Popular pain supplement linked to faster Alzheimer’s decline - and death

Key Points:

• New research published in Nature Metabolism suggests that glucosamine supplements, commonly used for joint pain, may accelerate cognitive decline and increase mortality risk by 25% within five years in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
• The study found that glucosamine worsened memory in mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms and increased the likelihood of progression from mild cognitive impairment to full Alzheimer’s in humans.
• Alzheimer’s involves not only toxic protein clumps but also abnormal sugar buildup (hyperglycosylation) on brain cells, which disrupts protein function and contributes to memory loss; blocking sugar-producing enzymes showed improved dementia symptoms in animal models.
• Experts caution that the study shows an association, not causation, noting that arthritis-related pain itself may contribute to cognitive decline rather than glucosamine use; other research links glucosamine to reduced mortality risk in the general population.
• Ongoing research is investigating compounds that inhibit sugar buildup on brain cells as a potential therapeutic approach to slow Alzheimer’s progression.