Supplements & functional ingredients
With so many suffering from osteoarthritis, cartilage protection and treatments like chondroitin sulphate offer hope for relief.
chondroitin sulphate is safe overall, with Henrotin describing the chemical as inducing a “very low-level of side effects” among individuals. All the same, the public should surely be cautious. Given long-term chondroitin sulphate may raise glycemia levels, the academic warns that prediabetic people are especially susceptible here. And when taking the chemical can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea, and nausea – and could perhaps, in more serious cases, provoke the spread or recurrence of prostate cancer – osteoarthritis sufferers should doubtless be careful.
$1.5bn
The value of the global market for chondroitin sulphate in 2022, a figure expected to rise significantly over the next decade. Straits Research
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Programmes of care With such a muddled and contradictory situation, what can we expect of chondroitin sulphate in future? All things considered, Henrotin seems broadly optimistic, laying out a potential programme of treatment for people with osteoarthritis. “Personally,” he says, “I think it’s reasonable, in clinical practice, to trya product with a well-defined, clinically tested formulation for three months, and evaluate its effects before extending its treatment administration.” If it seems to be working, treatment can continue until the patient is satisfied. Finally, Henrotin leaves open the possibility that people may need to return for more treatment if needed. Moderate in their scope – and time-limited in their scale – schemes like this could yet transform medical life. There are signs, meanwhile, that medical regulators are indeed moving this way. After all, chondroitin sulphate is now approved as an ethical drug across several EU countries, including Poland and Spain. For Henrotin, any change in
recommendations must be supported by more conclusive clinical studies and a better understanding of chondroitin sulphate’s mechanisms of action. “It’s very important,” he says, “to make the link between the evidence – and the product that you prescribe.” In practice, for that to happen requires a better understanding of what different types of chondroitin sulphate can do, with scientists needing to distinguish between examples by origin, purity and contamination with by-products. Nor, Henrotin adds, should medical professionals neglect other anti- osteoarthritis measures too. Diet and education both matter here, with people who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables probably less susceptible to osteoarthritis than their unhealthy kin. Exercise shouldn’t be ignored here either, especially given the obvious links between joint health and someone’s ability to walk, run, or cycle. “Chondroitin sulphate” therefore Henrotin says, “could be used to promote physical activity – but not to substitute it.” To put it differently, we surely shouldn’t see chondroitin sulphate as a panacea, whatever the medical consensus ultimately becomes. But that hardly means we shouldn’t be excited about the chemical. Henrotin, for his part, is surprised about the relative lack of research into how chondroitin sulphate could stimulate the so-called ‘extracellular matrix’ – the network of proteins and other molecules that bolster cells and tissues – especially when compared to other areas like enzymes. Considering how many people will struggle with osteoarthritis over the next few decades, there’s surely not a moment to waste. ●
Ingredients Insight /
www.ingredients-insight.com
SUPERMAO/
Shutterstock.com
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