Common joint supplement may accelerate Alzheimer's disease progression

New research has found an association between taking glucosamine, a popular over-the-counter supplement used for joint pain, and a higher likelihood of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease.

The finding by University of Florida neuroscientists is based on a large retrospective analysis of patients' records as well as supporting data from advanced imaging technology used to scan human brain specimens and Alzheimer's disease mouse models.

While the results are preliminary and require validation in a human clinical trial, they provide yet another piece of a much bigger mechanistic picture involving metabolic dysregulation and neurodegeneration, according to the study published today in Nature Metabolism.

In the United States, there are about 7 million people living with Alzheimer's and millions more with related dementias such as Lewy body or frontotemporal dementia. A lot of these people actively take an over-the-counter supplement that could be making their disease progression worse."