Study: Dietary Supplement for Joint Pain Linked to Worsening Dementia

SadaNews - A large-scale analysis has concluded that regular use of glucosamine, a common over-the-counter supplement used to treat joint pain, is associated with an increased likelihood of progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

According to the Reuters agency, researchers analyzed medical records collected between 2012 and 2024 for about 60,000 patients suffering from varying degrees of cognitive impairment, finding that regular use of the glucosamine supplement was linked to a 25 percent increase in the likelihood of the condition progressing from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

The analysis published in the journal "Nature Metabolism" revealed that glucosamine use was associated with a 25 percent increase in mortality risk during the study period among patients already suffering from dementia.

Researchers noted that this effect was not observed in patients with only mild cognitive impairment, suggesting that the impact of glucosamine may be greater in those who already have dementia.

Animal studies have shown that glucosamine exacerbates a harmful process in the brain known as glycosylation over-association, where the abnormal attachment of sugar molecules to proteins in the brain disrupts vital neural functions.

Matt Gentry, a co-author of the study from the University of Florida, stated, "The data extracted from electronic health records is very striking... Although it shows an association rather than evidence of causation, it raises an important question that warrants significant attention on the clinical side."

A commentary published alongside the study indicated that the progression of dementia linked to increased glycosylation due to glucosamine intake suggests that this process "could be a targetable pathway to combat this disease."