Did the GAIT team do any additional research on glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate?
Yes. The original GAIT study included an additional, or ancillary, study to investigate whether these dietary supplements could diminish structural damage from osteoarthritis of the knee. In the ancillary study, interested GAIT patients were offered the opportunity to continue their original study treatment for an additional 18 months, for a total of 2 years. At the end of the ancillary study, the team had gathered data on 581 knees. After assessing the x-ray data, the researchers concluded that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, together or alone, appeared to fare no better than placebo in slowing loss of cartilage in osteoarthritis of the knee. Interpreting the study results was complicated, however, because participants taking placebo had a smaller loss of cartilage, or joint space width, than predicted. The results were reported in the October 2008 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. You can read the NCCAM press release.
