Glucosamine

Glucosamine is an amino sugar and occurs naturally in the human body as a component of connective tissue, cartilage and joint fluids. It is used as a medicine for arthrosis of the knee joint. However, glucosamine is also supplied in quantities below the medicinal dosage in numerous food supplements, which are classified as foodstuffs. Monitoring their marketability is the task of the official food monitoring authorities of the federal states.

In an earlier statement 1, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment already assessed the health risks arising from the use of glucosamine in food supplements and identified three risk groups: a) diabetics or people with impaired glucose tolerance, b) patients with a known risk of cardiovascular disease and c) people who take certain anticoagulants, so-called coumarin anticoagulants. In the present statement, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has once again assessed the health risk for risk groups b) and c). The reason for this is that these risk groups were not identified as such in a recent opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority) on the use of glucosamine as a food ingredient.

With regard to the group of people with a known risk of cardiovascular disease, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment agrees with the EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority's assessment following a review of new scientific knowledge. Accordingly, no information on health risks for this consumer group is required on the packaging of food supplements containing glucosamine. However, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment still classifies people who take coumarin anticoagulants as a risk group following a new assessment. The Institute has assessed the health risk on the basis of case reports and is of the opinion that the joint intake of glucosamine with coumarin anticoagulants containing the active ingredient warfarin or acenocoumarol poses the risk of an undesirable increase in the anticoagulant effect of coumarin anticoagulants. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment currently has no case reports on the active substance phenprocoumon, which also belongs to the group of coumarin anticoagulants. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment considers it necessary to take measures to protect people taking coumarin anticoagulants in the case of food supplements with daily intakes of 390-790 milligrams of isolated glucosamine. The Institute advises consumers with appropriate medication (coumarin anticoagulants) not to consume food supplements containing the above-mentioned amounts of isolated glucosamine as a daily ration.

Status: 21/01/2013