Glucosamine

Catechins that come from green tea, right? We know all the EGCGs and all these wonderful compounds, polyphenols that are coming from green products.

Glucosamine, There's glucosilinates, which is coming from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli.

We know that all those broccoli and cruciferous compounds are hormone removers, I3C, DIM, sulforaphane.

These only come from plant foods that people heavily want to do.

But if you've already had that conversation with your doctor and you've already tried adjusting things and you're still dealing with symptoms, would there be any harm to trying CoQ10 just to see if it helps? You know, in a way, this reminds me of the situation with glucosamine supplements, which are marketed as natural ways to reduce joint pain from arthritis.

There is a plausible mechanism for why it might help.

Glucosamine is a building block that your body uses to make cartilage.

But when you actually look at the clinical trials, the evidence is inconsistent at best and major arthritis and rheumatology organizations don't endorse it.

And yet there's no shortage of people who swear that it makes a real difference for them.

Sense teams examined clinical records from the University of Florida Health System from more than 4,600 patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia between 2012 and 2024, 12 years.

About 8% reported using glucosamine, not the 20% that's being used nationwide.

Glucosamine use was associated with a 25% higher chance of progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, as well as a 25% increased risk of death within 10 years among patients who already had dementia.

What's the reason for death? Alzheimer's is a terminal illness.

Again, they describe these findings as preliminary and say testing in human trials is next because these were done in mice.

Glucosamine contributes to a chemical reaction that often goes into overdrive in Alzheimer's disease.

Now this is where it changes course.

Just as diabetes is a disease caused by the body being unable to metabolize sugar, recent studies have also found evidence that the same may be happening in the brain during Alzheimer's disease.

So, is it possible that glucosamine and chondroitin supplements can relieve that pain or slow the onset of joint damage? I'm so glad you asked.

I'll first talk about what glucosamine and chondroitin actually are.

Glucosamine is a compound that contains both sugar, that's where the glucose in glucosamine comes from, and it contains a protein, that's the amine in glucosamine, where amine is short for amino acid.

Glucosamine is found naturally in the bodies of most animals.

In humans, we find it specifically in the cartilage, which is the tissue surrounding our joints.

Now, because glucosamine is found in so many animals, we actually find that glucosamine supplements specifically are made from the shells of shrimp or crab.

All of that.

Glucosamine, chondroitin.

Absolutely.

MSM, something like that, along with the collagen that she's already taken.

And you have to see the amazing aha moment this method produced for them.

Suntory's original assumption about one of their supplements, Glucosamine Active, was that it was strictly for soothing existing knee discomfort for seniors, basically a reactive product.

But through those deep one-on-one interviews, they uncovered this massive hidden truth— There was this whole new demographic of people in their 50s and 60s who didn't even have knee pain yet, but they desperately wanted proactive maintenance so they could stay active and get ahead of aging.

That single qualitative insight literally shattered their old assumption and opened up an entirely new, incredibly profitable market segment.

Now-- And you've read the studies, which is amazing.

So a lot of people just say, "Glucosamine causes Alzheimer's and dementia." Nope, there's absolutely no evidence of that whatsoever.

[chuckles] Like, whatsoever, right? So there, there's many others like this, meaning like, um, certain things that you might take might accelerate other health-based issues, right? So for example, if you are a post-menopausal woman and you're taking straight calcium without any magnesium or a multi with K2, it could cause faster atherosclerosis.

Is calcium bad for you? No, not bad for you at all.