Long-term use of chondroitin sulfate reduces arthritis knee pain and slows joint narrowing, say French researchers. The Study on Osteoarthritis Progression Prevention (STOPP) involved 622 patients in Europe and the US, ages 45-80 years, with knee arthritis.
Knee pain decreased significantly without side effects.
On average, the patients reported moderate levels of pain when the study began. Patients were then randomly assigned to two years of daily treatment with either chondroitin or an inactive placebo. X-rays of the affected knee were taken to assess the impact of treatment.
The researchers found that pain decreased with time in the chondroitin group and also reduced the likelihood of joint narrowing (indicating a loss of cartilage)by 33%.
In all, more than 90% of the subjects reported good or very good tolerability with chondroitin sulfate, and side effects were no more likely than with placebo. Chondroitin is often found in combination with glucosamine, another well researched and effective arthritis and joint pain remedy.
Source: Arthritis & Rheumatism, Feb 2009
