Chapter 5, Problem 2CSL

Your father is suffering from a painful knee joint. He has been told that he either has the early stages of arthritis or some inherent joint problems. His friend recommends that he take a chemical supplement with his meals, called chondroitin sulfate, which has been shown to help some people with joint aches and pains. Specifically, this supplement may alleviate symptoms caused by degenerated cartilage on the surfaces on bones in joints. Based on your knowledge of connective tissues, do you think the chondroitin sulfate supplements could help your father’s knee problems?