Dietary Outcomes in Osteoarthritis Disease Management

Carol J. Henderson, PhD, RD
Department of Nutrition
Georgia State University 
Atlanta, GA

Summary Points

• Obesity is a risk factor for the development and progression of osteoarthritis of the knee.
• There is information available from controlled studies demonstrating improvement in pain, function, and possible reduction in joint space narrowing in patients with OA if the knee is treated with glucosamine sulfate.
• There continues to be a concern about the lack of regulatory oversight of dietary supplements, thus there is no certainty about the purity of the products, the dose, or the ingredients present.

Introduction
 
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is a major cause of pain and physical disability in older adults. Whether dietary manipulation can change the natural history of OA – including symptomatic profiles, functional status, and structural integrity – remains a tantalizing possibility still fraught with controversies.