Alzheimer Alarm for the Supplement Millions Use
This supplement that millions use for joint pain is under the microscope! A new study has revealed a striking link to Alzheimer's progression.
A striking study on the commonly used glucosamine supplement for joint pain has been published. The U.S.-based study suggests that glucosamine use may be associated with faster disease progression in people with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. Researchers emphasize that the findings do not represent a direct risk for healthy individuals.
In a study published in Nature Metabolism, data ranging from patient records and brain imaging to human brain tissue samples and animal models of Alzheimer's disease were examined together.
Records of More Than 4,600 Patients Examined
Led by Florida University, the research team evaluated the clinical records of more than 4,600 patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia between 2012 and 2024. Approximately 8% of the patients were found to use glucosamine.
According to the study, glucosamine use was linked to a 25% increase in the likelihood of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Among those already diagnosed with dementia, glucosamine users were found to have a 25% higher risk of death within ten years.
However, scientists emphasize that these results do not prove that glucosamine directly accelerates Alzheimer's. They note that the findings are still preliminary and that controlled clinical trials in humans are needed to establish causality.
The same warning is not issued for healthy individuals.
Senior author of the study and director of the Florida University Advanced Spatial Biomolecule Research Center, Ramon Sun, made an important distinction regarding the scope of the study.
Sun noted that healthy people taking glucosamine for joint pain are not the target group of the study, and that the concern is specifically limited to those already affected by Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment.
According to researchers, glucosamine may feed a metabolic process that could contribute to disease progression in these individuals.
Attention to the Brain's 'Sugar Labeling' Process
At the heart of the study is a biological process called 'glycosylation'. In this process, sugar molecules attach to proteins. Researchers believe this mechanism could become overactive in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
The study's co-author Matt Gentry noted that an excess sugar structure is added to proteins in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, and that this may not be merely a consequence of the disease but a mechanism that contributes to its progression.
Glucosamine, being a naturally occurring type of sugar molecule, can be involved in this process. In animal studies, administering additional glucosamine was found to increase glycosylation and was associated with worsening of Alzheimer's pathology.
Higher glycosylation levels were also detected in brain tissue from Alzheimer's patients compared to healthy individuals.
The possibility of reversing the process gave hope.
Another striking result of the study was that the metabolic mechanism in question could potentially be reversed.
Scientists observed an improvement in memory functions in mice when they reduced glycosylation using genetic methods and a drug-like inhibitor. Moreover, this development occurred without any changes in the amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles that have long been the focus of Alzheimer's research.
This result points to the possibility that a new target could emerge in Alzheimer's treatment.
The View on Alzheimer's Can Change
Researchers believe the findings reinforce the view that Alzheimer's should be evaluated not only through brain plaques and protein tangles, but also in the context of metabolic disorders.
Earlier studies on brain insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism had also indicated a similar connection.
The research team now aims to work on drugs that can safely suppress this metabolic pathway and also reach the brain. However, scientists stress that clinical trials are required to confirm the link between glucosamine and Alzheimer's progression.
Therefore, the study's findings do not imply that people using glucosamine should discontinue the supplement on their own. In particular, those diagnosed with Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment are advised to consult health professionals before using the supplement.
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