Real world evidence for glucosamine-chondroitin-calcium supplementation on joint pain.

Background: Joint and bone diseases are major causes of morbidity worldwide. While glucosamine sulfate (GS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) have demonstrated benefits in severe degenerative joint conditions, real-world evidence on the use patterns and reported outcomes of their combination with calcium (GCC) among individuals with mild-to-moderate joint discomfort remains limited. Methods: This real-world study enrolled 9,090 adults who used GCC for ≥1 month and completed an online questionnaire; pre- and post-use symptom scores were analyzed among participants reporting joint symptoms or back pain. Linear mixed-effects models adjusted for demographics, lifestyle, comorbidities, medications, and other dietary supplement use. Results: After GCC use, joint pain, stiffness, swelling, inflexibility and back pain scores were significantly lower than pre-use scores, with mean changes of -1.74 (95% CI: -1.81 to -1.68) for joint pain and -1.37 (95% CI: -1.45 to -1.28) for back pain (all Conclusion: Although the mean changes did not reach the pre-specified primary two-point minimal clinically important difference, GCC use was associated with lower joint discomfort and back pain scores, and self-reported adverse events were rare.