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Chondroitin Dose: Why 50 mg Is Not 1,200 mg
The studied chondroitin dose is 800 to 1,200 mg a day. The CONCEPT trial used 800 mg and GAIT used 1,200 mg, both in knee arthritis. Nervecept has 50 mg per capsule, about one sixteenth of the lower figure. Studies were about joints, not nerves.
Written by the Nervecept label deskUpdated · 4 min read
What chondroitin dose do studies use?
Trials used 800 to 1,200 mg of chondroitin sulfate a day. The CONCEPT trial gave 800 mg to people with knee osteoarthritis for 6 months (Reginster et al., CONCEPT trial 2017). The GAIT trial gave 1,200 mg for 24 weeks (Clegg et al., NEJM 2006 (GAIT)).
The results differ. In CONCEPT, pain fell by 42.6 mm on a 100 mm scale with chondroitin, against 33.3 with placebo. That study was paid for by a chondroitin maker. In GAIT, chondroitin was not significantly better than placebo.
A Cochrane review of 43 trials found a small short-term drop in joint pain, but rated most evidence low quality (Cochrane, Chondroitin for OA (2015)).
How much chondroitin is in one Nervecept capsule?
One capsule holds 50 mg of chondroitin sulfate. That is 7% of the 699 mg of listed actives. The label says take one capsule a day.
800 divided by 50 is 16, so you would need 16 capsules a day to match CONCEPT. The label says not to exceed the recommended dose, so that is not a path to take.
| Source | Dose |
|---|---|
| CONCEPT trial | 800 mg |
| GAIT trial | 1,200 mg |
| Nervecept label | 50 mg |
Why does the chondroitin dose matter?
Dose matters because an effect seen at one amount may not appear at a much smaller one. Using less than the studied amount leaves the result unknown.
Two cautions hold here. A small dose does not prove no effect. A matching dose would not prove a nerve benefit, because trials looked at joints. NCCIH notes that guidelines recommend against chondroitin for hip or knee osteoarthritis (NCCIH, Chronic Pain and Complementary).
Who should check before taking chondroitin?
Anyone on warfarin should ask first. NCCIH links glucosamine and chondroitin to bleeding risk with warfarin (NCCIH, Glucosamine and Chondroitin).
Nervecept also contains shellfish (crayfish) from its glucosamine. Keep taking prescribed medicine, and see the supplement facts page for every line.
FAQ01
Nervecept questions people ask
Is 50 mg of chondroitin enough?
Enough for what is the question. Trials with results used 800 mg or more, so 50 mg has no study behind it. We cannot say it does nothing, and we cannot say it works.
Is chondroitin sulfate the same as glucosamine?
No. They are different compounds, though they are often sold together. Nervecept lists both, as 50 mg and 500 mg.
Can chondroitin cause side effects?
In CONCEPT, adverse events did not differ from placebo (Reginster et al., CONCEPT trial 2017). A Cochrane review found serious events less common than with placebo (Cochrane, Chondroitin for OA (2015)). Warfarin users should still ask first.
Who wrote this02
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Pages built from the label, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a Nervecept licensed U.S. outlet, not by the manufacturer or the distributor. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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