Some research has suggested that glucosamine supplements can slow articular cartilage degradation; however, its efficacy in improving knee osteoarthritis is unclear. To answer that question, researchers recruited patients 35 to 65 years of age with chronic, frequent mild-to-moderate knee pain typical of knee osteoarthritis and randomly assigned 98 to receive 1,500 mg glucosamine hydrochloride daily and 103 to receive placebo for 24 weeks.

In comparison with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans performed at baseline, scans performed at 24 weeks showed no decrease in the worsening of cartilage. This finding was consistent with additional analyses controlling for clustering by articular subregions within and between knees of individuals. The control group actually showed more improvement in bone marrow lesions than the treatment group; worsening of lesions was comparable across groups. Levels of C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II)-a molecular marker for cartilage-tissue degradation-in the urine decreased slightly in the control group. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of self-reported pain and function or adverse events.

The authors conclude that glucosamine hydrochloride does not improve joint health, in terms of decreased cartilage degradation, the severity of bone marrow lesions, or CTX-II levels. But they also noted study limitations, among them the short, 24-week follow-up.

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