Alzheimer’s risk linked to compound found in popular joint health supplements

Many older adults turn to glucosamine to manage aging joints, but for individuals with mild cognitive impairment, the supplement could be linked to faster progression to Alzheimer’s disease.

To investigate how glucosamine affects dementia risk and mortality, University of Florida researchers analyzed medical records of patients with mild cognitive impairment, tracked laboratory mouse models and examined healthy versus Alzheimer’s-affected human brains.

The study, which was published in Nature Metabolism, focused on glycosylation, a natural process where brain cells attach small chains of sugar to proteins.

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"You can think of these sugar chains as the labels and fittings on a machine part — they help a protein fold correctly, get shipped to the right place in the cell and connect with its partners," senior author Ramon Sun, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the College of Medicine at University of Florida, told Fox News Digital. "The right amount is essential."

"Glucosamine is a naturally occurring compound of sugar and an amino acid group that is a fundamental structural building block in the body," Neil Levin, senior nutrition education manager of Now, a manufacturer of glucosamine supplements in Illinois, told Fox News Digital.

Glucosamine is concentrated in cartilage, the connective tissue that cushions joints, and is a component of larger molecules that help give cartilage its strength, elasticity and ability to retain water, he added.

"Support for aging joints is the primary reason people take glucosamine as a dietary supplement," Levin said.

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The body uses an internal "checkpoint" that naturally regulates how many of these sugar chains it produces, according to Sun.

Supplemental glucosamine bypasses that "front gate" entirely — like a delivery truck pulling straight up to the loading dock, instantly boosting the supply of raw material used to make the sugar chains, the expert added.

In the study, researchers analyzed thousands of patients with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment, and then narrowed the group to those who were taking glucosamine.

For those with mild cognitive impairment, taking the supplement didn't change their risk of death, but it did make them 25% more likely to progress to dementia. However, among individuals who already had dementia, glucosamine users had a higher mortality compared to similar non-users.

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The researchers also examined brain tissue to understand what might be driving the association. "We found an excess of sugar chains on proteins in the Alzheimer’s brain," Sun said.

Many of those proteins help nerve cells communicate, but the excess sugar chains may interfere with how they function, Sun said. He compared the effect to coating a key in too much wax — it is still the same key, but no longer fits the lock properly.

Glucosamine is one of the materials cells use to make these sugar chains, according to Sun.

Researchers also tracked how glucosamine was processed in mice, comparing its effects on healthy brains with those affected by Alzheimer’s-like disease.

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"In our experiments, normal mice given glucosamine showed no increase in these sugar chains and no change in a memory test," Sun said.

"But in mice with Alzheimer's-like disease, where the production line was already running too hot, glucosamine increased the sugar chains further and worsened performance on a memory test."

The researchers relied on medical records, which may not capture every supplement a patient was taking.

"Health records tell us what was documented, not everything a person took," Sun said. "Over-the-counter supplements are not always recorded, and records don't reliably capture dose, brand or how consistently someone took it."

An observational study looking at past records can find a signal, but can't prove one.

Glucosamine users may also differ in factors such as arthritis, pain, mobility, frailty and medication use, Levin noted. The records also did not establish the exact supplement, dose, duration or consistency of use.

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"The finding should therefore be treated as a safety signal that warrants controlled human research, but it did not — could not — reach a conclusion that glucosamine causes Alzheimer’s disease," Levin said.

The next step is a well-designed, double-blind clinical trial to evaluate the impact of glucosamine on cognitive decline in patients with dementia.

"For now, the evidence isn't strong enough to recommend any supplement for slowing [Alzheimer’s] disease, which is why doing this research properly, including the clinical trial we've called for, matters," Sun said.

The study did not examine cognitively healthy people and does not suggest that glucosamine poses a risk to those who take it for joint health.

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"A brain affected by dementia and a healthy brain are different biological environments, and we shouldn't assume a supplement behaves the same way in both," Sun said.

He emphasized the importance of consulting with a doctor before starting or stopping a supplement.

"If you or a family member has a diagnosis of cognitive impairment or dementia and takes glucosamine, it's reasonable to bring it up at the next visit, as part of an ordinary conversation about what's in the medicine cabinet," the doctor advised.

Fox News Digital reached out to multiple glucosamine manufacturers requesting comment.

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7 everyday mistakes could be quietly damaging your vision, eye doctor warns

As Americans live longer, experts say everyday habits may be taking a toll on eye health earlier than expected.

Dr. Douglas Lazzaro, professor of ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health, warned that several everyday habits may be silently affecting eye health.

Age-related eye conditions include glaucoma, which damages the optic nerve, and cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens that can block light and blur vision.

