Alzheimer’s risk linked to compound found in popular joint health supplements
Glucosamine is one of the materials cells use to make these sugar chains, according to Sun.
Researchers also tracked how glucosamine was processed in mice, comparing its effects on healthy brains with those affected by Alzheimer’s-like disease.
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“In our experiments, normal mice given glucosamine showed no increase in these sugar chains and no change in a memory test,” Sun said.
“But in mice with Alzheimer’s-like disease, where the production line was already running too hot, glucosamine increased the sugar chains further and worsened performance on a memory test.”
Study limitations
The researchers relied on medical records, which may not capture every supplement a patient was taking.
“Health records tell us what was documented, not everything a person took,” Sun said. “Over-the-counter supplements are not always recorded, and records don’t reliably capture dose, brand or how consistently someone took it.”
Researchers analyzed thousands of patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment, and then narrowed the group to those who were taking glucosamine. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
An observational study looking at past records can find a signal, but can’t prove one.
Glucosamine users may also differ in 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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“The finding should therefore be treated as a safety signal that warrants controlled human research, but it did not — could not — reach a 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 glucosamine poses a risk to those who take it for joint health. (iStock)
“For now, the evidence isn’t strong enough to recommend any supplement for slowing [Alzheimer’s] disease, which is why doing this research properly, including the clinical trial we’ve called for, matters,” Sun said.
The study did not examine cognitively healthy people and does not suggest that glucosamine poses a risk to those who take it for joint health.
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“A brain affected by dementia and a healthy brain are different biological environments, and we shouldn’t assume a supplement behaves the same way in both,” Sun said.
He emphasized the importance of consulting with a doctor before starting or stopping a supplement.
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“If you or a family member has a diagnosis of cognitive impairment or dementia and takes glucosamine, it’s reasonable to bring it up at the next visit, as part of an ordinary conversation about what’s in the medicine cabinet,” the doctor advised.
Fox News Digital reached out to multiple glucosamine manufacturers requesting comment.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/alzheimers-risk-linked-compound-found-popular-joint-health-supplements