Glucosamine reduces risk of dementia

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

06.04.2023

The supplement industry initially launched glucosamine as a product to protect joints, but the same glucosamine probably does much more. Large epidemiological studies suggest that glucosamine reduces mortality and protects against cardiovascular disease and cancer. According to a recent study from Hong Kong, glucosamine may also reduce the risk of dementia.

Study

Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology analyzed the data of nearly 494,814 Britons, captured in the Uk Biobank project. The average study participant was 55 years old.

The researchers were able to follow the study participants for 9 years.

During the study, 2458 participants had been diagnosed with some form of dementia. The researchers knew the lifestyle of the study participants. So they also knew that 19 percent of them used glucosamine.

Results
Supplementation reduced the risk of dementia by 20 percent, the researchers found after they had brushed off or corrected the effect of as many other factors as possible with statistics. If they looked exclusively at vascular dementia, the reduction in the risk of dementia was even 28 percent.

Click on the table for a larger version.

Mechanism

The supplement industry initially launched glucosamine as a product to protect joints, but the same glucosamine probably does much more. Large epidemiological studies suggest that glucosamine reduces mortality and protects against cardiovascular disease and cancer. According to a recent study from Hong Kong, glucosamine may also reduce the risk of dementia.

"As a popular supplement that can pass through the blood-brain barrier, [Biomed Biochim Acta. 1985;44(4):611-22.] glucosamine may get to the hippocampus, striatum, and cortex", write the researchers.

"Several glucosamine transporters were identified in the brain. For instance, glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) was found in neurons and exhibited the greatest affinity for glucosamine. Intriguing evidence indicates that specific neuronal populations rely on GLUT2 to regulate glucose levels, thereby affecting their vulnerability to pathogenic mechanisms underlying."

At the same time, glucosamine tempers the activity of inflammatory factors such as CRP. In addition, glucosamine mimics the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on a molecular level. These effects may also help to explain the decrease in the risk of dementia, the researchers speculate.

Source:
BMC Med. 2023 Mar 29;21(1):114.

More:
Glucosamine users are less likely to get cancer 23.11.2022
Another study in which glucosamine reduces mortality risk... 08.12.2020
Glucosamine protects against deadly heart attacks 11.06.2019

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