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While genetics and aging remain major drivers of many eye diseases, avoiding the following common mistakes may help slow their progression and protect vision, Lazzaro told Fox News Digital.

While exposure to sunlight is beneficial for overall metabolic health and longevity, failing to protect the eyes from the sun may lead to accelerated damage.

Lazzaro pointed to research suggesting that long-term ultraviolet exposure may contribute to macular degeneration and the progression of cataracts.

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In the doctor's own practice, cataracts are appearing five to 10 years earlier than they did three decades ago, which he believes may be linked to ultraviolet light exposure.

He recommends wearing sunglasses in bright, sunny conditions to help protect the eyes, including the lens and retina.

Reading in poor lighting can increase eye strain and make it harder to focus, particularly with age, according to Lazzaro.

"As we get older, our eyes have more difficulty seeing under certain lighting conditions," he told Fox News Digital, noting that older adults may have more difficulty adjusting to darker environments.

"If you're going be reading and it's not a bright, sunny day outside or you're not inside with bright lights, you should increase the lighting," he recommended.

Research suggests that a nutritious diet may protect eye health by reducing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, both of which can affect vision.

"Diet is important," Lazzaro said. "There's certainly a lot of known data about poor diets [contributing] to poor cardiovascular health, and that same thing can apply with the eye."

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High cholesterol and high blood pressure can worsen diabetic eye disease, even when patients may not realize those conditions are affecting their vision, according to the doctor.

Researchers are also exploring whether gut health may influence retinal health, although that connection is still emerging.

Another condition that becomes increasingly common with age is dry eye, in which a lack of tear production and oil secretion causes red, itchy, irritated eyes.

This condition can be exacerbated by lifestyle factors like dehydration, Lazzaro noted.

Staying hydrated helps keep the cornea properly moisturized, he said. "We always tell our patients, particularly in the summer, if they're going out on a hot day … make sure to hydrate, because not only will it dry out the body … but it can dry out your corneas."

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Getting adequate sleep helps support overall health, and there’s "good evidence" that patients who don’t sleep well, particularly those with sleep apnea, may experience increased eye pressure, according to Lazzaro.

People with sleep apnea also appear to face higher rates of glaucoma and certain vascular eye conditions, similar to their increased cardiovascular risk, the doctor said. "They also have an increased incidence of vascular phenomena in the eye … People who don't sleep well have fluctuations in their circulation at night."

Eye rubbing is considered a risk factor for keratoconus, a progressive eye disease where the cornea begins to dome and bulge out in a cone shape, although experts' opinions differ on whether it can directly cause the disease, according to Lazzaro.

Patients with keratoconus often rub their eyes frequently, he noted, and repeated rubbing can potentially change the shape of the cornea — one reason he "strongly" advises against the habit.

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Because glaucoma often develops without symptoms, a comprehensive eye exam is frequently the only way to detect it early, Lazzaro said.

Glaucoma is known as a "silent disease" that can lead to blindness, the doctor noted.

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"Its nickname is 'the silent thief of sight,'" he said. "Sometimes the only way you know you have glaucoma is by going to the ophthalmologist. It’s a disease that we see with increasing frequency as we get older."

Lazzaro recommends that adults get annual eye exams, rather than waiting until age-related vision changes begin. Presbyopia — the gradual loss of the ability to focus on nearby objects — commonly develops in middle age and often leads to the need for reading glasses.

"Patients will come in at some point, usually between 40 and 50, and say they can't see up-close anymore; it happened overnight," he said.

Annual visits should also include a scan for skin cancer and eyelid tumors, which occur more frequently with age, the doctor advised.

Sun exposure may contribute not only to cataracts and macular degeneration, but also to cancers of the eyelid, Lazzaro said. "Most of them can be removed locally without a big problem if diagnosed early," he added.

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Subtle change in how you speak could be early sign of dementia risk, new research suggests

New research suggests that voice disorders, including shifts in vocal pitch, volume or clarity, could indicate a higher probability of developing dementia or cognitive impairment in the future.

A study involving 833,417 participants aged 50 and older examined the connection between a voice disorder, hearing loss, or both with the chance of developing cognitive impairment or dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, beginning a year after the voice disorder and hearing loss diagnoses.

The findings from the study, conducted by a team at the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, were published in the Journal of Voice.

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Results showed that participants with a voice disorder but no hearing loss had a 58% increased likelihood of developing dementia or cognitive issues in the future, whereas participants with a voice disorder and hearing loss had a 104% chance.

For all participants with voice disorders, with or without hearing loss, there was a 29% increased probability of developing dementia or cognitive impairment, whereas those with only hearing loss had a 27% greater risk.

