Omega-3 Fatty Acids In Combination With Glucosamine Helps Osteoarthritis

The most common joint disorder that affects people is osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage lining your bones gradually wears down.

This leads to bone-on-bone contact resulting in pain, stiffness, and inflammation in your joints.

Other side effects, like bone spur formation and weakening of tendons and ligaments, can also be directly associated with osteoarthritis.

Men and women, younger than 55, are equally affected by osteoarthritis.  However, after the age of 70, osteoarthritis mainly affects women.

Osteoarthritis is quickly becoming a leading cause of disability among older adults.

There is no known cure for osteoarthritis, however, to minimize symptoms associated with osteoarthritis, over the counter anti-inflammatory and pain medications are used.

Other alternative treatment options are glucosamine sulfate and omega-3 fatty acids.

Now, a study published in the Journal Advances, shows how the combination of omega-3 fatty acids and glucosamine sulfate may be more effective for osteoarthritis symptoms than glucosamine alone.

Let me explain…

Omega-3 and Glucosamine Together

Researchers aimed to see if combining glucosamine sulfate and the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, were more effective at controlling symptoms associated with osteoarthritis.

They recruited 177 patients who suffered from moderate to severe osteoarthritis in the hip and knee.

They administered either glucosamine itself (500 mg, three times daily) or glucosamine and omega-3 fatty acids together (500 mg, three times daily - glucosamine and 200 mg omega-3 fatty acids) for a period of 26 weeks.

They assessed participants prior, midway, and at the end of the study for changes in their symptoms.

The researchers were looking for ≥20% drop in symptoms (pain, stiffness, and inflammation) associated with osteoarthritis.

When pain symptoms were at a ≥20% reduction, both groups showed little change in symptoms (92.2% and 94.3%).

However, when the researchers assessed reduction in pain symptoms that were ≥80%, the group administered both glucosamine and omega-3’s showed a 44% decrease in symptoms.

The glucosamine group by itself showed only a 32% decrease in symptoms.

When the researchers looked at pain and stiffness in the morning, the combined group showed a reduction of 48.5%-55.6%. 

Comparatively, the glucosamine-only group showed a 41.7%-55.3% reduction in symptoms. 

They concluded that the combined group showed a greater reduction in symptoms than the glucosamine group alone.

Also noted, this was the first study combining both glucosamine and omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of osteoarthritis, and that both omega-3 fatty acids and glucosamine sulfate have been shown to be safe for periods longer than 26 weeks. 

Although this study is new and exciting, further research is needed to verify their findings before this can be considered a valid treatment option.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide.

It is characterized by pain, stiffness, and inflammation in the joints in your body.

Joints like the knee, hip, shoulder, and ankle are common areas where osteoarthritis may be found, but other areas can be affected.

With no known cure, osteoarthritis is commonly treated with over-the-counter pain medications and glucosamine.

Now, according to this study, omega-3 fatty acids, in combination with glucosamine sulfate, may be more effective at reducing osteoarthritis symptoms than just taking glucosamine alone.

In fact, omega-3 fatty acids alone have been shown to reduce some of the symptoms associated with osteoarthritis.

If you suffer from osteoarthritis, including more omega-3 fatty acids in combination with glucosamine, research suggests, may alleviate some common symptoms associated with osteoarthritis.


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References:

Gruenwald, J.  Petzold, E.  Busch, R.  Petzold, HP.  Graubaum, HJ.  Effect of glucosamine sulfate with or without omega-3 fatty acids in patients with osteoarthritis.  Advances in Therapy.  2009.  Vol. 26(9):pp. 858-871. doi: 10.1007/s12325-009-0060-3.