[Chondroitin sulfate effect] from pain, swelling, and exercise ability to improvement, 3 benefits of chondroitin for osteoarthritis

Earlier, I mentioned that there is no definitive drug that can prevent or treat osteoarthritis. However, there are many people who take prescribed medications for arthritis. Most medicines are used to reduce pain and reduce inflammation caused by osteoarthritis, most notably nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, there is a burden associated with long-term use of these medications.

That's why academics are designing trials that compare NSAIDs with ingredients that are thought to help improve osteoarthritis. One of the most prominent of these studies is GAIT.
This study evaluated the effects of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) celecoxib in 1,583 patients with knee osteoarthritis. This study reported a significant improvement in edema in patients with pre-existing joint edema who took chondroitin sulfate compared to placebo [6].

"There was a significant improvement in joint edema in the chondroitin sulfate group compared to the control group. Exploratory post-hoc analysis suggests that earlier patients are more likely to benefit from chondroitin sulfate supplementation."

3. Improves exercise capacity in patients with osteoarthritis

The main symptom of osteoarthritis is localized pain in the joint area, but there are also other symptoms such as decreased range of motion and swelling of the joint. In addition, if the joint surface becomes irregular due to loss and degeneration of cartilage, you may feel a friction sound when moving the joint. In addition, muscle atrophy can occur, so muscle strengthening and restoring joint range of motion are important to reduce joint load.

However, it is also true that exercise becomes increasingly difficult depending on the symptoms of osteoarthritis, so when evaluating ingredients that may help improve osteoarthritis, the extent to which it affects the improvement of exercise performance is also an important variable.
Chondroitin sulfate, which may be beneficial for osteoarthritis, has also been evaluated for its benefits on the exercise capacity of osteoarthritis patients. Uebelhart and the colleagues (1998) evaluated the effects of chondroitin sulfate intake on 42 patients with knee osteoarthritis and reported that chondroitin sulfate supplementation showed an improvement in overall exercise performance [7].

"This study found that chondroitin sulfate was well tolerated, significantly improved pain, and increased overall exercise capacity. … These results suggest that chondroitin sulfate is an effective, safe, and slow-acting component in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis."

Today, we looked at the results of academic research on chondroitin sulfate, the active ingredient in chondroitin, which is attracting attention as a joint health ingredient. It has been extensively tested in patients with osteoarthritis for quite a long time, and most studies have shown consistent benefits, so it is worth considering as an adjunctive treatment if you have osteoarthritis.

In addition, Morreale et al. (1996), who evaluated the effects of NSAIDs and chondroitin sulfate in 146 patients with knee osteoarthritis, reported that the effects of NSAIDs were immediate and obvious, but the effects disappeared when discontinuation occurred, while those taking chondroitin sulfate experienced slower improvement but maintained improvement for up to 3 months after discontinuation [8].

Considering this, we can expect long-term impact on chondroitin sulfate as an adjuvant treatment rather than an immediate effect. In addition, all of the human body application tests introduced today are tests that treat 'chondroitin sulfate' rather than chondroitin, so it is recommended that you check whether it is a functional ingredient containing 'chondroitin sulfate' when purchasing the product. As mentioned earlier, 'mucopolysaccharide/protein' is a functional ingredient whose content of chondroitin sulfate has been verified, so you can easily check it by looking at whether 'mucopolysaccharide/protein' is written in the name of the functional ingredient.

I hope you have a healthy day in body and mind. It was Jinny.

[1] Society for Biochemical and Molecular Biology, Encyclopedia of Biochemistry <Chondroitin Sulfate>
[2] Uebelhart, D. (2008). Clinical review of chondroitin sulfate in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 16, S19-S21.
[3,4] Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, National Health Information Portal Medical Information <Osteoarthritis>
[5] Honvo, G., Bruyere, O., Geerinck, A., Veronese, N., & Reginster, J. Y. (2019). Efficacy of chondroitin sulfate in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a comprehensive meta-analysis exploring inconsistencies in randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Advances in therapy, 36(5), 1085-1099.
[6] Hochberg, M. C., & Clegg, D. O. (2008). Potential effects of chondroitin sulfate on joint swelling: a GAIT report. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 16, S22-S24.
[7] Uebelhart, D., Eugene, J. M. T., Delmas, P. D., Chantraine, A., & Vignon, E. (1998). Effects of oral chondroitin sulfate on the progression of knee osteoarthritis: a pilot study. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 6, 39-46.
[8] Morreale, P., Manopulo, R., Galati, M., Boccanera, L., Saponati, G., & Bocchi, L. (1996). Comparison of the antiinflammatory efficacy of chondroitin sulfate and diclofenac sodium in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The Journal of rheumatology, 23(8), 1385-1391.