Glucosamine may reduce pain, is considered safe

I've been taking 1,000 mg of glucosamine daily for a couple of years. It has done wonders for my cartilage trouble, and now I do not get water on the knee. Should I be worried about taking it over the long term?



Unfortunately, there's no reliable information available to answer your question. Without long-term scientific research, it's impossible to know whether stopping or continuing glucosamine is the better choice.

There have been some very good studies of glucosamine in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Studies suggest its use is associated with reduced pain from osteoarthritis of the knee similar in magnitude to an anti-inflammatory medication (such as ibuprofen or naproxen). For unclear reasons, glucosamine may improve moderate or severe symptoms more reliably than it does for mild joint pain.

As for other forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, or for osteoarthritis affecting joints other than the knee, we have even less information about glucosamine's effectiveness.There is significant controversy and skepticism about claims that glucosamine has benefits beyond reducing knee pain from osteoarthritis. It's unclear whether glucosamine can help heal damaged joints or prevent future joint damage. Regarding joint swelling, or "water on the knee," this is not one of the proven benefits of glucosamine. It's possible that you would have improved even without the supplement.