Investigations at ETH Zurich and four research
institutions at Germany carried out by Michael Ristow and colleagues on animal
models have revealed that glucosamine could affect longevity as well as could
be used as supplement in a diet low on carbohydrates.
Glucosamine, an easily obtainable supplement at the
pharmacy, is a well known therapeutic for arthritis as well as a preventive
measure for degeneration of joints. Demonstrated about 50 years back
glucosamine is also known to decrease the metabolic rate of nutritive sugars.
Glucosamine has also shown to be effective in delaying development of
carcinoma.
In a research carried out by Michael Ristow in 2007
on roundworms, model organisms for research related to aging, while high
concentrates of nutritive sugars affected the lifetime of the worms, inhibition
of metabolic process of the carbohydrates however improved their longevity. The
methodology though was not applicable for studies on rodent models.
In a recent publication, Ristow and colleagues have
stated that studies at Zurich and Germany resulted in a 5% extension of
lifespan of roundworms treated with glucosamine in comparison to the control
group. The studies on aging mice, with a control group, wherein the mice
received identical diets with the experimental group receiving an additional
glucosamine supplement, revealed that glucosamine could extend the longevity of
the mice by 10%. The mice used for the investigations were 100 weeks old a
comparative 65 years of human being. A 10% extension of longevity could mean
another 8 years added to the lifetime of a human being.
The studies have also revealed that glucosamine
could improve metabolic rates of glucose in the aging mice, suggesting a
preventive measure in the development of diabetes.
Investigations also revealed that glucosamine could
mimic a low carbohydrate diet and encourage the preferential amino acid
metabolism associated with the latter, suggesting that glucosamine could be
taken up as dietary supplement by human beings.
Epidemiological studies involving a study group of
more than 77,000, carried out recently in two phases, have demonstrated
improved longevity in human beings with glucosamine as a dietary supplement.
While there hasn't been a definitive proof about the effects of glucosamine on
human beings, compared with lifespan-extending therapeutics that could result
in side effects, Ristow suggested that glucosamine could with its potentiality
be added as a dietary supplement for the human being.
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