Taking joint supplements could help lower risk of heart disease and stroke

Glucosamine is commonly taken by people suffering with arthritis

X-ray of the wrist of a 66-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis: the BMJ has said regular intake of supplements for arthritis and joint pain may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke (Wikimedia)

Regularly taking joint supplements may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, research suggests.

A new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that glucosamine, which is commonly taken by people with joint pain or suffering from arthritis, could have a role in protecting the heart.

Experts, including those from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US, looked at data for 466,039 British men and women who completed questionnaires on what supplements they took.

Death certificates and hospital records were then used to track deaths from heart disease, as well as heart disease problems and stroke for an average of seven years.

Overall, almost one in five (19.3 per cent) people recorded taking glucosamine at the start of the study.

The researchers found that glucosamine use was associated with a 9 per cent to 22 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and death from coronary heart disease compared with people who did not take the supplement.

The authors suggested that regular use of glucosamine has been linked to a reduction in levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a chemical associated with inflammation.

Other studies have also suggested that use of the supplement may mimic a low carbohydrate diet, which has been shown to offer some protection against heart disease.

But Dr Louisa Lam, deputy dean of the School of Nursing and Healthcare Professions at Federation University Australia, said the study lacked enough information on the dose of glucosamine people took and for how long.

PA