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Regular use of glucosamine,
chondroitin, or fish oil supplements significantly reduces high-sensitivityC-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a marker of inflammation, according to a new
study.
Inflammation is now recognized as a
factor in cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as many rheumatoid
diseases. A number of over-the-counter dietary supplements are being marketed
for the purpose of reducing inflammation, though evidence supporting the claims
are limited.
To address this situation,
Elizabeth D. Kantor, from the Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research
Center, Seattle, Washington,
and colleagues analyzed data on dietary supplements and hs-CRP in 9947
participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
In participants who regularly used
a supplement, the researchers found hs-CRP reductions of
a) 17%
reduction with glucosamine,
b) 22%
reduction with chondroitin
c) 16%
reduction with fish oil
compared with participants who did
not take the supplements. The analyses were adjusted for age, gender, race,
smoking history, and body mass index.
The supplements
methylsulfonylmethane, garlic, ginkgo biloba, saw palmetto, and pycnogenol were
not associated with reduced inflammation.
This current study provides a
plausible biologic mechanism by which these supplements may reduce risk of
these diseases. The fact that these supplements have already been associated
with the clinically relevant outcome provides potential clinical significance
to these findings. However, further research is needed to better understand
these associations and the potential clinical significance of these findings.
###
The research has been published online November 8, 2012 in
the American Journal of Epidemiology:
Kantor ED, Lampe JW, Vaughan
TL, Peters U, Rehm CD, White E. Association
Between Use of Specialty Dietary Supplements and C-Reactive Protein
Concentrations. Am. J. Epidemiol.
(2012) doi: 10.1093/aje/kws186.
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