Glucosamine is a supplement used by many to fight joint pain. Researchers from the Univ. of Florida (UF) have found that it may speed up cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer’s. The researchers found that people who took glucosamine were 25 percent more likely to develop cognitive problems, including dementia.
The study used multiple methods to draw its conclusions. The researchers did a large retrospective analysis of people’s medical records. They used advanced imaging technology to examine human brains. And they ran tests in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models. The results of this study need to be confirmed with a human clinical trial.
The researcher found that taking glucosamine was linked to a 25 percent higher mortality risk for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. People without dementia did not have a risk.
Glucosamine may increase the amount of sugar residues that get attached to protein cells in the brain. In mice with Alzheimer’s glucosamine worsened their ability to remember the mice they were social with. When researchers stopped sugar residues from attaching to proteins the mice’s memories improved.
The researchers worry that, as glucosamine is a supplement, we have no idea who is on it. About 7.2 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s. Many of them are taking glucosamine for joint health. But they may never tell their doctor about it. This is why we always stress the importance of telling your doctor about all the supplements and OTC meds you are taking in addition to any prescriptions you may be on.
“In the United States, there are about 7 million people living with Alzheimer’s and millions more with related dementias such as Lewy body or frontotemporal dementia,” said senior author Dr. Ramon Sun, director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Biomolecule Research and associate director for innovation of UF's McKnight Brain Institute. “A lot of these people actively take an over-the-counter supplement that could be making their disease progression worse.”
If you take glucosamine and you are concerned about this research, you should talk to your doctor. You may not be at risk for dementia, in which case you are most likely safe to keep taking glucosamine. Your doctor may tell you that the joint benefits you have had outweigh the risks. Or maybe they will recommend switching to another joint supplement like turmeric. You won’t know until you sit down with them and discuss your medical history and your options.
