When a Supplement Might Actually Harm

About a decade or so ago, people with joint pain were told that chondroitin sulfate along with glucosamine might help to reduce or elevate their pain. Others started taking the supplements to prevent joint pain. It became one of the most popular supplements in the world because of its supposed benefits.

But the thing is, there haven’t been any definitive proof that the supplements work. In fact, scientific review of the research has shown that most of the positive results came from studies backed by the manufacturers themselves. Alright, so maybe it doesn’t help but surely it doesn’t harm, right?

Well, scientists in a recent study published in Molecular Cell are raising concerns that chondroitin sulfate may encourage the development or recurrence of melanoma. In experiments, researchers grafted human melanoma cells that contained a mutation called V600E. Apparently about half of human melanoma tumors contain this mutation. Then the researchers provided these mice with chondroitin sulfate to see what happened. The tumor growth was increased in those mice! And even worse news, the mice tumors developed resistance to an anti-tumor drug (vemurafenib). So not only did the supplement encourage the tumor growth, it actually made it more difficult for therapeutic drugs to help fight the melanoma.

The article where I found this information came from Harvard Health Publishing. I think I’ll trust that the doctor that wrote the article had no ulterior motives, other than trying to make sure that people are informed. He provides a measured response, saying that it’s unclear if the same mechanism occurs in humans. But really the upshot is, these supplements actually haven’t been proven to work and there is potential that they might actually harm humans.

Look, I get it. Joint pain sucks and can really inhibit your ability to stay active and enjoy life. My psoriasis also affects my knees sometimes and when it flares, it can be a struggle to move around. But I have always been hesitant to take any supplement or prescription for it. Honestly, I just don’t like to take things that don’t really have a real immediate benefit. But seeing this research is really alarming because the rates of melanoma have been increasing for a variety of reasons. These supplements might end up harming someone who may have a propensity towards developing melanoma. I know there’s a lot of “ifs” but it’s important for people to understand the implications of what this could mean for someone, particularly those that have previously presented with a tumor with this V600E mutation.