Glucosamine may reduce overall death rates as effectively as regular exercise

Glucosamine supplements may reduce overall mortality about as well as regular exercise does, according to a new epidemiological study from West Virginia University.

WVU health data analyst--assessed data from 16,686 adults who completed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2010.

All of the participants were at least 40 years old.

King and Xiang merged these data with 2015 mortality figures.

After controlling for various factors--such as participants' age, sex, smoking status and activity level--the researchers found that taking glucosamine/chondroitin every day for a year or longer was associated with a 39 per cent reduction in all-cause mortality.

It was also linked to a 65 per cent reduction in cardiovascular-related deaths.

That's a category that includes deaths from stroke, coronary artery disease and heart disease, the United States' biggest killer.