I know a few on here use this stuff for their joints. I take it regularly after reading some posts and recommendations a while back, (combined with Chondroitin(?) and MSM). Report today says there is no evidence that it works in any way, so it must be coincidence or placebo effect that my joint pains went after taking the pills….

Lack of demonstrable evidence has never stopped people taking homeopathy seriously.

folks these days look to science for the answers to everything. working shit out for yourself is a lost art.

This just adds to the body of evidence.
Never make a decision on one study alone.
Overall the evidence for it's effectiveness was always pretty weak.
You are correct placebo effect is a real effect. Studies have to prove drugs (or food supplements in this case) are superior to placebo. Seems this is unlikely for glucosamine or chondroitin.
If it's cheap and seems to work keep taking it

Glucosomine does not work

No, thats wrong.

Glucosomine does not work any better than placebo

is accurate

The placebo effect is a much misunderstood and highly effective treatment with a proven therapeutic effect for a wide variety of conditions.

Study was just about osteoarthritis and it's conditions. Doesn't mention anything else.

folks these days look to science for the answers to everything. working shit out for yourself is a lost art.

I thought working shit out for yourself was science?

it's still food, if very nasty 🙁

this study was also targeted at those individuals already suffering arthritis rather than maintaining joint health as a 'preventative'.

Well it seems to work on my dog and she doesn't even know she is taking it (placebo or otherwise.)

I thought working shit out for yourself was science?

err..scratches head……cogs turning…err.
oh go on then you win.

I thought working shit out for yourself was science?

Isn't that just straining?

😯

Well it seems to work on my dog and she doesn't even know she is taking it (placebo or otherwise.)

the thing is tho, you know shes taking it, and its you that is reporting the result. The dog has not reported any improvements.

The guy I heard on the Radio today said their is no evidence that it has any effect in any circumstances, but at least it has no potential side effects. Bagstard – my dogs also get it in their food and it seems to have worked for them too…

sweepy, she has gone from limping and whimpering to not limping overnight on numerous occasions.

TooTall – Member
Study was just about osteoarthritis and it's conditions. Doesn't mention anything else.

Seems reasonable as the claims for it's effectiveness were to do with arthritis as well. Most widely reported benefit was purely for knee pain not even arthritis in any other joints IIRC. As effective as ibuprofen for knee pain was the take home message I think. Nothing more nothing less.
Have I missed some other benefit of taking it?
I think this is interesting as it shows again how "science" can change it's position in light of new evidence, as opposed to alternative therapy which tends to just stick to its's guns despite increasing evidence to the contrary. Yeah Homeopathy I am looking at you

No idea for dogs and this study doesn't apply anyway surely? Not checked but I presume it was on humans. Veterinary medicine doesn't usually make it to R4 morning news bulletin?

Bagstard – Member
Well it seems to work on my dog and she doesn't even know she is taking it (placebo or otherwise.)

My sis started giving it to her bulldog who was noticeably more active once she started regularly having it. She had a limp that cleared up and she was generally brighter (the dog, not my sister).

WEll I'm more than happy that it has effect on me 🙂

I could barely make it up the stairs without severe knee pain for months. A couple of weeks after taking it – no pain at time. Obviously just timing.
The same sort of timing that after a couple of weeks of not taking it the knees are killing me again !

Time to go find my tablets – placebo or not – its works for me…..

I have, coincidentally, been off the stuff for a couple of weeks and had just asked Mrs imp to pick some up as my knees were feeling a bit uncomfortable again. Then I heared this report.

I will continuing to take them.

It's amazing how much good a nights rest will do for a dog… our's can go from hobbling and not being able to get onto the sofa in the evening to being fine and dandy next day…

We then started giving him glucosamine and condritin(sp?) and while he was less stiff at times than before, we were also a lot more careful about how we exercised him.

So, I'd probably say the pills do more to make my other half happy, than they do good for the dog. It's just being aware there is a problem meant that we took more care about his exercise.

sweepy, she has gone from limping and whimpering to not limping overnight on numerous occasions.

AFAIK, the stuff didn't claim to work overnight, but over several months.

Bagstard – Member

"sweepy, she has gone from limping and whimpering to not limping overnight on numerous occasions."

Dogs will do that sometimes if you don't give them anything at all, as will humans. I don't know if it works or not, I didn't feel any improvement myself but that's not to say there wasn't one, or that someone else wouldn't get a benefit. But agree with IanMunro, it's not usually believed to work so fast.

a link:- http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/09/17/glucosamine-chondroitin-arthritis.html

This study was fairly impressive (meta analysis of >3000 patients) but did combine studies on knee and other types of osteoarthritis. There is an argument that if they'd just looked at knee arthritis they might have found a benefit vs placebo

Don't even get me started on f*cking homeopathy!