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Many older adults turn to glucosamine to manage aging joints, but for people with mild cognitive impairment, the supplement might be associated with faster progression to Alzheimer’s disease.
To study how glucosamine affects dementia risk and mortality, University of Florida researchers analyzed medical records of patients with mild cognitive impairment, tracked laboratory mouse models, and examined healthy human brains versus those with Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, published in Nature Metabolism, focused on glycosylation, a natural process by which brain cells attach small sugar chains to proteins.
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“You can think of these sugar chains as tags and fittings on a piece of machinery — they help a protein fold properly, get shipped to the right place in the cell, and connect to its partners,” lead author Ramon Sun, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Florida School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “The right amount is essential.”
Many older adults turn to glucosamine to manage aging joints, but for people with mild cognitive impairment, the supplement might be associated with faster progression to Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock)
What is glucosamine?
“Glucosamine is a naturally occurring compound of sugar and a group of amino acids that is a fundamental structural component of the body,” Neil Levin, senior manager of nutrition education at Now, an Illinois-based manufacturer of glucosamine supplements, told Fox News Digital.
Glucosamine is concentrated in cartilage, the connective tissue that cushions joints, and is a component of larger molecules that help give cartilage its strength, elasticity and ability to retain water, he added.
“Supporting joint aging is the main reason people take glucosamine as a dietary supplement,” Levin said.
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The body uses an internal “checkpoint” that naturally regulates the number of these sugar chains it produces, according to Sun.
The extra glucosamine bypasses this “front door” entirely – like a delivery truck arriving directly at the loading dock, instantly increasing the supply of the raw material used to make the sugar chains, the expert added.
Glucosamine is concentrated in cartilage, the connective tissue that cushions joints, and is a component of larger molecules that help give cartilage its strength, elasticity and ability to retain water. (iStock)
In the study, researchers analyzed thousands of patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment, then narrowed the group to those who took glucosamine.
For people with mild cognitive impairment, taking the supplement didn’t change their risk of death, but it made them 25% more likely to progress to dementia. However, among people already with dementia, glucosamine users had higher mortality than similar non-users.
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The researchers also looked at brain tissue to understand what might be driving this association. “We found an excess of sugar chains on Alzheimer’s brain proteins,” Sun said.
Many of these proteins help nerve cells communicate, but excess sugar chains can interfere with their function, Sun said. He compared the effect to coating a key with too much wax: it’s still the same key, but it no longer fits the lock properly.
“A dementia brain and a healthy brain are different biological environments, and we should not assume that a supplement behaves the same in both.”
Glucosamine is one of the materials cells use to make these sugar chains, according to Sun.
The researchers also tracked how glucosamine was processed in mice, comparing its effects on healthy brains with those affected by Alzheimer’s-type disease.
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“In our experiments, normal mice given glucosamine showed no increase in these sugar chains or any changes in a memory test,” Sun said.
“But in mice with Alzheimer’s disease, where the production line was already running too hot, glucosamine further increased the sugar chains and worsened performance on a memory test.”
Limitations of the study
The researchers relied on medical records, which may not reflect all the supplements a patient was taking.
“Medical records tell us what was documented, not everything a person took,” Sun said. “Over-the-counter supplements are not always registered, and the registrations do not reliably capture the dose, brand, or how often someone takes them.”
Researchers analyzed thousands of patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment, then narrowed the group to those who took glucosamine. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
An observational study looking at past recordings can find a signal, but cannot prove it.
Glucosamine users may also differ based on factors such as arthritis, pain, mobility, frailty and medication use, Levin noted. The records also did not establish the exact supplement, dose, duration, or consistency of use.
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“This finding should therefore be treated as a safety signal that warrants controlled human research, but it did not – and could not – lead to the conclusion that glucosamine causes Alzheimer’s disease,” Levin said.
The next step is a well-designed, double-blind clinical trial to evaluate the impact of glucosamine on cognitive decline in patients with dementia.
The study did not examine cognitively healthy people and does not suggest that glucosamine poses a risk to those who take it for their joint health. (iStock)
“At this time, the evidence is not strong enough to recommend any supplement to slow Alzheimer’s disease, which is why it is important to do this research properly, including the clinical trial we have requested,” Sun said.
The study did not involve cognitively healthy people and does not suggest that glucosamine poses a risk to those who take it for their joint health.
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“A dementia brain and a healthy brain are different biological environments, and we should not assume that a supplement behaves the same in both,” Sun said.
He stressed the importance of consulting a doctor before starting or stopping any supplement.
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“If you or a family member has a diagnosis of cognitive impairment or dementia and is taking glucosamine, it is reasonable to bring it up at the next visit, as part of a regular conversation about the contents of the medicine cabinet,” the doctor advised.
Fox News Digital contacted several glucosamine manufacturers for comment.
Gn Health
