Glucosamine is a polysaccharide that is found naturally in cartilaginous joint tissues, bones, skin, ligaments, and nails, and it is involved in protein and lipid synthesis. In the context of joints, synovial fluid contains glucosamine and occupies the space between joints, helping to reduce the friction of joint surfaces.
Glucosamine is one of the most commonly used supplements frequently taken to address joint pain, but there seems to be more to this dietary supplement than first meets the eye.
Glucosamine was originally discovered during the 1960s in Italy by pharmacologist Professor Luigi Rovati. Glucosamine is one of the most commonly used dietary supplements and is typically taken to help with the joint pain and inflammation associated with aging.
The evidence for its usefulness in addressing conditions such as arthritis is, however, small at best, though there is some data for its effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial in 2015.
However, glucosamine seems to have a trick up its sleeve that doesn’t relate to its possible anti-inflammatory properties, as it has an influence on all-cause mortality and other mortality risks, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, respiratory and digestive diseases.
This population-based prospective cohort study included 495 077 women and men (mean (SD) age, 56.6 (8.1) years) from the UK Biobank study. Participants were recruited from 2006 to 2010 and were followed up through 2018. We evaluated all-cause mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, respiratory and digestive disease. HRs and 95% CIs for all-cause and cause-specific mortality were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for potential confounding variables.
Regular glucosamine supplementation was associated with lower mortality due to all causes, cancer, CVD, respiratory and digestive diseases.
Conclusion
The exact reasons for this significant influence on various mortality risks is as yet unknown, but given the large patient group in this and in other analyses along with the popularity of this supplement, it is impossible to deny that there is a definite trend here.
We are not suggesting that you take this supplement, but given that it is cheap and freely available with an excellent safety profile, it may be worth your consideration and further research to evaluate if you wish to take it or not.
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