Chondroitin sulfate consists of a mixture of large glycosaminoglycans and disaccharide polymers, usually derived from shark or bovine cartilage. It is most commonly used to treat osteoarthritis. Chondroitin sulfate has no specific lactation-related uses. Chondroitin sulfate is poorly absorbed orally with a bioavailability of about 10%. It is well tolerated with occasional gastrointestinal upset reported. Although no studies exist on the use of chondroitin sulfate supplements during breastfeeding, small amounts occur naturally in breastmilk where it might have an inhibitory effect on microbial binding to cellular receptors in the infant or, helping prevent infections, or acting as an antioxidant to protect the infant from oxidative stress. Mothers of preterm infants excrete greater amounts of chondroitin into breastmilk than mothers of fullterm infants.[1,2] The use of chondroitin by a nursing mother is unlikely to adversely affect the breastfed infant.
Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information about dietary supplements is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.