What are the associations between regular glucosamine use and all-cause and cause-specific mortality?
D-Glucosamine, a prospective cohort study in 495,077 participants (Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020, PMID 32253185) — regular glucosamine use was associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR 0.85), CVD mortality (HR 0.82), cancer mortality (HR 0.94), respiratory mortality (HR 0.73), and digestive mortality (HR 0.74). Scope: 495,077 participants, and the abstract states no limitations.
Source: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020, PMID 32253185 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases · 2020 · PMID 32253185 · DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217176
Regular glucosamine use is associated with a lower risk of death from all causes and specific diseases like cancer, CVD, respiratory, and digestive diseases.
The question
What are the associations between regular glucosamine use and all-cause and cause-specific mortality?
What they tested
The study aimed to evaluate the associations of regular glucosamine use with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
How they did it
This population-based prospective cohort study included 495,077 participants from the UK Biobank, recruited from 2006 to 2010 and followed through 2018. Researchers calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for all-cause and cause-specific mortality using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for potential confounding variables.
What they found
During a median follow-up of 8.9 years, 19,882 all-cause deaths were recorded. Regular glucosamine use was associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR 0.85), CVD mortality (HR 0.82), cancer mortality (HR 0.94), respiratory mortality (HR 0.73), and digestive mortality (HR 0.74). The inverse association with all-cause mortality appeared stronger in current smokers.
| All-cause mortality | 0.85 | |
|---|---|---|
| CVD mortality | 0.82 | |
| Cancer mortality | 0.94 | |
| Respiratory mortality | 0.73 | |
| Digestive mortality | 0.74 |
Hazard ratios indicate the relative risk of mortality for regular glucosamine users compared to non-users, adjusted for confounding variables.
What it means
Regular glucosamine supplementation was associated with lower mortality from all causes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and digestive diseases.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Associations of regular glucosamine use with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a large prospective cohort study |
|---|---|
| Journal | Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases |
| Year | 2020 |
| PMID | 32253185 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217176 ↗ |
| Topic | General aging biology & healthspan |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Glucosamine + Chondroitin (+ MSM)
The evidence for glucosamine and chondroitin in human osteoarthritis is genuinely mixed. The landmark GAIT trial found the pair no better than placebo overall but possibly helpful in the subgroup with moderate-to-severe knee pain, and the MOVES trial found the combination non-inferior to celecoxib;
D-Glucosamine
Evidence on glucosamine for aging-related joint health is genuinely mixed: in the landmark 3-year randomized trial of prescription crystalline glucosamine sulfate (n=212), placebo patients lost significant knee joint space (−0.31 mm) while glucosamine patients did not (−0.06 mm), with symptoms improving on…
D-Glucosamine sulfate is a salt of glucosamine, an amino monosaccharide the body synthesizes from…
Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength is an oral joint-health supplement whose principal ingredients are…
Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) are naturally occurring compounds…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What are the associations between regular glucosamine use and all-cause and cause-specific mortality? [Plain-English summary of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020, PMID 32253185, DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217176]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/glu_biobank.html@misc{magellan_glu_biobank,
title = {What are the associations between regular glucosamine use and all-cause and cause-specific mortality?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/glu_biobank.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 32253185; DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217176; Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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- Genetically predicted glucosamine and longevity: A Mendelian randomization studyMendelian Randomization Analysis · 2022 · PMID 35623867
- Efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in osteoarthritis pain of the kneeOsteoarthritis Cartilage · 2006 · PMID 16309928
- Daily oral supplementation with collagen peptides combined with vitamins improves skin…Nutrition Research · 2018 · PMID 30122200
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