Association between genetically proxied glucosamine and risk of cancer and non-neoplastic disease: A Mendelian randomization study

[helvella]

A bit of a surprise to me - a link between taking glucosamine and autoimmune thyroiditis and autoimmune hyperthyroidism (as well as some other issues).

As almost always, this is relatively early and needs further work to be sure of the full story.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Genet., 27 June 2024

Sec. Statistical Genetics and Methodology

Volume 15 - 2024 | doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2024....

Association between genetically proxied glucosamine and risk of cancer and non-neoplastic disease: A Mendelian randomization study

Introduction: Observational investigations have examined the impact of glucosamine use on the risk of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases. However, the findings from these studies face limitations arising from confounding variables, reverse causation, and conflicting reports. Consequently, the establishment of a causal relationship between habitual glucosamine consumption and the risk of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases necessitates further investigation.

Methods: For Mendelian randomization (MR) investigation, we opted to employ single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instruments that exhibit robust associations with habitual glucosamine consumption. We obtained the corresponding effect estimates of these SNPs on the risk of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases by extracting summary data for genetic instruments linked to 49 varied cancer types amounting to 378,284 cases and 533,969 controls, as well as 20 non-neoplastic diseases encompassing 292,270 cases and 842,829 controls. Apart from the primary analysis utilizing inverse-variance weighted MR, we conducted two supplementary approaches to account for potential pleiotropy (MR-Egger and weighted median) and assessed their respective MR estimates. Furthermore, the results of the leave-one-out analysis revealed that there were no outlying instruments.

Results: Our results suggest divergence from accepted biological understanding, suggesting that genetically predicted glucosamine utilization may be linked to an increased vulnerability to specific illnesses, as evidenced by increased odds ratios and confidence intervals (95% CI) for diseases, such as malignant neoplasm of the eye and adnexa (2.47 [1.34–4.55]), benign neoplasm of the liver/bile ducts (2.12 [1.32–3.43]), benign neoplasm of the larynx (2.01 [1.36–2.96]), melanoma (1.74 [1.17–2.59]), follicular lymphoma (1.50 [1.06–2.11]), autoimmune thyroiditis (2.47 [1.49–4.08]), and autoimmune hyperthyroidism (1.93 [1.17–3.18]). In contrast to prior observational research, our genetic investigations demonstrate a positive correlation between habitual glucosamine consumption and an elevated risk of sigmoid colon cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, and benign neoplasm of the thyroid gland.

Conclusion: Casting doubt on the purported purely beneficial association between glucosamine ingestion and prevention of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases, habitual glucosamine ingestion exhibits dichotomous effects on disease outcomes. Endorsing the habitual consumption of glucosamine as a preventative measure against neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases cannot be supported.

Full open access paper:

frontiersin.org/journals/ge...

For interest, this is a summary of glucosamine on a major retail supplement website:

hollandandbarrett.com/the-h...

[FallingInReverse]

FFS! I have to look up some of those words … but is this a warning AGAINST taking glucosamine???

[helvella Administrator in reply to FallingInReverse]

Well, let me put it like this, if I had been taking it, I'd stop. At the same time, it isn't 100% proved so there would be a possibility of restarting in future.

But one of the biggest reasons was to see if anyone who had been taking glucosamine long-term replied with even a glimmer of a suggestion that their autoimmune thyroiditis or autoimmune hyperthyroidism could have started AFTER taking glucosamine. I doubt anyone would be sure of a causal relationship.

[FallingInReverse in reply to helvella]

Well I guess it’s good that I never had the discipline or money to be consistent with them over the years, but I think I actually got consistent after I was diagnosed a couple years ago because of the joint pain symptoms.

My whole family is a fan of glucosamine as we are all workout people (I’ve run a few marathons as well), and also my dad swears by it for his old dog - who stopped hobbling around in pain when he gave it to her.

Im hypo, not hyper, anyway. But I have to go look back when I started taking it daily … which I have been. And will save the $1 a day now, and see if I feel any different!

[helvella Administrator in reply to FallingInReverse]

Whether it has real benefits has always been controversial. And I know quite a number of people are convinced it has.

It's also possible that the source makes a difference... E.g. marine sourced versus whatever else you can get.

[tattybogle]

thanks for that ....just swallowed a glucosamine tablet big enough for a horse , so i will digest them both together

[tattybogle in reply to tattybogle]

oh , and no, i got autoimmune hypo 15 yrs before i'd even heard of glucosamine , let alone tried to swallow one. i tend to take them for a few months at a time and then get bored and pack it in (until the next time my dodgy knee starts grumbling)

[Brightness14]

Interesting I have been taking Glucosamine sulphate for about 18 years now. It was recommended to me by an old friend who I happened to bump into one day. She is a teacher of Taekwondo and when I mentioned my fingers hurting she directed me onto this supplement

When I was hospitalised some years ago I ran out and the fingers started playing up again after on a few days.

My friend is 82 years old and I am 78 years old.

I am not too worried by the warning but thanks for posting.