Two-year long human clinical study shows that Chondroitin Sulfate slows down arthritis of the knee

Researchers at the University of Paris Descartes enrolled 622 osteoarthritis patients from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and the United States for this newly published randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. 309 participants were supplemented with 800 mg Chondroitin Sulfate, while the other 313 participants received a placebo daily for two years. The knee joint width was measured by x-ray imaging of the affected knee at the beginning of the study and at 12, 18 and 24 months. Osteoarthritis symptoms and pain were also evaluated.
Chondroitin Sulfate supplementation protected the arthritic knees slowing degeneration with significantly less joint loss and less pain compared with those who received the placebo. The percentage of patients with joint space loss progression of at least 0.25 millimeters was 28 % in the Chondroitin group compared with 41 % in the placebo group. Pain relief associated with Chondroitin Sulfate was evident during the first year of the study, and there were no differences in adverse events between the two groups meaning that the supplement was safe and lacked side effects and toxicity. The study is published in the February 2009 issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.