JUNE 16, 2026
A mature woman looks to the distance (R); and a woman pouring supplement pills into her hand (L).
A supplement taken by millions of older adults to ease joint pain may accelerate the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research from the University of Florida.
The study, published June 9 in Nature Metabolism, found that people already showing signs of mild cognitive impairment were 25 percent more likely to develop dementia if they were taking glucosamine in supplement form than those who did not use the pill.
Researchers also found that among patients already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, glucosamine use was associated with a 25 percent increase in the risk of death.
A Neuropsychologist’s Take on the Findings
Dr. Jessica McCarthy, a New Jersey-based neuropsychologist specializing in dementia assessment and neurodegenerative disorders, spoke with Newsweek about the discovery.
“The study continues to build evidence towards the hypothesis that Alzheimer’s disease is not just a function of increased presence of amyloid plaques and tau proteins, but rather, it’s a combination of the aforementioned factors, along with metabolic dysfunction and inflammation,” McCarthy said. “Because glucosamine crosses the blood brain barrier, it may worsen an already overactive metabolic pathway, facilitating a heightened risk of disease progression in people with mild cognitive impairment and mortality in people already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
“Working backwards, sugar, in the form of glucose, doesn’t ’cause’ Alzheimer’s, and completely eliminating carbohydrates isn’t the solution, either. The brain needs to decide when to utilize glucose to burn energy, and which to use in maintenance. In Alzheimer’s, it’s hypothesized that the brain has an issue with metabolic allocation, impacting inflammation.”
She went on to say that as a neuropsychologist, her greatest concern following the report is people continuing to want to take shortcuts when it comes to their health in the form of over-the-counter pills and supplements.
“I’m not saying that supplements as a whole are problematic but taking supplements without understanding how they may interact with organ systems, pre-existing conditions, as well as other medications, can lead to problems, as this most recent study is suggesting,” McCarthy said.
What Is Glucosamine?
Glucosamine is one of the most widely used dietary supplements in the U.S., sold over the counter and marketed primarily for joint pain and cartilage support as we age. Because it is used frequently by older adults—the same population most at risk for Alzheimer’s disease—the University of Florida research team set out to examine whether the supplement could be influencing the course of neurological decline and its increase in recent years.
To do so, researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze anonymized patient health records from UF Health, collected between 2012 and 2024. They focused on two groups: patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and those with mild cognitive impairment, a condition that can sometimes be a precursor to Alzheimer’s.
Courtesy: Newsweek
