In a recent study, 605 people who reported chronic knee pain and had evidence of joint space narrowing in the knee were randomly assigned to take 1500 milligrams of glucosamine, 800 milligrams of chondroitin, both glucosamine and chondroitin, or placebo daily. Patients were followed for two years. Both knee pain and joint space narrowing were evaluated throughout the study.
The researchers found that after two years, participants taking both glucosamine and chondroitin had significant reductions in joint space narrowing when compared to those taking placebo. Taking just glucosamine or just chondroitin alone did not result in any significant effects on joint space narrowing. Knee pain reductions were similar for all treatment groups.
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