Chondroitin is a supplement frequently paired with Glucosamine as a combination therapy to help with joint pain and stiffness, and other symptoms of osteoarthritis.
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Primary Information, Benefits, Effects, and Important Facts
Chondroitin is a supplement, frequently used in conjunction with glucosamine, to combat the symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA).
A recent surge of meta-analyses (studies researching other studies) found that most studies that showed benefit with chondroitin were poorly designed or subject to chance statistical error (due to low amount of participants). Larger studies (which are seen as more reliable) tend to show no benefits with chondroitin nor glucosamine supplementation in isolation or combined.
Although many people do report benefit from using this supplement (especially when paired with Glucosamine), the current body of scientific literature does not hold these two supplements in high regard.
A standard dose of chondroitin, if chosen to supplement with, is in the range of 1000-1200mg a day in either one dose or two to three divided doses taken with food.
Chondroitin sulfate is a glycosaminoglycan chain of alternating Uronic acids and D-N-acetyl-galactosamine molecules bound by 1,3 bonds.[1][2] They are produced in vivo to limited amounts and were initially extracted from animal sources, but are now industrially made via bacterial fermentation.[3]
2Pharmacology
2.1. Absorption
Chondroitin supplementation is absorbed fairly well when taken orally.[2][4]
2.2. Serum
Chondroitin can be found circulating in subjects with no reported exposure to supplementation at a concentration ranging from 0.3µg/mL[5] up to 20.8µg/mL.[6]
Supplementation of 1,200mg chondroitin sulfate, alongside glucosamine (hydrochloride), has failed to significantly increase circulating chondroitin concentrations either acutely or after three months of supplementation.[6] This study did note that subjects had a baseline value of 20.8µg/mL chondroitin in one study arm[6] and other studies which note lower baseline levels (0.3µg/mL) observed that 4,000mg chondroitin can increase circulating levels up to 5.3µg/mL after 2-6 hours.[5]
2.3. Elimination
Chondroitin appears to be eliminated primarily through the urine.[7]
3Cellular effects
4Effects in practice
Various studies have noted benefit with combined treatment of Glucosamine and Chondroitin.[8][9][10]
That being said, most recent meta-analyses indicate that the benefits gained from the combination or Chondroitin in isolation are not significantly different from placebo, and causation for improvement cannot be placed on the compounds themselves.[11][12][13] It is mentioned that most studies finding benefit separate from placebo either have poor study design or inadequate sample sizes, whereas larger scale studies note no difference.[11][13]
In effect, the scientific consensus of chondroitin at this time is one of uncertainty as it does not appear to be much different when compared to placebo.
