Chondroitin, Glucosamine Studied

Chondroitin, Glucosamine Studied

BOSTON--By reviewing studies from the last 20 years, researchers at Boston Universityfound that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may help treat osteoarthritis with fewadverse effects. Published in the March 15 issue of The Journal of the American MedicalAssociation (JAMA), of the 15 studies that met the researchers controls, only one hadnot been funded by the supplements' manufacturer. The National Institute of Arthritis andMusculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) funded this study, and will launch a largeclinical trial with the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)at the University of Utah. More than 1,000 patients are expected to be recruited laterthis year. For more information, visit www.nih.gov/niams/news/niams-0020.

In related news, researchers at the University of Maryland found that glucosamine andchondroitin products overstated the amount of ingredients present in each capsule. Similarto the findings published by ConsumerLab.com last month, these results were published inthe April 11 issue of The Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association. In ananalysis of 32 products, 26 were found to contain less than 90 percent of the labeledamount of chondroitin. Only five were found to have more than 90 percent. For information,visit www.americanutra.com.