TOPLINE:
Regular use of glucosamine, a widely used supplement to manage osteoarthritis and joint pain, was linked to reduced risks for both composite microvascular complications and diabetic nephropathy among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
METHODOLOGY:
- Glucosamine, used daily by about 20% of US and Australian adults to treat osteoarthritis and joint pain, has been shown to reduce the risk for certain diseases, including T2D, and to have a mild glucose-lowering effect.
- Researchers evaluated the association between habitual glucosamine use and the risk for three diabetic microvascular complications in people with T2D from the UK Biobank who did not have microvascular complications at the time of enrollment.
- Overall, 14.5% of the 21,171 participants (mean age, 57 years; 43% women) reported using glucosamine at baseline.
- The primary outcome was the overall incidence of diabetic microvascular complications, defined as a composite measure of the first occurrence of diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and/or diabetic neuropathy; secondary outcomes included the incidence of each of these three subtypes.
- Researchers adjusted for many potential confounders, including sociodemographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, health status, drug use, and other supplement use.
TAKEAWAY:
- During a median follow-up period of 12.3 years, 4399 cases of diabetic microvascular complications were recorded, including 2084 cases of nephropathy, 2401 cases of retinopathy, and 831 cases of neuropathy.
- Glucosamine use was associated with lower risks for composite microvascular complications (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81-0.97) and diabetic nephropathy (aHR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76-0.98) in fully adjusted models.
- No significant inverse association was found between glucosamine use and the risk for diabetic retinopathy (aHR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83-1.06) or diabetic neuropathy (aHR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.71-1.08).
- Sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of the findings.
IN PRACTICE:
“Integrating glucosamine into patient care may help reduce the risk of microvascular complications, thereby improving overall health outcomes,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Zi-Jian Cheng, Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Genomics, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China. It was published online on April 01, 2025, in Nutrition & Diabetes.
LIMITATIONS:
The UK Biobank did not collect detailed information on glucosamine use, such as the dose and duration of use or data on the side effects of glucosamine consumption. Cases of diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic neuropathy were identified from hospital records and national death registries, which may have missed some patients with microvascular complications. Furthermore, distinguishing the effects of a healthy lifestyle from those of regular supplement use was difficult due to the observational nature of this study.
DISCLOSURES:
This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China, Science and Technology Project of Suzhou, and Interdisciplinary Basic Frontier Innovation Program of Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University. The authors reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
