--- title: "Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic…" description: "While some dietary supplements may offer short-term pain relief for osteoarthritis, their long-term effectiveness is not clinically important, and the…" url: "https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.md" canonical: "https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.html" html: "https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.html" type: "study" study_key: "boswellia_oa" journal: "Br J Sports Med" year: 2018 pmid: "29018060" doi: "10.1136/bjsports-2016-097333" citations: 1 updated: 2026-09-02 author: "Gabriel Radu, DO" author_credentials: "Physiatrist (PM&R). NY medical license 275110. NPI 1376861765." publisher: "Magellan Longevity" content_format: "markdown" --- # Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis [Home](https://magellanlongevity.com/) › [Research map](https://magellanlongevity.com/longevity-research-map.html) › Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a… **HTML version:** https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.html · **In the Magellan app:** https://magellanlongevity.com/#/study/boswellia_oa ## Citation | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Journal | Br J Sports Med | | Year | 2018 | | PMID | [29018060](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29018060/) | | DOI | [10.1136/bjsports-2016-097333](https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097333) | | Study key | boswellia_oa | ## Takeaway While some dietary supplements may offer short-term pain relief for osteoarthritis, their long-term effectiveness is not clinically important, and the quality of evidence varies. ## The question What is the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements for patients with osteoarthritis? ## Hypothesis The study implicitly hypothesized that some dietary supplements would demonstrate efficacy and safety in treating osteoarthritis. ## Methods This was an intervention systematic review with random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Researchers searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, Allied and Complementary Medicine, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature from inception to April 2017. They included randomized controlled trials comparing oral supplements with placebo for hand, hip, or knee osteoarthritis. ## Results Of 20 supplements in 69 studies, 7 (collagen hydrolysate, passion fruit peel extract, curcumin, pycnogenol, and L-carnitine) showed large (>0.80) and clinically important effects for short-term pain reduction. Six others (undenatured type II collagen, avocado soybean unsaponifiables, methylsulfonylmethane, diacerein, glucosamine, and chondroitin) showed statistically significant but unclear clinical importance for pain. Only green-lipped mussel extract and undenatured type II collagen had clinically important effects on pain at medium term, with no supplements showing long-term clinically important effects. Chondroitin showed statistically significant but not clinically important structural improvement (effect size -0.30). Safety outcomes were similar between supplements and placebo, except for diacerein. The overall analysis indicated moderate and clinically meaningful short-term effects on pain and function, though evidence quality was very low. ## Conclusion Some supplements showed large short-term treatment effects for osteoarthritis pain and function, while widely used supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin had small or no clinically important effects. No supplements demonstrated clinically important effects on pain and function at medium-term and long-term follow-ups. The quality of evidence varied widely. ## Limitations The quality of evidence ranged from very low to high, and the overall analysis for short-term effects was based on very low quality evidence. Some supplements with large treatment effects had a limited number of studies and participants. ## Verbatim from the abstract > Of 20 supplements investigated in 69 studies, seven demonstrated large and clinically important effects for [osteoarthritis] pain reduction at short term. ## Where this study is used on Magellan This paper is one of the citations behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are assigned from the published research and are independent of affiliate commissions. | Compound or device | Evidence grade | Graded pages | | --- | --- | --- | | High-Bioavailability Curcumin | Moderate evidence | [High-Bioavailability Curcumin](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/104.md) | | Pycnogenol Pine Bark Extract | Moderate evidence | [Pycnogenol Pine Bark Extract](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/117.md) | | D-Glucosamine | Moderate evidence | [D-Glucosamine Sulfate](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/197.md) | | Boswellia Serrata Extract | Moderate evidence | [Boswellia Serrata Extract](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/207.md) | | MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) | Moderate evidence | [MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/208.md) | | Osteo Bi-Flex (Triple Strength + Joint Shield) | Moderate evidence | [Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength (Glucosamine Chondroitin + Joint Shield)](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/217.md) | | Glucosamine + Chondroitin (+ MSM) | Moderate evidence | [Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM (with OptiMSM)](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/218.md) | | MSM (OptiMSM) | Emerging evidence | [MSM with OptiMSM (1,500 mg)](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/219.md) | ## Reference 1. **Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis** Br J Sports Med 2018 · [PMID 29018060](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29018060/) · [DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097333](https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097333) > Of 20 supplements investigated in 69 studies, seven demonstrated large and clinically important effects for [osteoarthritis] pain reduction at short term. ## Structured data ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.html#page","url":"https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.html","name":"Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis","description":"While some dietary supplements may offer short-term pain relief for osteoarthritis, their long-term effectiveness is not clinically important, and the…","inLanguage":"en","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","name":"Magellan Longevity","url":"https://magellanlongevity.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Gabriel Radu, DO","jobTitle":"Physiatrist (PM&R)","identifier":[{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"NPI","value":"1376861765"},{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"NY medical license","value":"275110"}]},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Magellan Longevity","url":"https://magellanlongevity.com/"},"encoding":{"@type":"MediaObject","encodingFormat":"text/markdown","contentUrl":"https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.md"},"dateModified":"2026-09-02"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://magellanlongevity.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research map","item":"https://magellanlongevity.com/longevity-research-map.html"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a…","item":"https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.html"}]},{"@type":"ScholarlyArticle","@id":"https://magellanlongevity.com/study/boswellia_oa.html#study","name":"Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis","headline":"Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis","datePublished":"2018","isPartOf":{"@type":"Periodical","name":"Br J Sports Med"},"identifier":"PMID:29018060","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29018060/","sameAs":"https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097333","abstract":"While some dietary supplements may offer short-term pain relief for osteoarthritis, their long-term effectiveness is not clinically important, and the quality of evidence varies."}]} ``` ## Related on Magellan Longevity - [Pycnogenol Pine Bark Extract](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/117.md) — product graded on this and related evidence - [High-Bioavailability Curcumin](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/104.md) — product graded on this and related evidence - [D-Glucosamine Sulfate](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/197.md) — product graded on this and related evidence - [Boswellia Serrata Extract](https://magellanlongevity.com/p/207.md) — product graded on this and related evidence - [Evidence: lowers CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha](https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s104.md) - [Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation in…](https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d36804260.md) - [Profiling Inflammatory Biomarkers following Curcumin Supplementation: An Umbrella…](https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d36700039.md) - [Longevity research map](https://magellanlongevity.com/longevity-research-map.html) - [Evidence-based longevity supplements](https://magellanlongevity.com/longevity-supplements.md) ## Scope and disclosures Educational information, not medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your physician before starting any supplement or device, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication. Editorial firewall: evidence grades are assigned from the published research and are independent of any affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, Magellan Longevity earns from qualifying purchases. Reviewed for accuracy by a board-certified physician (DO).