Glucosamine Causes The Death Of Pancreatic Cells

Glucosamine Causes The Death Of Pancreatic Cells

High doses or prolonged use of glucosamine causes the death of pancreatic cells and could increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a team of researchers at Université Laval's Faculty of Pharmacy. Details of this discovery were recently published on the website of the Journal of Endocrinology.

In vitro tests conducted by Professor Frédéric Picard and his team revealed that glucosamine exposure causes a significant increase in mortality in insulin-producing pancreatic cells, a phenomenon tied to the development of diabetes. Cell death rate increases with glucosamine dose and exposure time. "In our experiments, we used doses five to ten times higher than that recommended by most manufacturers, or 1,500 mg/day," stressed Professor Picard. "Previous studies showed that a significant proportion of glucosamine users up the dose hoping to increase the effects," he explained.

Picard and his team have shown that glucosamine triggers a mechanism intended to lower very high blood sugar levels. However, this reaction negatively affects SIRT1, a protein critical to cell survival. A high concentration of glucosamine diminishes the level of SIRT1, leading to cell death in the tissues where this protein is abundant, such as the pancreas.

Individuals who use large amounts of glucosamine, those who consume it for long periods, and those with little SIRT1 in their cells are therefore believed to be at greater risk of developing diabetes. In a number of mammal species, SIRT1 level diminishes with age. This phenomenon has not been shown in humans but if it were the case, the elderly - who constitute the target market for glucosamine - would be even more vulnerable.

"The key point of our work is that glucosamine can have effects that are far from harmless and should be used with great caution," concluded Professor Picard.

The results obtained by Picard and his team coincide with recent studies that cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of glucosamine in treating joint problems.

This study was co-authored by Mathieu Lafontaine-Lacasse and Geneviève Doré.

Source: Université Laval

Copyright: Medical News Today

ACARAJÉ DE FEIJÃO BRANCO OU FRADINHO

Recipe - ACARAJÉ  DE FEIJÃO BRANCO OU FRADINHO

By Paloma Jorge Amado Costa (Brazilian) 

Acarajé with white beans or black eyed pea 

Ingredients

• 1 kg white beans (or black eyed peas)
• 1kg onions
• 1 onion (for frying)
• Salt
• Palm oil (for frying; you may use other oil if you prefer)

Instructions

• Beat the beans quickly in a blender or food processor to break the skin and then let them rest in water overnight. 
• Discard the water and remove the skins (if you wish, keep them). Pass the beans through a meat grinder or mix in a blender or food processor. 
• Grind the onions and mix with the beans and salt and mix well. Make the balls with two spoons.
• Heat he oil (add sufficient amount to cover about half the height of the balls) and add the entire onion.
• Fry the balls in both sides, turning them when one side is brown.

You may serve them by themselves or cut in halves and accompanied by dried shrimp with spicy sauce and vatapá.

MOLHO DE CAMARÃO SECO (dried shrimp sauce)

Ingredients

• 200 g dried shrimp
• 1 onion
• 1 cup palm oil (you may use other oil if you prefer)
• 5 cashew nuts
• Salt
• 1 cup dried red malagueta pepper (you may adjust quantity to your taste!)

Instructions

• Chop the onion
• Mix the pepper in a blender or crush with mortar and pestle.
• Beat cashew and dried shrimp
• Fry the onion and add the cashew/shrimp
• Add the rest of the shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Serve cold

VATAPÁ

Ingredients

• 1kg white bread
• ½ kg onions
• 300 g dried shrimp
• 250 g cashew nuts
• 250 g peanuts
• 3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 50 g ginger
• 2 cups palm oil

Fish or chicken broth (if made at home, use salt, garlic, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro and lime juice or rind)

Instructions

• Chop the bread and let it soak with 1/3 of the coconut milk and then blend in the mixer.
• Chop the onions
• Blend the dry shimp
• Beat the peanuts and the cashew with 1/3 of the coconut milk
• Grind the ginger
• Fry onions and dry shrimp
• Add the bread, mixing always
• Add peanuts, cashew and ginger and continue mixing
• Add the broth mixing well
• Add the rest of the coconut milk
• Mix until the mixture frees itself from the pan.

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