Commonly Dietary Supplements for Joint Pain or Arthritis

As I have previously noted, I will now be writing my blog posts at a new location--Supplement Updates.  I thought that I would provide a stand alone recap of many of the commonly used dietary supplements for joint pain or arthritis as basically a final post for this blog site.

Dietary Supplements for Joint Pain and Arthritis...


1. Glucosamine sulfate - is an amino sugar that's found in several different joint health products.  Note, that glucosamine containing products can contain either one of glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, or n-acetyl glucosamine.  Currently, most of the latest research supports the use of the glucosamine sulfate salt.  Studies suggest that glucosamine can take 6 months of use to be effective. 

Dose:  500mg taken three times per day (total daily dose:  1500 mg).

Potential Side effects:

Gastrointestinal:

• upset stomach
• abdominal pain
• vomiting
• nausea
• constipation
• diarrhea

 Other

• nail toughening
• sun sensitivity
• headache
• drowsiness
• insomnia
• drowsiness
• ***Some glucosamine products are derived from shell-fish and should not be used by people who have preexisting allergies to shell-fish

Theoretical

• increased risk of bleeding
• alter blood sugar levels

 2. Devil's Claw Extract -  (Harpagophytum procumbens) is a plant which is native to south and central Africa. It’s medicinal value lies in its fleshy roots or the secondary tubers. The vernacular name, Devil’s Claw is derived from the fact that the fruits of the plant are covered in small claw-like protrusions. Harpago itself translates from Greek which literally means 'grappling hook.'

Dose:  600-1200 mg (in tablets standardized to 50-100 mg Harpagoside content) taken three times per day (taken for 2-3 months.

Potential side effects:

At recommended doses, Devil's Claw Extract is generally well-tolerated.  Some side effects have been reported including:

• ringing in ears
• headaches
• loss of appetite
• gastrointestinal upset

Theoretical:

• increase risk of bleeding
• lower blood sugar levels

3. S-adeonsyl methionine - is a ubiquitous chemical which is found naturally in your body.

Dosage:  400-1600 mg/day


***if you're taking an antidepressant medication or suffer from a psychiatric condition such as depression or bipolar disorder, talk to your doctor before talking s-adenosylmethionine.

Potential side effects:

• gastrointestinal:  stomach ache, diarrhea, nausea
• other: insomnia, anxiety

4. Avocado soybean unsaponifiables - are a natural extract which are made from the oil of avocados and soybeans.

A fairly recent meta-analysis published in the journal, Osteoarthritis Cartilage (Christensen et al, 2008) found that avocado soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) may help to relieve pain from arthritis.

Dose:  300 mg ASU for 3 months

Potential side effects:  avocado soybean unsaponifiables are generally well-tolerated and most studies have shown a similar number of side effects to placebo.


5.Pycnogenol(R) - is also known as French Maritime Pine Bark Extract.  Pycnogenol(R) refers specifically to a proprietary pine bark extract which means that it should not be confused with the generic term, pycnogenols, which are found in grape seed extract. 

other benefits of pycnogenol

Dose:  150 mg per day in divided doses

Side effects:  Pycnogenol(R) is also well-tolerated and few adverse events have been reported in scientific literature.  It should be taken with meals due to it's potential to upset your stomach.

Theoretical:  

• potentially alter blood glucose levels or increase risk of bleeding. 

6. Cat's Claw - is a medicinal plant from the Amazon which is commonly used to treat osteoarthritis. There are relatively few studies in the literature which study the efficacy and safety of Cat's Claw for treating osteoarthritis.  A study by Piscoya et al, 2001 did suggest that it was efficacious for treating pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee

Dose:  100 mg per day.

Potential side effects:

• Though there are few known side effects, cat's claw has not been well studied and future research is necessary.
• Reported side effects include nausea, dizziness, and diarrhea.

7. Chondroitin Sulfate - is a structural component of cartilage which like glucosamine sulfate, is a very commonly used dietary supplement for treating joint pain or arthritis.  A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine (Reichenbach et al, 2007), concluded:

"Large-scale, methodologically sound trials indicate that the symptomatic benefit of chondroitin is minimal or nonexistent. Use of chondroitin in routine clinical practice should therefore be discouraged"(Reichenbach et al, 2007).

More recently, a study by Lee et al, 2010, suggests that supplementation with chondroitin sulfate like glucosmaine may prevent joint space narrowing when used for a minimum of 2 years.  Joint space narrowing is a feature of osteoarthritis which occurs as your cartilage breaks down.

Dose:  1000-1200 mg per day in divided doses.


Potential Side effects: 

• gastrointestinal:  diarrhea, stomach pain, constipation and nausea
• other:  hair loss, irregular heart beat, eyelid swelling, and leg swelling
• Don't take chondroitin sulfate if you have asthma or prostate cancer as it could potentially worsen both medical conditions.

If you found this blog post helpful, make sure to follow me on Twitter:  Jarret Morrow, or visit my new blog for further updates:  Dietary Supplement Updates  


References:

1. Piscoya J, Rodriguez Z, Bustamante SA, Okuhama NN, Miller MJ, Sandoval M.  Efficacy and safety of freeze-dried cat's claw in osteoarthritis of the knee: mechanisms of action of the species Uncaria guianensis.  Inflamm Res. 2001 Sep;50(9):442-8.
2. Reichenbach S, Sterchi R, Scherer M, Trelle S, Bürgi E, Bürgi U, Dieppe PA, Jüni P. Meta-analysis: chondroitin for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Apr 17;146(8):580-90.
3. Lee YH, Woo JH, Choi SJ, Ji JD, Song GG.  Effect of glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate on the osteoarthritis progression: a meta-analysis.Rheumatol Int. 2010 Jan;30(3):357-63. Epub 2009 Jun 21.