Regular glucosamine supplementation and risk of age-related chronic diseases: evidence from a propensity score-matched cohort study

Background

Glucosamine is a widely used dietary supplement, particularly among middle-aged and older adults, with potential health benefits beyond joint health. However, its potential role in the prevention of chronic diseases remains uncertain.

Aims

To investigate the association between regular glucosamine use and the risk of age-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in a large prospective cohort.

Methods

269,033 participants in the large prospective cohort (UK Biobank) without NCDs at baseline were included. 1:1 propensity-score matching (PSM) was used to match glucosamine users with non-users. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

During a median follow-up of 13.8 years, 52,556 participants reported regular glucosamine use. After PSM, 52,525 users and 52,525 non-users were included in the matched cohort. After false discovery rate correction, regular glucosamine use was associated with a significantly lower risk of seven NCDs: esophageal cancer (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.58–0.92), gout (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72–0.91), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80–0.93), colorectal cancer (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78–0.94), chronic liver disease (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80–0.94), heart failure (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81–0.96), and coronary heart disease (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88–0.96).

Conclusions

Regular use of glucosamine was associated with a reduced risk of several age-related chronic diseases. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to clarify its potential role in supporting healthy aging.