My father was crippled by arthritis of the hips, and I was already heading the same way in my 30s, so I decided to take glucosamine sulphate and cod liver supplements on the basis that they might help and were unlikely to harm. 25 years later my hips are slightly better than they were back then whereas my father was hobbling about using 2 walking sticks by this age. So ... I will ignore the lack of scientific evidence and carry on with what I am doing!