By the way, doctor: Does glucosamine cause diabetes?

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

By the way, doctor: Does glucosamine cause diabetes?

By the way, doctor

Does glucosamine cause diabetes?

Q I read that glucosamine can affect insulin levels and may be ill-advised for diabetics. Does it cause diabetes in people who don’t already have the disease?

A Glucosamine, derived from the shells of shrimp, crabs, and lobsters, is a popular supplement promoted for treating osteoarthritis. It also occurs naturally in the human body, where it encourages the growth and repair of cartilage, a smooth rubbery substance that covers the surface of joints and allows the bones to slide over one another.

Supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate (a component of cartilage) have shown promise for relieving osteoarthritis pain and slowing the degradation of joint cartilage. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is conducting a large trial to test the effects of these substances on osteoarthritis of the knee, comparing them to celecoxib (Celebrex), a prescription anti-inflammatory drug. Results should be released in 2005.

Because osteoarthritis is a chronic condition, it’s important to know whether glucosamine is safe and effective over the long term. If given via intravenous injection to animals or humans, it increases resistance to insulin, the hormone responsible for moving glucose (sugar) from the blood to other body tissues. When diabetics take glucosamine, their blood sugar levels may rise, and they may need to adjust their diabetic medications. So far, there’s no evidence that glucosamine affects blood sugar in people without diabetes. The NIH is currently studying the effect of oral glucosamine on insulin response in healthy adults.

For now, pregnant women, children, and elderly people should avoid glucosamine because it hasn’t been studied in these groups. Diabetics should be alert to potential changes in their blood sugar levels. Also, anyone who takes a blood-thinning drug such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), or aspirin should be careful about using any supplement containing chondroitin; it’s chemically similar to blood-thinning drugs and could increase bleeding.

— Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D. Editor in Chief, HWHW

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Last updated:	August 21, 2006

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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