"We found the strongest link with dementia among patients experiencing a voice disorder and hearing loss," said Robert Sataloff, a professor and chair at the Drexel University College of Medicine, Science Alert reported.

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"Importantly, we found that those with a voice disorder and no hearing loss were at greater risk than patients who experience hearing loss only," he added.

Examples of voice disorders include laryngitis, vocal cord paralysis, vocal cord lesions and spasmodic dysphonia (laryngeal dystonia), among others, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Regardless of the possible correlation between vocal issues and dementia, researchers noted that seeking treatment for a voice disorder could also benefit a patient’s brain.

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Hearing loss and trouble speaking could discourage individuals from socializing with others, and studies have shown that social engagement can stimulate the brain and play a role in warding off dementia.

Sataloff said that it’s "only natural" for voice disorders and hearing loss to be connected to cognitive impairment.

Those who experience pain or discomfort when talking or singing might "participate less often in brain-supporting social or other engaging activities," he noted.

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Despite the study's findings, having a voice disorder doesn’t necessarily mean that future cognitive impairment is absolutely certain.

Additionally, it’s not guaranteed that vocal issues indicate the beginning of a decline in brain function or the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s.

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10-minute fitness habit can help adults over 40 maintain muscle and stay strong

Adults over 40 may not need to spend hours in the gym to maintain muscle, preserve mobility and stay strong.

According to Los Angeles fitness entrepreneur Carl Daikeler, just 10 minutes of targeted resistance exercise each day can help preserve muscle, mobility and long-term function.

Daikeler, 63, who has spent 28 years leading BODi, the fitness brand formerly known as Beachbody, says his approach to exercise stems from a practical desire to stay healthy without having to be a dedicated fitness enthusiast.

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"I don't like to eat healthy, I don't like to work out," Daikeler told Fox News Digital at the Strong New York conference in September. "I'm just constantly trying to figure out how I can hack my way without having to overturn my life to become one of these diehard health and fitness people, because I'm never going to become that."

For adults looking to stay healthy in midlife, Daikeler recommends what he considers a "minimum effective dose" — short, targeted resistance workouts at home instead of lengthy gym sessions.

"Ten minutes a day, and you can establish and build and maintain muscle," he said.

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Federal physical activity guidelines say that adults should perform muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups at least two days per week, in addition to regular aerobic activity.

Rather than doing a full-body workout every day, Daikeler recommends rotating muscle groups — focusing on the chest one day, upper body the next, then legs and glutes — to build consistency without requiring lengthy gym sessions.

"Do that consistently, and you're going to find your strength return, your muscles return, your joints will start to respond appropriately," he said.

The 10-minute approach can be especially valuable for people taking GLP-1 medications, who may be trying to preserve muscle mass and bone density while losing weight but may feel intimidated by traditional gyms, Daikeler said.

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For individuals seeking more significant weight loss, he recommends extending daily activity to 20 or 30 minutes, incorporating a balance of strength training and cardiovascular exercise.

Daikeler cautioned against focusing exclusively on either cardio or resistance training, noting that different exercise types serve distinct functions in the body.

"Your body's like a furnace," Daikeler said. "The coal in that furnace is muscle. So you want to build muscle. But then you want to stoke that coal, and that's cardio. So, you need a balance of both things."

While resistance training builds muscle and strengthens bones and connective tissue, cardiovascular exercise challenges the heart and lungs, helping to maintain overall fitness, he said.

As adults age, Daikeler says the primary motivation for maintaining physical activity should shift away from aesthetic goals and toward functional mobility and independence.

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Reflecting on his personal experience visiting his father in an assisted living facility, Daikeler observed how residents struggled with basic movement and balance.

Many residents relied on walkers and canes, and often stopped walking before talking to one another because they feared tripping over cracks in the pavement, he recalled.

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"This is no longer about my abs," Daikeler added. "I need to work out in order to be able to walk and talk at the same time into my 90s ... It's no longer about aesthetics and vanity. It's really about mobility."

Maintaining healthy physical habits means accepting daily short-term discomfort to protect long-term independence, Daikeler noted.

"If I do 20 minutes of discomfort, the rest of the day is awesome," he said, adding that the goal is to consistently incorporate resistance training, cardio and flexibility work into a daily routine.

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Silent heart threat found in adults under 30 with no known cardiovascular disease

A buildup of artery-clogging plaque may begin much earlier than many people realize, new research has found.

About 1 in 13 adults ages 18 to 29 already had silent atherosclerosis — the hardening of the arteries from plaque — despite having no known cardiovascular disease, while more than half of all healthy adults in the study showed signs of plaque somewhere in their arteries, according to a major new international study.

