Supplements' benefits disputed

LOS ANGELES -- Two hot-selling supplements used by millions of Americans, including President Bush, are of little help to most people with mild arthritis, concludes a large government study that is part of an effort to scrutinize unregulated health remedies.

For most arthritis patients with aching knees, the two supplements sold in health food stores -- glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate -- were shown to be no better than dummy pills. People who had more acute knee pain seemed to experience some benefit.

Because of that hint of possible relief and other factors, the study may not settle the debate about these treatments even though it is considered the largest and most scientific test to date.

Rheumatologist Dr. Daniel Clegg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, who led the study, suggested people with severe arthritis talk to their doctors about trying the supplements for a short time to see whether they work.

More than 20 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. That number is expected to double in the next two decades as baby boomers age. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects the knees, hips, back, and the small joints in the fingers.

The search for pain relief helped boost worldwide sales of glucosamine and chondroitin to $1.7 billion last year, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, which tracks supplements. The supplements -- made from animal cartilage and shellfish -- have had even wider appeal amid safety concerns over certain painkillers, including the arthritis medicine Vioxx, which was pulled from the market in 2004.

At least 5 million Americans use the two supplements either alone or together, government figures show. Because of knee stiffness, one of those customers is President Bush. A spokeswoman for Bush did not immediately return a call seeking comment on whether he will still take the pills.

The supplements showed no known side effects during the government's six-month study, but the scientists didn't address the safety of longer-term use.

The arthritis research, published in today's New England Journal of Medicine, is the third major study in a year to find no overall benefit from some of the most popular nutritional supplements. Recently, research showed the herb, saw palmetto, didn't reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate, and last year a study indicated echinacea didn't prevent or treat colds.