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Regular glucosamine use associated with lower risk of aging-related noncommunicable diseases
A study revealed a significantly lower risk of seven noncommunicable diseases during a median 13.78-year period among men and women who used glucosamine, a compound that is popular among people with arthritis.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the associations between regular glucosamine use and a wide spectrum of noncommunicable diseases…within a population-based longitudinal cohort,” authors Jing He of Tianjin Medical University and colleagues announced.
A comparison of 52,525 glucosamine users with an equal number of nonusers revealed a 13% lower risk of developing chronic liver disease, 14% lower risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and colorectal cancer, a 27% lower risk of esophageal cancer, an 8% lower risk of coronary heart disease, a 12% lower risk of heart failure and a 19% lower risk of gout among users during follow-up.
“Regular use of glucosamine was associated with a reduced risk of several age-related chronic diseases,” the authors concluded. “Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to clarify its potential role in supporting healthy aging.”
The study included men and women aged 40 to 70 years enrolled in the UK Biobank, the world’s largest health database. Participants, who enrolled from 2006–2010, were followed for a median of 13.78 years. Regular use of glucosamine was ascertained at baseline by responses to questionnaires completed by the participants. The researchers documented the number of individuals who developed any of 24 cancers or 25 noncancer diseases or conditions that included sleep disorders, depression, migraine, diverticular disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, atrial fibrillation, asthma, anxiety disorder, chronic kidney disease, thyroid disorders, dementia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, heart failure, chronic liver disease, osteoarthritis, COPD, periodontal disease, gout, lupus and schizophrenia.
The study was published August 29, 2025, in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.1
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Apply What You've Learned: Glucosamine
- Glucosamine, an amino sugar occurring in cartilage, helps maintain joint function. Glucosamine has been shown in randomized, controlled trials to support knee comfort in people with osteoarthritis.2
- Glucosamine is often combined with chondroitin sulfate, which contains the building blocks of cartilage. Alone, or in combination with glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate has also been shown to support joint comfort.3
- Glucosamine may support more than joint health. A study that included nearly half a million UK Biobank participants found an 18% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, a 6% lower risk of cancer mortality, a 27% lower risk of respiratory mortality, a 26% lower risk of digestive mortality and a 15% lower risk of mortality from all causes during a median follow-up period of 8.9 years among individuals who reported regular use of glucosamine at the beginning of the study in comparison with nonusers.4
- Another study, which examined the association between the consumption of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate and mortality among 16,686 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2010 found that regular intake of the combination was associated with a 27% lower adjusted risk of all-cause mortality and a 58% lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease during a median 107-month follow-up compared with non-use.5
References
- He J, Ma Y, Jiang Y, et al. Regular glucosamine supplementation and risk of age-related chronic diseases: evidence from a propensity score-matched cohort study. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025 Aug 29;37(1):259. doi: 10.1007/s40520-025-03171-9.
- Ogata T, Ideno Y, Akai M, et al. Effects of glucosamine in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Rheumatol. 2018 Sep;37(9):2479-2487. doi: 10.1007/s10067-018-4106-2.
- Singh JA, Noorbaloochi S, MacDonald R, et al. Chondroitin for osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jan 28;1(1):CD005614. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005614.pub2.
- Li ZH, Gao X, Chung VC, et al. Associations of regular glucosamine use with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a large prospective cohort study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jun;79(6):829-836. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217176.
- King DE, Xiang J. Glucosamine/chondroitin and mortality in a US NHANES Cohort. J Am Board Fam Med. 2020 Nov-Dec;33(6):842-847. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2020.06.200110.
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