Researchers from Denmark and Spain used advanced imaging to examine more than 16,800 adults ages 18 to 70 with no known cardiovascular disease. They found plaque in 57.1% of participants, with prevalence increasing steadily with age, from about 1 in 13 adults under 30 to roughly 9 in 10 adults ages 60 to 70, according to the research published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August.

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Atherosclerosis occurs when fatty deposits, cholesterol and other substances build up inside arteries, according to experts. The process often develops silently over many years before causing a heart attack or stroke.

"For decades, we have estimated cardiovascular risk using factors such as age, blood pressure and cholesterol," Dr. Borja Ibáñez, a cardiologist and scientific director of Spain's National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), said in a statement. "This study shows that we can now go one step further and detect the disease directly before it causes a heart attack or stroke."

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The new findings come from the first phase of the ongoing international REACT study, which is mapping how common silent artery plaque is across adulthood. In the next phase, researchers will test whether earlier detection can improve heart disease prevention.

"Until now, preventive decisions have been based on an estimate of risk, but we did not know whether the disease was already present," Professor Henning Bundgaard, professor of cardiology at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, said. "REACT shows that atherosclerosis can be detected decades before clinical manifestations appear and provides the most comprehensive atlas of the evolution of the disease across adult life."

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The study also revealed that men tended to develop plaque five to 10 years earlier than women, while women experienced their steepest increase between ages 40 and 60.

Researchers also found that commonly used cardiovascular risk scores only identified a small proportion of people who already had silent atherosclerosis, suggesting some cases may go undetected using traditional risk assessments alone.

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While the researchers believe portable ultrasound could eventually help identify hidden plaque earlier, they said further clinical trials are needed.

The findings should encourage people to take heart health seriously, but not to panic, experts note.

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"Finding plaque doesn't mean someone is about to have a heart attack, but finding it gives us an opportunity to address a patient's risk factors," Dr. Sirisha Vadali, a cardiologist at HonorHealth Women’s Heart Health in Arizona, told Fox News Digital. "We shouldn't wait for symptoms to start paying attention to heart health."

"Feeling healthy doesn't necessarily mean your arteries are free of plaque," Vadali, who was not involved in the research, added.

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She cautioned that the study alone does not establish that screening everyone will directly prevent heart attacks or strokes.

Vadali stressed that the findings do not mean everyone under 30 should undergo artery screening, saying decisions about additional testing should be based on a person's individual risk factors. She recommended avoiding tobacco, staying physically active and eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts and fish while limiting saturated fat and excess sodium to help protect heart health.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.

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One group of married Americans is having more sex — and happier marriages

Married couples who regularly attend church report having more frequent sex and greater sexual satisfaction than those who attend less often or not at all, according to a new report from the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Researchers analyzed findings from multiple datasets, including the 2026 IFS Religion and Family Survey of 3,125 married adults ages 18–54, the long-running nationally representative General Social Survey, and a separate survey of 1,219 alumni of FOCUS, a Catholic campus ministry.

Regular churchgoers reported having more frequent sex than less religious or non-religious married adults, with regularly attending Catholics reporting some of the highest levels of sexual frequency. The association remained even after accounting for demographic differences.

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Among married adults ages 20 to 54, 62% of regular churchgoers reported having sex at least once a week, compared with 48% of nonreligious spouses, according to the report.

In addition to frequency, sexual satisfaction was also higher among church attendants. Catholics and Protestants who regularly attended religious services were more likely to rate their sex lives positively than those who attended less often or had no religious affiliation.

Daily prayer was linked to greater sexual satisfaction among married Catholics and Protestants, though it was not associated with more frequent sex.

Among churchgoers, 55% of Catholics and 45% of Protestants rated their sex lives as "excellent" or "very good," compared with 45% of nominal Catholics, 35% of nominal Protestants and 40% of religiously unaffiliated respondents.

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Those who viewed marriage as a permanent commitment were more likely to report both frequent and satisfying sex. That belief, along with shared values, was also strongly associated with overall marital quality.

Because the analysis was observational, it cannot determine whether religious practice directly causes better marital or sexual outcomes, the authors acknowledged.

Additionally, the marital outcomes were self-reported, and other unmeasured differences between religious and non-religious respondents could have influenced the results.

Differences in factors such as age and length of marriage could also make it challenging to strike comparisons with the broader population.

The study was funded by FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Jessica Steinman, a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex addiction therapist in Los Angeles, spoke with Fox News Digital about the potential relationship between religious activity and the quality of a couple’s sex life.

