Regular Glucosamine Use and Mortality

A large prospective cohort study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases examined the relationship between regular glucosamine use and mortality rates among 495,077 participants from the UK Biobank, with a mean age of 56.6 years. The study aimed to assess all-cause mortality and specific causes of death, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, respiratory, and digestive diseases. Participants were followed for a median of 8.9 years, during which 19,882 deaths were recorded. At baseline, 19.1% reported regular glucosamine use. The findings indicated that glucosamine use was associated with a 15% reduction in all-cause mortality, an 18% reduction in CVD mortality, a 6% reduction in cancer mortality, a 27% reduction in respiratory mortality, and a 26% reduction in digestive mortality. The protective effects appeared to be more pronounced among current smokers compared to non-smokers. The study suggests that regular glucosamine supplementation may confer significant health benefits, potentially lowering the risk of death from various causes. These results highlight the need for further clinical trials to explore the mechanisms behind these associations and to better understand the potential benefits of glucosamine in the general population.