Glucosamine use was associated with faster progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia in a large retrospective study.Among Alzheimer's patients, glucosamine use correlated with higher mortality risk over 10 years.Researchers suggested that glucosamine may be harmful after neurodegeneration begins, but not before.
Glucosamine -- a popular supplement used for joint pain -- was associated with faster progression to Alzheimer's disease and worse survival among Alzheimer's patients, a retrospective study of electronic health records suggested.
Glucosamine use was linked with a 25% higher likelihood of progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia (P<0.001) over 5 years, reported Ramon Sun, PhD, of the University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute in Gainesville, and co-authors.
In a 10-year survival analysis, use of the supplement was tied to a 25% increase in mortality risk among patients with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (P=0.0023), the researchers noted in Nature Metabolism.
Ten-year survival analyses in people with mild cognitive impairment showed no significant difference between glucosamine users and non-users (P=0.252), suggesting some effects of glucosamine may be specific to people with established neurodegeneration rather than the general population, Sun and colleagues noted.