"When we think of people who are really involved in religion … we might think they're not having a lot of sex or that they're having very constricted views on their sex lives," she said. "And this article and research show that's changing."

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People who actively participate in a shared spiritual or religious life may also feel more connected to one another as partners, according to Steinman, who is also the chief clinical officer for No Matter What Recovery in Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin.

"If they're showing up and looking at things outside themselves — things that are spiritual, things that are religious, things are having them look inward, things that are having them look into larger morals and values within their marriages and partnerships — I think they're going to possibly have happier marriages and partnerships," the therapist said.

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They may also be more vulnerable and open with one another, which could contribute to a more active sex life, she added.

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The rituals and shared practices associated with religious life likely play a role in strengthening that connection, the expert suggested.

"Certain religious settings are really focused on rituals and traditions," Steinman said. "And if you're looking at partnership and marriage … engaging in sexual connection and sexual intimacy can really become a ritual itself."

The research highlighted what has been described as an ongoing "sex recession," where people are not engaging in sexual intimacy as much as they once did.

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Regardless of religious affiliation, Steinman encourages people to find ways to connect with their partners.

"Get off the phones, get off of the internet, turn the TV off and start really connecting with your partner," she advised.

Steinman suggested that partners engage with one another and build connections that go deeper than simply asking, "How was your day?"

That can include building emotional openness and discussing how partners want to connect sexually, she said.

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Taking daily supplement may help preserve muscle as you age — even without exercise

Daily creatine supplementation could help middle-aged and older adults preserve lean muscle mass, gain strength and support cognitive function, whether it's paired with exercise or not, according to a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

The 12-week study, conducted by researchers at Texas A&M University’s Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab, evaluated 64 men and women ages 45 to 65.

Participants were divided into non-exercise and exercise-plus-diet groups, then randomly assigned to take either 10 grams of creatine monohydrate per day — administered in two 5-gram doses — or a placebo.

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Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps cells regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy source for cellular activity in both muscle and brain tissue, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Creatine monohydrate is a dietary supplement that helps muscles produce quick energy during activities like strength training.

Adults naturally lose muscle mass and strength as they age, a condition known as sarcopenia. While dieting can accelerate that muscle loss, the new study found that creatine monohydrate helped counter the effect.

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Adding creatine to an exercise and diet intervention resulted in greater reductions in body fat percentage, better preservation of lean body mass, and marked improvements in upper- and lower-body strength compared to a placebo.

Even among participants who did not engage in exercise or dietary changes, daily creatine supplementation increased lean tissue mass and improved muscular strength and endurance, according to the study.

"The fact that you can increase lean muscle mass even without exercise is remarkable, especially as we age," New York-based fitness coach Jacob Zemer told Fox News Digital. "Between the physical and mental benefits, most people should be considering creatine supplementation."

The expert, who was not involved in the study, noted that even participants who did not exercise saw an increase in their bench press and leg press.

Zemer said the findings suggest creatine may help build actual muscle tissue that generates strength, rather than simply increasing the amount of water stored in muscle cells.

Beyond physical performance, the researchers found that the 10-gram daily dose of creatine supported improvements in select tests of memory and cognitive processing.

"My main takeaway from the study is that the benefits of creatine extend far beyond just athletes and bodybuilders," Zemer said. "Creatine continues to be the most scientifically studied and validated supplement on the market."

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However, the trainer emphasized that supplementation should not replace regular physical activity.

"Just because you can increase lean muscle mass by taking creatine without exercise does not mean that it is optimal or a replacement for exercise," Zemer cautioned.

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"The benefits of exercise will always supersede those of creatine alone, and when the two are combined, they are both enhanced."

The study authors noted several limitations to their findings.

Participants chose whether to join the exercise or non-exercise groups before being randomly assigned to receive either creatine or a placebo, which could have introduced lifestyle differences between the groups.

Additionally, because the study lasted just 12 weeks and included only healthy adults, researchers don't yet know whether the benefits would be long-term or whether they would apply to people with serious metabolic or neurological conditions.

For those considering taking creatine, Zemer advised consulting a healthcare professional to determine whether it's right for them, then choosing a reputable brand, staying hydrated and taking it consistently.

"Recommended minimum dosages for creatine are typically 3 grams for women and 5 grams for men," he said. "This study used higher dosages. Creatine is about consistency rather than when you take it, so find a time you can consistently take it daily."

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According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, creatine is generally considered safe for healthy adults, although some people may experience bloating, stomach discomfort or water retention.

Experts recommend talking with a healthcare provider before beginning supplementation, particularly for those with kidney disease or other chronic health conditions.

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