Regularly taking glucosamine supplements is linked to a ‘significantly lower risk’ of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a new study has found.

Study participants without cardiovascular disease took regular glucosamine supplements between 2006 and 2016, resulting in fewer CVD events, CVD-related deaths, coronary heart disease and stroke incidences.

The study of nearly half a million (466,039) adults was carried out by the health resource UK Biobank and published in the British Medical Journal on Tuesday (14 May).

Glucosamine is usually taken by patients to help ease joint problems, although the supplement’s effectiveness for this ‘continues to be debated’, the study said.

Habitual use of the supplements to relieve joint pain could therefore also relate to lower risk of CVD events, the study’s authors concluded, although further clinical trials are needed to test this theory.