Glucosamine

[Phil65]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has any advice with regards to glucosamine, I used to take it and I must say it helped me with joint pains (mainly hips.....years of sport taking their toll!) Is it safe to take with type 1?

 

[Northerner]

Hi Phil, there was something in the news about this recently, about how glucosamine in high doses can kill off the beta cells of the pancreas. Of course, the likelihood is that, if you're Type 1, you don't have any functioning beta cells, but there's always the chance that you do and they are helping your BG control at a low level. There has been a study at the Joslin institute in America of long-term Type 1s (over 50 years!) who have no complications, and it appears that they retain some beta cell function, so it is thought this is helping them stay clear of complications.

I personally wouldn't risk taking them. Here's the news story:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206049.php