"Chondroitin is an expensive material, so experts have been concerned about the quality and quantity of the ingredient in supplements. Because chondroitin typically comes from cow cartilage, an additional concern has been whether the products may be contaminated with the causative agent of Mad Cow disease (known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalitis or BSE). The risk, however, seems to be miniscule because the prion thought to be the causative agent of the disease exists only in very low levels in cartilage; it's most abundant in nervous and glandular tissues. In addition, some manufacturers have stated that the process used to make chondroitin supplements should inactivate the prion - although this hasn't been shown conclusively. Unfortunately, there's no simple way to test for BSE prion contamination in supplements, so products in this review weren't evaluated for contamination."
"Chondroitin is similar in structure to the blood-thinning drug heparin, so use of chondroitin with blood-thinning drugs or daily aspirin therapy may cause bleeding in some people."
"Chondroitin sulfate is a component of a substance called versican that appears to support the spread of prostate cancer. While chondroitin sulfate itself has not been shown to have this effect, men with, or at risk for, prostate cancer may want to avoid chrondroitin sulfate until more is known."
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