Glucosamine for Osteoarthritis: Biological Effects, Clinical Efficacy, and Safety on Glucose Metabolism

Glucosamine for Osteoarthritis: Biological Effects, Clinical Efficacy, and Safety on Glucose Metabolism

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disorder that currently represents one of the main causes of disability within the elderly population and an important presenting complaint overall. The pathophysiologic basis of osteoarthritis entails a complex group of interactions among biochemical and mechanical factors that have been better characterized in light of a recent spike in research on the...

Glucosamine effects in humans: a review of effects on glucose metabolism, side effects, safety considerations and efficacy.

Glucosamine is widely used to relieve symptoms from osteoarthritis. Its safety and effects on glucose metabolism are critically evaluated in this review. The LD50 of oral glucosamine in animals is approximately 8000 mg/kg with no adverse effects at 2700 mg/kg for 12 months. Because altered glucose metabolism can be associated with parenteral administration of large doses of glucosamine in anima...

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Diacerein in Osteoarthritis – A Review

First-line drug therapy in osteoarthritis (OA) is purely symptomatic, with analgesic agents such as acetaminophen and anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) being the most widely prescribed medications. However, these products need to be taken chronically, have serious side effects and may accelerate cartilage degradation. The ideal therapeut...

Glucosamine sulfate for osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the usefulness of glucosamine sulfate in the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis (OA). DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION Pertinent citations were identified via a MEDLINE search (January 1975-March 1997). Only trials available in the English language involving human subjects, OA, and glucosamine sulfate were selected for review. DATA SYNTHESIS OA is the most c...

Glucosamine and osteoarthritis