Chondroitin is a natural part of cartilage that helps it resist compression. As chondroitin sulfate it is sold as a dietary supplement, alone or with glucosamine, for osteoarthritis joint pain; it is the supplement most often used by US adults with osteoarthritis.
Also known as: chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine and chondroitin.
Chondroitin has no intake value or upper limit. NCCIH does not give a standard amount, and notes that some countries sell certain chondroitin preparations as prescription drugs, which may differ from US supplements.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
NCCIH says studies of chondroitin and glucosamine for knee osteoarthritis have had inconsistent results, and it is still uncertain whether they help symptoms. A 2018 analysis of 29 studies found that glucosamine or chondroitin taken separately reduced pain, but the combination did not. A 2019 analysis of 18 chondroitin studies found a benefit with much inconsistency, and a specific pharmaceutical-grade product did better than others. Guidelines disagree: the American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation strongly recommend against chondroitin for knee osteoarthritis but conditionally recommend it for hand osteoarthritis, based on a 6-month trial of 162 people where hand pain and function improved more than with placebo.
Whether chondroitin changes joint structure is uncertain; 2-year trials conflict. Safety, per NCCIH: no major safety problems were found in large studies, but glucosamine and chondroitin have been linked to a higher risk of bleeding in people taking warfarin, and little is known about their safety in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for chondroitin that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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