Glucosamine may form part of a healthy lifestyle, especially for smokers<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/strong> What did the authors hope to find?<\/strong> Who was studied?<\/strong> How was the study conducted?<\/strong> What were the main findings of the study?<\/strong> Are these findings new?<\/strong> What are the limitations of the study?<\/strong> In addition, glucosamine use may be more common in people who generally have a healthier lifestyle. This What do the authors plan on doing with this information?<\/strong> What does this mean for me?<\/strong> Disclaimer: This is a summary of a scientific article written by a medical professional (\u201cthe Original Article\u201d). Date prepared: June 2020 Copyright \u00a9<\/strong>\u00a02020 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism. Medical professionals may print copies for their and their patients and students non commercial use. Other individuals may print a single copy for their personal, non commercial use. For other uses please contact our\u00a0Rights and Licensing Team<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Glucosamine may form part of a healthy lifestyle, especially for smokers Introduction Glucosamine is dietary supplement that many people use to manage osteoarthritis and joint pain. There is some evidence that it works by reducing inflammation, a process that is involved in the development of many diseases. Some studies have suggested that taking glucosamine might […]<\/p>\n
\nGlucosamine is dietary supplement that many people use to manage osteoarthritis and joint pain. There is
\nsome evidence that it works by reducing inflammation, a process that is involved in the development of many
\ndiseases. Some studies have suggested that taking glucosamine might help prevent cancer and cardiovascular
\ndisease.<\/p>\n
\nThe authors wanted to see whether taking regular glucosamine as a dietary supplement helps prevent people
\ndying from cancer, cardiovascular disease, or respiratory and digestive diseases. They also wanted to work out
\nwhether certain lifestyle factors such as smoking would have an effect.<\/p>\n
\nThe study looked at almost half a million people in the UK. Over an average follow-up of 9 years, 19,882
\ndeaths were recorded. This included 3,802 deaths from cardiovascular disease, 8,090 from cancer, 3,380 from
\nrespiratory disease and 1,061 from digestive diseases.<\/p>\n
\nThis was a prospective cohort study conducted by the UK Biobank, which is a very large, population-based
\nstudy designed to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases and to promote
\nhealth throughout society.
\nThe UK Biobank recruited over 500,000 men and women aged 40\u201370 years between 2006 and 2010. At the
\nstart, everyone provided detailed self-reported information using a touch-screen questionnaire and a verbal
\ninterview with trained nurses. A wide range of physical measurements were collected.<\/p>\n
\nThe main finding was that taking regular glucosamine is associated with a lower risk for total mortality (15%),
\nCVD (18%), cancer mortality (6%), respiratory mortality (27%) and digestive mortality (26%). The protective
\neffect of glucosamine use against all-cause mortality seemed to be stronger in current smokers than in people
\nwho did not smoke, or had given up.<\/p>\n
\nYes. Although previous studies have looked at glucosamine use, this is the first study to report novel details of
\nthe association between glucosamine use and mortality, including specific disease areas and smoking status.<\/p>\n
\nThere are some limitations to this study. The study was designed to collect information in a non-clinical setting.
\nThis means that UK Biobank did not gather detailed information about the dose, forms or duration of glucosamine use. However, this was to encourage people to be more truthful, rather than saying what they thought doctors might want to hear.<\/p>\n
\ntype of observational study cannot distinguish the effects of a healthy lifestyle from the impact of taking regular
\ndietary supplements. Although the study carefully adjusted for potential confounding lifestyle-related factors in
\nthe analysis, it could not exclude the possibility that the results were affected by unmeasured lifestyle factors.
\nIn general, this means that it is possible that the results were affected by other factors that were not being
\nmeasured.<\/p>\n
\nThis study provides a scientific basis for the potential benefit of using glucosamine supplements. More research
\nis needed to see how dose and duration influences the results. The authors plan to explore the association
\nbetween glucosamine use and the risk of specific diseases.<\/p>\n
\nTaking glucosamine supplements may reduce your chances of dying from some diseases. This is especially true if you are a smoker. There are many steps you can take to improve your overall health, including reviewing your
\ndiet and physical activity. If you are looking to make big changes, you should speak to your doctor.<\/p>\n
\nThe Summary is written to assist non medically trained readers to understand general points of the Original
\nArticle. It is supplied \u201cas is\u201d without any warranty. You should note that the Original Article (and Summary) may
\nnot be fully relevant nor accurate as medical science is constantly changing and errors can occur. It is therefore
\nvery important that readers not rely on the content in the Summary and consult their medical professionals for
\nall aspects of their health care and only rely on the Summary if directed to do so by their medical professional.
\nPlease view our full Website Terms and Conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nSummary based on research article published on: 06 April 2020
\nFrom: Li Z-H, et al. Associations of regular glucosamine use with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a large
\nprospective cohort study. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;79:829\u2013836. doi:10.1136\/annrheumdis-2020-217176<\/p>\n