This summary of a Cochrane review presents what we know from research about the effect of S-Adenosylmethionine on osteoarthritis.
The review shows that in people with osteoarthritis:
- We are uncertain whether S-Adenosylmethionine affects pain or your ability to use your knee because of the low to moderate quality of the evidence.
- S-Adenosylmethionine may not have any side effects. We often do not have precise information about side effects and complications. This is particularly true for rare but serious side effects.
What is osteoarthritis and what is S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of the joints, such as your knee or hip. When the joint loses cartilage, the bone grows to try to repair the damage. Instead of making things better, however, the bone grows abnormally and makes things worse. For example, the bone can become misshapen and make the joint painful and unstable. This can affect your physical function or ability to use your knee.
S-Adenosylmethionine is popular dietary supplement available over the counter in drug stores or health food stores. It is also a naturally occurring chemical that is produced in the body. SAMe is not found in foods, so it must be taken as a supplement.
Best estimate of what happens to people with osteoarthritis who take S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)
Pain
- People with S-Adenosylmethionine and people with placebo are equally likely to respond to treatment (difference of 0%). This could be the result of chance.
- People who took S-Adenosylmethionine had an improvement in their pain of about 2 on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (extreme pain) after using it up to 3 months.
- People who took a placebo had an improvement in their pain of also about 2 on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (extreme pain) after using it up to 3 months.
Physical Function
- People with S-Adenosylmethionine and people with placebo are equally likely to respond to treatment (difference of 0%). This could be the result of chance.
- People who took S-Adenosylmethionine had an improvement in their physical function of about 1 on a scale of 0 (no disability) to 10 (extreme disability) after using it up to 3 months.
- People who took a placebo had an improvement in their physical function of also about 1 on a scale of 0 (no disability) to 10 (extreme disability) after using it up to 3 months.
Side effects
- 4 more people experienced side effects with S-Adenosylmethionine than with placebo (difference of 4%). This could be the result of chance.
- 19 people out of 100 who used S-Adenosylmethionine experienced side effects (19%).
- 15 people out of 100 who used a placebo experienced side effects (15%).