Virtually every day, you’ll find another article about the osteoarthritis benefits of fish oil, turmeric, broccoli, green tea, nuts and, well, you name it. But do any of them actually work? Alex Dodds, knee consultant for Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Cotswolds, looks at the evidence.
*photo courtesy of nadisja via shutterstock
I haven’t kept a strict count of such things, but I reckon that, on average, the question of what foods and supplements are best to alleviate osteoarthritis comes up at least once during every one of my hip and knee clinics.
The answer, I’m afraid, is a little frustrating. In general, there’s a lack of good evidence to support many of the supplements, while others have only a limited positive effect.
There is, for example, only limited evidence supporting turmeric. Ginger may be “moderately beneficial.” There is some evidence of the benefit of fish oils in improving the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, but that doesn’t extend to osteoarthritis.
Do glucosamine and chondroitin work?
Glucosamine and chondroitin, two popular supplements which are regularly touted as most effective in alleviating the pain of osteoarthritis, also have a frustratingly messy evidence base. According to Versus Arthritis, whose website features a good section on complementary and alternative arthritis treatments, the evidence for glucosamine is “mixed and the size of the effect is modest”. It goes on to note, however, that evidence suggests “more recent trials and those using higher-quality methods are less likely to show a benefit”.
For chondroitin, “evidence is inconsistent but many [studies] show that it has significant clinical benefits in reducing pain and painkiller use. Higher-quality trials were less likely to show benefit.”
That phrase “higher quality” is an issue. Clinical studies come in all shapes and sizes and some are rather more reliable than others. Effectively, therefore, it seems the better the study, the weaker the evidence supporting these supplements.
Osteoarthritis supplements – the good news
If the above is a little underwhelming, there’s no escaping the fact that many patients at my Gloucestershire hip and knee clinic tell me they swear by a certain food or supplement. Can I explain the discrepancy between the science and an individual’s experience? Not really. There are lots of possible explanations, most notably a psychological (though no less powerful) effect, but if a patient finds a supplement works and it has no harmful side effects, you might ask what’s the problem.
Certainly, the supplements and foods featured on the Versus Arthritis site have no or very mild side effects. Taking glucosamine at the recommended dose isn’t going to send your blood pressure spiralling or cause problems for your diabetes.
At worst, then, it seems the foods and supplements with purported osteoarthritis benefits will have no detrimental effect and the only damage will be to your bank balance. At best, you might just find they offer some benefit.
Of course, there’s a limit to how much any supplement can do to fend off the effects of arthritis. If you are struggling with hip or knee pain, book your appointment at my Cheltenham hip and knee clinic now or call 01242 246549.