On my hyperkalemia assessment guide, I highlight that glucosamine supplements can be associated with hyperkalemia. But why?
Glucosamine supplements may cause hyperkalemia because they can contain potassium. According to this article, potassium chloride is frequently used to stabilize glucosamine for use in supplements.
How much potassium is in glucosamine supplements?
According to this article from Japan, different brands will have different amounts. For products from Japan the potassium among ranged from 0.165 to 3mg per daily dose. However foreign products, contained as much as 197-280mg of potassium. The authors state this could represent as much as 20% of the daily recommended potassium intake for someone on dialysis.
I was able to find another study that examined the potassium content of glucosamine supplements. In their study, researchers found that 16 of 21 supplements tested contained some potassium, though not all of these supplements were clearly labeled as containing potassium. The average amount of potassium per supplement was 4.6%.
| Supplement | Contains Potassium | Potassium Content (% by weight) |
| Glucosamine sulfate 500 mga, Chondroitin sulfate 75 mg | No | 1.8 |
| Glucosamine sulfate 500 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 75 mg | No | 4.8 |
| Glucosamine hydrochloride 1200 mg | No | n.d |
| Glucosamine sulfate–potassium chloride 750 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 40 mg | Yes | 5.3 |
| Glucosamine sulfate–potassium chloride 775 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 50 mg | Yes | 4.6 |
| Glucosamine sulfate–dipotassium chloride 750 mg, hondroitin sulfate 40 mg | Yes | 5.2 |
| Glucosamine sulfate 1000 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 100 mg | No | 5.1 |
| Glucosamine sulfate–potassium chloride 1500 mg | Yes | 5.0 |
| Glucosamine sulfate 700 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 50 mg | No | 5.9 |
| Chondroitin sulfate 500 mg | No | n.d |
| Glucosamine sulfate 400 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 50 mg | No | n.d |
| Glucosamine sulfate 300 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 300 mg | No | 3.9 |
| Glucosamine hydrochloride 750 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 600 mg | No | 3.9 |
| Glucosamine hydrochloride 1200 mg | No | 7.9 |
| Glucosamine hydrochloride 1200 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 75 mg | No | 6.5 |
| Glucosamine sulfate– dipotassium chloride 500 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 375 mg | Yes | 4.3 |
| Glucosamine sulfate 156.25 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 156.25 mg | No | 1.6 |
| Glucosamine sulfate–dipotassium chloride 539.47 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 100 mg | Yes | 4.8 |
| Glucosamine sulfate– dipotassium chloride 375 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 150 mg | Yes | 3.3 |
| Glucosamine sulfate 1100 mg, Chondroitin sulfate 400 mg | No | n.d. |
Will manufacturers clearly label potassium-containing glucosamine supplements?
The easy answer, is I don’t know. When I looked at the Health Canada compendium on Glucosamine Sulfate, I saw that it lists both glucosamine sulfate potassium chloride and glucosamine sulfate sodium chloride as source ingredients.
And given that the previous article reported finding potassium in some supplements that didn’t list coming from potassium chloride specifically, makes me worry that it is possible that a supplement could use the potassium chloride form as a source ingredient by only label it as glucosamine sulfate.
Take Aways
- Glucosamine supplements can contain potassium.
- Some supplements that contain potassium may not be clearly labeled.
- The actual amount of potassium in supplements can be highly variable. For many people taking a low dose of glucosamine is likely OK. However, if you have a patient with hyperkalemia, it may be worthwhile asking if they take glucosamine, seeing if they are willing to hold it until their lab draw and assessing if this has helped.
