptoms, but can have serious side effects.

Sales of glucosamine supplements took off with the publication in 1997 of The Arthritis Cure (Century) by an American physician, Dr Jason Theodosakis, a specialist in preventive medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and a long-time sufferer of arthritis. In sampling alternative remedies, he hit upon a combination of dietary supplements - glucosamine and chondroitin, a related joint chemical - that vets were using for racehorses with tendon strain. Some European doctors had been quietly offering patients these supplements since the 1980s.