Does Glucosamine Sulfate impairs glucose metabolism and/or is contraindicated in diabetic patients?
Recent reports using, in animals, unphysiological experimental settings and suprapharmacological doses of glucosamine, claimed that the compound may increase insulin resistance. However these are only speculations and have never been proven in men. On the contrary, very recent human studies using intravenous or intraarterial glucosamine at doses much higher than used in the normal clinical practice, found that this supposed mechanism is not active in humans. Furthermore, both short-term and long-term (up to 3 years) clinical studies with DONA have shown that glucose plasma levels are not modified by the administration of the product in normal patients, or in those with relatively high baseline glucose levels, or even in diabetics. It seems therefore that in humans, oral Glucosamine Sulfate at therapeutic doses does not affect glucose metabolism. No Health Authority has ever contraindicated DONA in diabetics.
