What Is Glucosamine Used For?

Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance produced by the body. It plays a role in building cartilage, a connective tissue that cushions joints. Many people use glucosamine for treating osteoarthritis and other joint disorders, although clinical studies have not definitively established the effectiveness of glucosamine.

Origins and Potential Uses

Glucosamine naturally occurs in the body and is made from various building blocks in foods. Since it plays a part in the rebuilding of cartilage within the body, it is believed that glucosamine supplements can help with the pain of osteoarthritis, a condition in which there is cartilage breakdown in the joints. The progression of osteoarthritis may also be slowed with glucosamine supplementation.

Formulations and Dosage

Glucosamine tablets and capsules are available as glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride or n-acetyl glucosamine. An injectable form is available for your doctor to administer directly into the joint. Pill and capsule formulations may also be found in combination with chondroitin, another naturally occurring substance in the body that is a component of cartilage. Manganese, a trace element needed for bone health, may also be found in oral glucosamine preparations. For use in osteoarthritis, the typical dose is 1,500 mg per day. You may need to take glucosamine for a number of weeks before seeing any benefit.

Therapeutic Uses

Glucosamine has been touted as a treatment for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, prevention of muscle and tendon injury, inflammatory bowel disease and osteochondritis, a cartilage disease related to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, specifically osteoarthritis of the knee, has been the most widely studied use of glucosamine. Although many studies have been performed, results have been mixed, failing to show any significant benefit of glucosamine.

Safety

Glucosamine is generally considered to be safe with no significant side effects reported. Minor gastrointestinal side effects such as gas, bloating and stomach upset have been seen. Dietary supplements can interact with other medications you take such as those which regulate blood sugar levels, so be sure to talk to your health care provider before taking glucosamine. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take glucosamine as it has not been studied in these populations.

Conflicting Clinical Studies

Clinical trials studying glucosamine's effectiveness in treating osteoarthritis have been inconclusive and often conflicting. In a 2001 editorial in the "British Journal of Medicine," Jiri Chard and Paul Dieppe concluded that "...there is more confusion and hype than magic about glucosamine. The rationale for its use is unclear, the best dose and route of administration unknown, and the published trials do not allow any conclusion about its efficacy (let alone its effectiveness or cost effectiveness)".

Some studies have found benefits of reduced pain in osteoarthritis while others have found little or no benefit. The largest controlled study of glucosamine in osteoarthritis of the knee, conducted by D. O. Clegg and colleagues, involved over 1,500 patients and was published in the February 23, 2006 edition of the "New England Journal of Medicine." The study's results showed that glucosamine "...[was] not significantly better than placebo in reducing knee pain." The study used glucosamine in combination with chondroitin, and not glucosamine alone.

Glucosamine appears to be well tolerated with a good safety profile. Effectiveness in treating the pain of osteoarthritis has not been definitively shown.