Chondroitin Sulfate reduces cartilage loss in patients with arthritis of the knee

Chondroitin Sulfate (CS) is a major component of cartilage, and research shows it helps build cartilage tissue when supplemented making it an ideal nutrient to study in people with arthritic knees.  Scientists at the Osteoarthritis Research Unit at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center and Notre-Dame Hospital have published there findings of supplementing CS to patients with arthritis in the knee.

69 patients with synovitis (inflammation and swelling of the tissue that lines and seals the joint that also releases synovial fluid into the joint to lubricate and heal it) were enrolled in a placebo controlled, double-blinded multi-center trial. They received either CS 800mg once a day or placebo for a six-month period. All patients received CS from 6 months to 12 months in the second phase of the trial.

The CS group showed significantly less cartilage loss over the six-month trial compared to the placebo group with greater results persisting at the one-year mark. There were also significantly fewer lesions in the bone marrow of those on CS. The authors conclude. “These findings suggest a joint structure protective effect of chondroitin sulfate and provide new in vivo information on its mode of action in knee osteoarthritis.” The study is published online on March 1, 2011 in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.