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Alzheimer’s risk linked to compound found in popular joint health supplements
Confirmed
In Short: In laboratory tests, mice with Alzheimer's-like disease showed worsened performance on memory tests when given glucosamine, indicating that the supplement may interact with and worsen disrupted metabolic pathways.
Researchers at the University of Florida found that individuals taking glucosamine faced a 25 percent greater likelihood of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease.
Glucosamine, a compound found in cartilage and used to manage joint pain, is now linked to increased sugar chains on proteins in the brain, potentially worsening cognitive function.
The study, published in Nature Metabolism, analyzed thousands of patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment, focusing on those taking glucosamine.
Senior author Ramon Sun, director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Biomolecule Research, explained that brains affected by Alzheimer's add excessive sugar tags to proteins, which glucosamine may exacerbate.
The research team used artificial intelligence to analyze anonymized health records from 2012 to 2024, examining patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias or mild cognitive impairment.
Among patients already living with dementia, glucosamine consumption was linked to a 25 percent higher mortality risk, raising concerns about the supplement's safety for vulnerable individuals.
Neil Levin, senior nutrition education manager of Now, a manufacturer of glucosamine supplements, emphasized that the findings should be treated as a safety signal warranting further research but do not prove causality.
Levin noted that health records may not capture all supplement use, dose, brand, or consistency, highlighting the need for controlled human research.
If you take glucosamine for joint pain, experts advise speaking to your doctor before making any changes, especially if you or a family member has a history of cognitive decline.
What this adds
The study adds to the growing body of research linking metabolic dysfunction to Alzheimer's progression.
The findings suggest that addressing metabolic defects could complement approaches focused on Alzheimer's plaques and tangles.
Further research is needed to confirm the causal relationship between glucosamine and Alzheimer's progression.
What's confirmed
- Researchers at the University of Florida found that individuals taking glucosamine faced a 25 percent greater likelihood of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease.
- Glucosamine, a compound found in cartilage and used to manage joint pain, is now linked to increased sugar chains on proteins in the brain, potentially worsening cognitive function.
- The study, published in Nature Metabolism, analyzed thousands of patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment, focusing on those taking glucosamine.
- Senior author Ramon Sun, director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Biomolecule Research, explained that brains affected by Alzheimer's add excessive sugar tags to proteins, which glucosamine may exacerbate.
- The research team used artificial intelligence to analyze anonymized health records from 2012 to 2024, examining patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias or mild cognitive impairment.
- Among patients already living with dementia, glucosamine consumption was linked to a 25 percent higher mortality risk, raising concerns about the supplement's safety for vulnerable individuals.
- Neil Levin, senior nutrition education manager of Now, a manufacturer of glucosamine supplements, emphasized that the findings should be treated as a safety signal warranting further research but do not prove causality.
- Levin noted that health records may not capture all supplement use, dose, brand, or consistency, highlighting the need for controlled human research.
- If you take glucosamine for joint pain, experts advise speaking to your doctor before making any changes, especially if you or a family member has a history of cognitive decline.
What's still developing
- Many older adults turn to glucosamine to manage aging joints, but for individuals with mild cognitive impairment, the supplement could be linked to faster progression to Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock) "Glucosamine is a naturally occurring compound of sugar and an amino acid group that is a fundamental structural building block in the body," Neil Levin, senior nutrition education manager of Now, a manufacturer of glucosamine supplements in Illinois, told Fox News Digital.
- "Support for aging joints is the primary reason people take glucosamine as a dietary supplement," Levin said.
- 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, and then narrowed the group to those who were taking glucosamine.
- " Health records tell us what was documented, not everything a person took," Sun said.
- Alzheimer's Association VP Rachel Conant joins 'Fox News Live' to discuss policy hurdles blocking access to breakthrough Alzheimer's treatments.
- Supplemental glucosamine bypasses that "front gate" entirely — like a delivery truck pulling straight up to the loading dock, instantly boosting the supply of raw material used to make the sugar chains, the expert added.
- "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."
- "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."
- "Over-the-counter supplements are not always recorded, and records don't reliably capture dose, brand or how consistently someone took it."
- "Our results suggest that altered metabolism is a significant contributor to Alzheimer's progression and, in addition, addressing the metabolic defect could be an important complement to approaches focused on Alzheimer's plaques and tangles," Sun said.
- "The electronic health record data are very provocative," Gentry said.
- Analysis of brain specimens from the UF Neuromedicine Brain and Tissue Bank revealed markedly elevated sugar attachment in Alzheimer's patients compared with healthy controls.