Posted on 10/27/2010 12:51:34 PM PDT by decimon
This release is available in French.
Quebec City, October 27, 2010—High doses or prolonged use of glucosamine causes the death of pancreatic cells and could increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a team of researchers at Université Laval's Faculty of Pharmacy. Details of this discovery were recently published on the website of the Journal of Endocrinology.
In vitro tests conducted by Professor Frédéric Picard and his team revealed that glucosamine exposure causes a significant increase in mortality in insulin-producing pancreatic cells, a phenomenon tied to the development of diabetes. Cell death rate increases with glucosamine dose and exposure time. "In our experiments, we used doses five to ten times higher than that recommended by most manufacturers, or 1,500 mg/day," stressed Professor Picard. "Previous studies showed that a significant proportion of glucosamine users up the dose hoping to increase the effects," he explained.
Picard and his team have shown that glucosamine triggers a mechanism intended to lower very high blood sugar levels. However, this reaction negatively affects SIRT1, a protein critical to cell survival. A high concentration of glucosamine diminishes the level of SIRT1, leading to cell death in the tissues where this protein is abundant, such as the pancreas.
Individuals who use large amounts of glucosamine, those who consume it for long periods, and those with little SIRT1 in their cells are therefore believed to be at greater risk of developing diabetes. In a number of mammal species, SIRT1 level diminishes with age. This phenomenon has not been shown in humans but if it were the case, the elderly—who constitute the target market for glucosamine—would be even more vulnerable.
"The key point of our work is that glucosamine can have effects that are far from harmless and should be used with great caution," concluded Professor Picard.
The results obtained by Picard and his team coincide with recent studies that cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of glucosamine in treating joint problems.
###
This study was co-authored by Mathieu Lafontaine-Lacasse and Geneviève Doré.
Information: Frédéric Picard Faculty of Pharmacy Université Laval 418-656-8711 ext. 3737 frederic.picard@criucpq.ulaval.ca
Ping
Publish or perish.
I use about 1/2 the suggested amount and it really makes a difference.
Always curious about the funding of this type of research. Seems like a pretty random study - OR maybe a drug manufacturer designed a study to scare seniors out of using a more natural treatment. That said, moderation with supplements is probably a good rule to follow.
And who funded these also? Coincidence, or organized campaign to discredit a widely used supplement?
I take a couple a day since MERSA ate up my wrist. Makes all the difference in the world. What I can’t figure out is this: Those are BIG pills, shoving 10 to 20 of those babies down a mouse would seem to be a bit extreme and I would think would cause more problems than reported!
oh crap
bttt
“In our experiments, we used doses five to ten times higher than that recommended by most manufacturers, or 1,500 mg/day.”
A poorly composed sentence.
Please note that 1,500 mg/day *is* the recommended dose, not 5 to 10 times the recommended dose, which would be 7,500 or 15,000 mg/day.
A “double-strength” glucosamine tablet has 500 mg. The recommended dose of 3 tablets a day is for *prevention* of joint problems. For *active* joint problems, a typical dose is 4 tablets a day, in two doses, for a total of 2,000 mg/day.
So for a human to get a dosage equivalent of causing harm “in vitro”, which means directly applied to cells, *not* yet shown to happen in even animal testing, would be to swallow between 15 and 30 of these pills a day.
That’s a lot of pills.
You would question Picard? Where's that face palm picture?
sfl
Not too sure about humans, but works great in aged dogs.
bump for later.
“The key point of our work is that glucosamine can have effects that are far from harmless and should be used with great caution,” concluded Professor Picard. “
ANY supplement can have effects that are far from harmless and should be used with great caution. My husband has very bad knees and is stalling his inevitable knee replacement surgery with glucosamine use, recommended by our doctor. Works wonders for him.
Would like to see more studies.
After a few doses, the mouse no longer walks around so the arthritis is not so much felt ... roling randomly around doesn’t inflame the joints as much don’tchaknow.
“As does Olive Oil (extra virgin) & hemp oil.”
My dogs get a tablespoon of olive oil every week. They love it! Where can you get hemp oil?
ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.