Glucosamine and diabetes
Persons with diabetes should never use glucosamine without first consulting their doctor, because glucosamine and diabetes might be a dangerous combination. Animal studies have indicated that glucosamine, which is an amino sugar, may increase insulin resistance in certain animals. No one has been able to prove that this is true for humans, but until we know more individuals with diabetes are recommended to use glucosamin with caution. You may for instance need to alter your diabetes medication in order to counteract the effects of glucosamin. This not a thing that you should experiment with on your own. Always contact a health professional specialising in diabetes to get proper guidance.

Glucosamine and diabetes is actually not the only combination that should be avoided; people with diagnosed insulin resistance and people who are at risk of developing insulin resistance should also consult their doctor before they start using glucosamin supplements. You can reduce the risk of possible side effects by having your blood sugar checked regularly. That way, you can detect adverse side effects at an early stage.

Glucosamine and diabetes: what is insulin resistance?
Insulin resistance is a condition where normal amounts of insulin are no longer sufficient to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells. This is highly undesirable, because insulin resistance have been shown to increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes dramatically. Many people develop insulin resistance without noticing it; it is not until they begin suffering from metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes that they find out what has been going on inside their body. Insulin resistance is especially common in people who have been on an unhealthy diet for a prolonged period of time.

As mentioned above, insulin resistance means that normal amounts of insulin is no longer enugh to producing normal insulin responses from fat, muscle and liver cells. Insulin resistance in muscle cells will lower your glucose uptake, while insulin resistance in your liver cells will reduce the natural glucose storage process. Insulin resistance in fat cells means that the levels of free fatty acids will increase in your blood plasma. These factors work together to amplify the levels of blood glucose in your body.