Nutrients and Dietary Supplements for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease and the cause of pain and disability. Management of osteoarthritis primarily focuses on the relief of symptoms, using analgesics and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. These drugs, however, are associated with significant side effects and fail to slow the progression of osteoarthritis. There is currently no disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug. Several dietary nutrients have been shown to play a role in reducing the symptomatic and/or structural progression of osteoarthritis. A number of dietary supplements have been tested in clinical trials and shown to be more effective than placebos and at least as effective as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs at relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Preliminary evidence suggests that several dietary supplements may have a role in affecting the course of osteoarthritis. The safety profile of dietary supplements makes them an attractive treatment for osteoarthritis. This chapter reviews the available literature on the efficacy and safety of dietary nutrients and supplements for the management of osteoarthritis.