Costco Connection - June 2006

for your health

The arthritis
paın puzzle
Study examines role of supplements

FIVE MILLION Americans already use them. In Europe they’re dispensed as prescription The Costco Connection drugs. Now the U.S. medical community is Costco carries a variety of supplements that taking a serious look at glucosamine and are used to reduce the pain and inflamma- chondroitin for arthritis pain relief. tion associated with osteoarthritis. If you, a family member or friend are among the 20 million sufferers of osteoarthri- the response of the placebo takers with mild tis, you'll want to stay current with alternatives to moderate pain, and might also have for dealing with this painful and degenerative masked the effect of the supplements in that joint disease that destroys cartilage. same group.

Both glucosamine and chondroitin are Dr. Luke Bucci, vice president of research supplements used in the NIH study.” produced naturally in the body. Glucosamine for Schiff Nutrition International, a nutri- The study is proceeding with additional is suspected to be fundamental in cartilage tional-supplement manufacturer and distrib- evaluation of longer-term effects of the sup-and connective-tissue formation, while chon- utor, is pleased with the favorable results in plements on joint health. droitin is believed to give cartilage elasticity, the moderate to severe pain group. The successful management of pain from aiding shock absorption in the joints. Taking “There is also other hidden value to the osteoarthritis depends on several factors, supplemental dosages of either or both is NIH report,” he tells The Connection. “The including diet, exercise, weight control and supposed to help reduce pain and repair car- study indicates that you can experience medication. Working with your physician to tilage when natural production of these sub- results just as good over time with the supple- determine the appropriate treatment for you is stances is unable to keep pace with the ments as with the leading prescription drug. vital. The use of supplements may prove to be destructive process of arthritis. And no side effects were reported with the one piece of your arthritis pain puzzle. C

By David Wight

PHOTODISC

A recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) produced some interesting interim results at the six-month point.

In a group with moderate to severe knee pain, there was a 79 percent positive response from subjects using a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin. That means that those taking that combination experienced a 20 percent or greater improvement over a 24- week period. The NIH concluded that further evaluation of this outcome is warranted.

In a group with mild to moderate knee pain, those taking a prescription painkiller reported a 70 percent positive response. But in that same group, those taking a dummy pill had a 60 percent positive response—only 10 percent less than the prescription painkiller results, and about double the usual dummy-pill response in similar studies. Subjects taking glucosamine and chondroitin alone or in combination reported the same results as the placebo, which rendered those results statistically insignificant.

A “rescue” painkiller ( Tylenol) was available to be taken liberally (up to 4,000 mg per day) during the study. Many critics of the results have speculated that, since Tylenol is a formidable painkiller, it might have bolstered

Supplement Daily dosage What it’s Where it
in mg supposed to do comes from

Glucosamine 1,500 • Provide pain relief • A natural
from osteoarthritis component of
Also: • Improve joint mobility human cartilage
• Combined w/MSM 1,500 + 1,500 • Slow deterioration • Supplement comes
^of ^cartilagefrom the shells of
various shellfish

Chondroitin sulfate 1,200 + 1,500 • Reduce pain and • A natural
and glucosamine inflammation from component of
osteoarthritis human cartilage

• Improve joint function • Supplement comes

• Slow disease process from beef cartilage

SAMe ( S-adenosyl-L-methionine)

400 to 1,600 • Reduce osteoarthritis • A natural
pain and inflammation compound in

• Repair cartilage all living cells

MSM ( methylsulfonyl-methane) Also:

• Treat depression • Supplement
comes from
fermented yeast
1,500 to 6,000 • Provide pain relief from • Occurs naturally
osteoarthritis and in fresh fruits and
rheumatoid arthritis vegetables, milk,
fish and grains