Osteoarthrits: A revolution in treatment

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are integral components of articular cartilage and they have important role to the physiologic and mechanical properties of this tissue. Glucosamine is acting as the precursor of the disaccharide unit in glucosaminoglycans (GAGs) of Cartilage. The use of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis has been always a subject of controversy. the whole nutraceutical industry is essentially unregulated, with manufacturers making outrageous claims on products that have never been tested accurately at all, and they have poor quality, and occasionally lacking in any active ingredient, however for the nutriceutical evaluated here, there is abundant in vitro, in vivo, (animal clinical, and human) clinical evidence of both their efficacy and safety. They deserve a prominent place in the armamentarium of nonsurgical treatment of osteoarthritis. Abundant basic science evidence suggests that glucosamine and chonddroitin sulfate should be beneficial in the treatment of osteoarthrits. A growing body of veterinary and human clinical evidence shows that they are effective in reducing the symptoms of arthritis in both animals and humans. However, after the Diagnosis of osteoarthritis is made, these two nutraceuticals deserve a first line position in the symptomatic management of the disease with the potential for disease and even structural modification. 400 mg of glucosamine daily or 1500 mg orally should be taken for at least one month.