(Reuters Health)—Oral glucosamine has no more effect than placebo on joint pain, according to a new meta-analysis.
The analysis of randomized controlled trials from which data have been made public found that at both three-month and 24-month follow-up points, the supplement had no effect on either hip or knee pain from arthritis.
Even sub-groups, such as patients with obesity or high inflammation, found no benefit with the supplements.
“Most recent guidelines conclude there is an overall lack of efficacy of glucosamine, however, we knew that osteoarthritis could affect subgroups differently,” said senior study author Sita Bierma-Zeinstra of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.