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glucosamine/chondroiton prostate cancer??? 2-years 0 club!

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Posted 1/6/2016 10:34 AM (GMT -5)
I was going to start glucosmine cause my knees are killing me. I had a prostatectomy 2-years ago so I googled glucosamine and prostate cancer and I have found a few sites that believe there is a link between chondroiton and prostate cancer, one site said that pathology reports of cancerous prostates show higher levels of chondroiton (which comes with most glucosamine). I had started taking glucosamine/chondroiton for a few years before my psa started to go up and eventually show cancer. My father did not have prostate cancer, so now I have to wonder. My surgeon said it was OK to take but I think I'm going to hobble around instead since I just made 2-years in the zero club yesterday!!! Any thoughts on glucosamine\chondroiton?
Posted 1/6/2016 11:39 AM (GMT -5)
I'm always curious about what research is available when someone asks an unusual question. The research on the effectiveness of Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplementation to treat arthritic knees is a bit wobbly. Overall, most of the researchers do seem to see a small benefit that rises (barely) to the level of significance. One study I saw noted that the supplements tend to be pricey and questioned whether the modest benefit was worth the price.

But there was a good agreement that the supplements are safe (as long as you don't count damage to your wallet) and well tolerated. Looking specifically for articles that talk about Glucosamine and Chondroitin and cancer I found a decent (blinded, cross-over) study that found that the stuff was generally good for their overweight subjects. They mentioned that the supplements reduced inflammation biomarkers and (as an aside) that they appeared to protect against lung and colo-rectal cancers. I tracked down the footnote from which they probably got the cancer prevention information and I will link it, too.

Randomized Trial of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Supplementation on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers and Plasma Proteomics Profiles in Healthy Humans

Associations of herbal and specialty supplements with lung and colorectal cancer risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Study

So, what does this seem to mean? It sounds like taking the stuff is OK if you can find good quality supplements for a reasonable price. Some supplements with anti-inflammatory effects may make radiation and/or chemotherapy less effective but, hopefully, that has nothing to do with you.

Do mention the supplements in passing to your various doctors. They may have opinions of their own.
Posted 1/6/2016 12:03 PM (GMT -5)
I also read an article in the Nutrition Action Newsletter regarding Chondroitin and Prostate Cancer. This, of course, was after I've been taken it for a while (PANIC!!) LOL. I don't recall exact numbers ... it was a while ago ... but if you are taking this as prescribed on the bottle you should be OK.
I'm still taking Double Strength Glucosamine, Chondroitin & MSM Joint Soother, 1500mg, twice a day.
In addition, I take 2000mg of Turmeric 3 times a day which also helps with inflammation (of the prostate as well), and on exceptionally bad days, the person who makes our soap, makes a cream/lotion with MSN. That feels good being massages into my joints.
Hope you feel better!
Posted 1/6/2016 12:07 PM (GMT -5)
My wife has taken glucosamine for arthritis in her hands with mixed results. Her doctor was neutral on the subject.

But, without a prostate in your body, I can't see how this would increase any risk for you.

Andrew
Posted 1/6/2016 12:08 PM (GMT -5)
Prior to knee replacement, I took glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate supplements, or just plain glocosamine. As PDA said, for whatever reason, this seems to work as an arthritis pain reducer for some men and not for others, which averages out to only a little benefit on the whole. I was one who felt that there was absolutely improvement in my knee pain when I took it.

Chondroitin does seem to be a problem with PC, but not chondroitin sulfate. I'll refer you to this thread from several years ago (with several good comments about supplements in general), and quote one of the passages below: https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=2167080


Casey59 said...

One point which I feel needs broader emphasis is the warning against use of chondroitin (which Myers [and Scholz] has also warned about for a long time). Based on the abundant evidence (search PubMed for chondroitin & prostate cancer), I'm disappointed that this warning is not more widely publicized for both men with prostate cancer and men who might get prostate cancer in the future…which is just about every man! (Perhaps you've heard the saying that the only way for a man to avoid getting PC is to die early of something else.) This stuff simply should not be marketed to men. WebMD summarizes this way:

    Preliminary research suggests that chondroitin may cause the spread or recurrence of prostate cancer. This effect has not been shown with chondroitin sulfate supplements. Still, until more is known, don’t take chondroitin sulfate if you have prostate cancer or are at high risk for developing it (you have a brother or father with prostate cancer).


Many men are impacted by this. As we age, many of us who never considered ourselves to be athletes from the past are now exercising to help improve our longevity and quality of life. For the subset of all men who are undergoing PC treatment (especially RT or HT), exercise is proven to be an important complementary lifestyle modification to aid in reduction of side effects. All of us, in our advanced years, have joints that are aching more than they did when we were younger, and many of us seek the relief from NSAIDs and joint supplements. Counterintuitively, many skeletal problems are actually improved through exercise...for example, when I don't exercise for a long time, my back pain steadily increases; but it stays under good control when I do exercise. Same with my knees.

I had taken glucosamine chondroitin for probably 10 years before I discovered these risks…about 2-years ago I switched to glucosamine with chondroitin-sulfate which has not been shown to be an issue for PC.

Post Edited (NKinney) : 1/6/2016 11:04:11 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/6/2016 12:39 PM (GMT -5)
Because the effect of the supplement on arthritis is so dubious, and because it may affect PC negatively, wouldn't it make sense not to take it?
It will benefit your wallet as well...
Posted 1/6/2016 12:43 PM (GMT -5)
Found another study where they specifically looked at prostate cancer in the same "VITAL" dataset.

Specialty Supplements and Prostate Cancer Risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort

Of course they are looking at preventing the disease, not necessarily the same thing as preventing recurrence. But that said, they found Glucosamine and Chondroitin neither good nor bad. The results for Grape Seed seem pretty good in their dataset but most of the other supplements had small effects. (See Table 2.)
Posted 1/6/2016 2:06 PM (GMT -5)
Peter, Thank you for your information it is helpful. I climb ladders all day and had gotten to the point when I was around 45 that I began to struggle. I started taking glucosamine and felt as though I needed it, after a couple of years I stopped taking it and was fine until recently. I had wondered if I actually built some cartilage up because I was fine for around 9 years after stopping. But as I said my PSA started to rise right around the time that I had been on glucosamine for a while (in hind sight). So I think Ill start with loosing some weight and see how things go.
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