Q. I read a letter in your column from a person whose cholesterol had gone up dramatically after taking glucosamine. I had the same thing happen.
I started using glucosamine with chondroitin four months ago for back pain and a chronically sprained ankle. I am 36. I had my cholesterol checked last week as part of a routine physical and it was 253, up from 211.
I know I have a weakness for pizza and nachos, but I don’t indulge often and I couldn’t explain the sudden rise in my cholesterol. Your article hit me like a brick.
Is it possible that the glucosamine “fools” the test without actually raising cholesterol? I certainly feel better taking the glucosamine, but I don’t want to put myself at risk for a heart attack.
A. The increase in your cholesterol test could be coincidence. We’ve heard from others, however, who have noticed a similar rise after glucosamine: “My husband and I have been taking glucosamine for a couple of years and found it helped our arthritis. Over that time our cholesterol count has increased though our diets haven’t changed. I didn’t make any connection between the two until reading your column.”
Until research is done on this issue we won’t know if glucosamine raises cholesterol or if it interferes with the test. We encourage people who are taking glucosamine to have their cholesterol monitored on a regular basis.
