Depending on chondroitin supplements to get over aches and pains is probably a waste of your time and money, European scientists said.

In their recent study, the researchers said the popular food supplement, which is often taken with glucosamine, fails to prevent or reduce joint pain in osteoarthritis sufferers, a potential blow to the $1 billion market in the United States.

The scientists with the University of Bern in Switzerland, the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and Germany’s University of Göttingen reached their conclusions after poring over findings from 20 projects that compared the effect of chondroitin to fake pills or no treatment in nearly 4,000 people with hip or knee osteoarthritis.

The researchers said they threw out some of the studies that they called poorly designed and involved a small number of patients.

Although they found chondroitin’s benefits “minimal” or “non-existent,” the supplement doesn’t cause any harm to the body, they added, but conceded they didn’t prove that chondroitin may help patients with less severe arthritis.

Popular supplement 

Chondroitin is a natural substance found in your body's cartilage, the cushions at the ends of the bones that keep them from rubbing against each other and allowing for smooth joint movement.

More than 7 million Americans take chondroitin supplements made in the lab from animal sources to help ease knee and hip pain from osteoarthritis, other medical conditions or stress from exercise. According to the Arthritis Foundation, about 25 percent of adults suffer from knee pain, with at least half of them - 21 million - with osteoarthritis.

Since arthritis causes cartilage to deteriorate, chondroitin supporters say the supplement, along with glucosamine, helps provide the basics of healthy cartilage.  Other health experts said there is no way artificial chondroitin can repair the damage from arthritis, and that previous chondroitin studies contain big holes.

Dr. David T. Felson, a professor at Boston University's medical school, said he wouldn’t recommend that people start taking glucosamine and chondroitin, but leaves that up to the patients.

“If patients say that they benefit from chondroitin, I see no harm in encouraging them to continue taking it as long as they perceive a benefit,” he said.

'Bottom line: safe, effective'

The study isn’t sitting well with the Natural Products Association, a group that represents the supplement industry. Association leaders said in a statement that previous studies have shown chondroitin, when taken with glucosamine, does help alleviate osteoarthritis pain.

Association leaders said in a statement that the European study didn't measure chondroitin's effect on mild, moderate and severe osteoarthritis, each of which involve very different treatments.

Andrew Shao, a vice president with the Council for Responsible Nutrition, another supplement industry group, said he disputes the findings because the researchers excluded some studies that sided with chondroitin.

“Consumers speak with their wallets," Shao told USA Today. "This is not some kind of fad. Consumers are finding benefit from the drug."

For more information

•  Arthritis Foundation

•  American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

•  Ways to Age Without Aching

•  Studies: Tell the Doctor About Your Supplements

•  Two Popular Supplements Not So Hot on Mild Pain

Source: American College of Physicians
Reference: Annals of Internal Medicine

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