NIH GAIT Study Supports Use Of Glucosamine And Chondroitin For Osteoarthritis Treatment

Arthritis experts and orthopaedic surgeons are discussing the
results of the NIH study that shows a supplement to be as effective as the
most expensive NSAIDs for moderate and severe pain from arthritis.


Dr. Kevin R. Stone, Chairman of the Stone Foundation for Sports Medicine
and Arthritis Research in San Francisco pioneered the use of glucosamine in a
beverage form for athletes and arthritis sufferers and is vocal about the
results of this new study.


"The supplements glucosamine and chondroitin together, which are
inexpensive and have zero negative side effects, performed as well as the very
expensive and somewhat risky Celebrex," said Stone. "I believe the standard
of care in medicine will now be to prescribe the supplements first and if they
are not enough then to add additional medications," Stone said.


The GAIT (Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial) study
funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH)) evaluates the use of
glucosamine and chondroitin in treating and preventing osteoarthritis.
(nccam.nih/news/19972000/121100/qa.htm#12)


Published study results indicate that the combination of glucosamine and
chondroitin sulfate might be most effective in osteoarthritis patients who had
moderate to severe knee pain.


As a physician treating patients with glucosamine and chondroitin for more
than a decade, Dr. Stone says, "We recommend it for all our patients, both
athletes and those with arthritis. Many of our patients with arthritis have
given up using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories because glucosamine has been
effective for them." Stone prescribes 1,500 milligrams a day, taken all at
once in beverage form.


WHO: Harvard- and UNC at Chapel Hill-educated Dr. Kevin R. Stone, founder
of the Stone Clinic and chairman of the Stone Foundation for Sports Medicine
and Arthritis Research (stoneclinic), and inventor and founder of
Joint Juice, the first glucosamine beverage. Dr. Stone has provided
commentary for media ranging from The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek to
USAToday and CBSNews, is the author of numerous scientific articles, and is a
frequent lecturer at leading forums and symposia. He is passionate and
objective about the role of supplements in medical practice.


WHEN: Dr. Stone is available for phone and in-person interviews now.


WHERE: Dr. Stone is based in San Francisco.


Background


Initiated in 1998, GAIT is the first multicenter clinical trial in the
United States to test the effects of the dietary supplements glucosamine and
chondroitin for treatment of knee osteoarthritis.


The study tests whether glucosamine and chondroitin used separately or in
combination are effective in reducing pain in patients with knee
osteoarthritis. GAIT includes an additional study (or sub-study) that will
assess whether glucosamine and chondroitin can reduce or halt the progression
of knee osteoarthritis.


GAIT was designed to rigorously assess the effectiveness and safety of
these supplements when taken separately or in combination. Almost 1,600
patients with painful knee osteoarthritis were recruited from 16 U.S. academic
rheumatology centers for the study.


Results of previous studies in the medical literature have yielded
conflicting results on the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin as
treatments for osteoarthritis. This study tested the short-term (6 months)
effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin in reducing pain in a large
number of patients with knee osteoarthritis.


The sub-study will also evaluate the impact of glucosamine and chondroitin
on progression of knee osteoarthritis following an additional 18-month
treatment regimen.


Stone Research Foundation

stoneclinic