A recent (July 13th 2010) study done by Dr. Daren Scroggie
and associates from Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland
Air Force Base, Texas, studied the effects of glucosamine
on glucose levels - a very important measurement for diabetics.
The clinical study reported that taking glucosamine supplements
in humans does not notably affect glucose levels in patients
with type 2 diabetes. This is great news, because there were
a few animal studies that had shown a slight effect on glucose
levels with large glucosamine dosages that have lead researchers
– until now – to be skeptical about glucosamine’s
effects on diabetics due to potential concerns about changing
glucose levels.
As a result of this study, that has mostly changed. Whether
or not the 34 patients were taking glucosamine, their glucose
levels fluctuated very little - great news for diabetes.
Dr. Daren Scroggie explained that while the typical animal
dose was 3,000 to 435,000 milligrams per day, the equivalent
human dose is only 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight
per person per day. This gigantic contrast not only underscores
glucosamine's safety profile but shows that the effect of
glucosamine at therapeutic human dosages on glucose levels
in humans is negligible. This is great news for diabetics
with arthritis, as the NSAIDs commonly used to control arthritis
have common toxic side effects and do little but mask the
pain. Glucosamine, on the other hand, has a lasting effect
on joint pain – and works to do more than just cover
up the pain. Its effects last (although at an increasingly
lower rate) even after you stop taking it – something
traditional NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors cannot do.
The authors of the study stated, that "since patients
with diabetes are at risk for toxic effects from some of the
current treatments for osteoarthritis (NSAIDs in particular)
glucosamine may provide a safe alternative treatment for these
patients."
Well put, Doctor Scroggie. Keep up the good work.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, July 13, 2010.
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Be sure to visit the Glucosamine Product Guide for a review of commercially available glucosamine products. |
