NIH GAIT Study Supports Use Of Glucosamine And Chondroitin For Osteoarthritis Treatment

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Also Included In: Pain / Anesthetics
Article Date: 18 Feb 2006 - 14:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Arthritis experts and orthopaedic surgeons are discussing the results of the NIH study that shows a supplement to be as effective as the most expensive NSAIDs for moderate and severe pain from arthritis.

Dr. Kevin R. Stone, Chairman of the Stone Foundation for Sports Medicine and Arthritis Research in San Francisco pioneered the use of glucosamine in a beverage form for athletes and arthritis sufferers and is vocal about the results of this new study.

"The supplements glucosamine and chondroitin together, which are inexpensive and have zero negative side effects, performed as well as the very expensive and somewhat risky Celebrex," said Stone. "I believe the standard of care in medicine will now be to prescribe the supplements first and if they are not enough then to add additional medications," Stone said.

The GAIT (Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial) study funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH)) evaluates the use of glucosamine and chondroitin in treating and preventing osteoarthritis. (nccam.nih.gov/news/19972000/121100/qa.htm#12)

Published study results indicate that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate might be most effective in osteoarthritis patients who had moderate to severe knee pain.

As a physician treating patients with glucosamine and chondroitin for more than a decade, Dr. Stone says, "We recommend it for all our patients, both athletes and those with arthritis. Many of our patients with arthritis have given up using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories because glucosamine has been effective for them." Stone prescribes 1,500 milligrams a day, taken all at once in beverage form.

WHO: Harvard- and UNC at Chapel Hill-educated Dr. Kevin R. Stone, founder of the Stone Clinic and chairman of the Stone Foundation for Sports Medicine and Arthritis Research (http://www.stoneclinic.com), and inventor and founder of Joint Juice, the first glucosamine beverage. Dr. Stone has provided commentary for media ranging from The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek to USAToday and CBSNews, is the author of numerous scientific articles, and is a frequent lecturer at leading forums and symposia. He is passionate and objective about the role of supplements in medical practice.

WHEN: Dr. Stone is available for phone and in-person interviews now.

WHERE: Dr. Stone is based in San Francisco.

Background

Initiated in 1998, GAIT is the first multicenter clinical trial in the United States to test the effects of the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin for treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

The study tests whether glucosamine and chondroitin used separately or in combination are effective in reducing pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. GAIT includes an additional study (or sub-study) that will assess whether glucosamine and chondroitin can reduce or halt the progression of knee osteoarthritis.

GAIT was designed to rigorously assess the effectiveness and safety of these supplements when taken separately or in combination. Almost 1,600 patients with painful knee osteoarthritis were recruited from 16 U.S. academic rheumatology centers for the study.

Results of previous studies in the medical literature have yielded conflicting results on the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin as treatments for osteoarthritis. This study tested the short-term (6 months) effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin in reducing pain in a large number of patients with knee osteoarthritis.

The sub-study will also evaluate the impact of glucosamine and chondroitin on progression of knee osteoarthritis following an additional 18-month treatment regimen.

Stone Research Foundation
http://www.stoneclinic.com