Glucosamine’s effectiveness in treating arthritis remains controversial, however a study suggesting that the supplement, when taken regularly, will help prevent heart attacks certainly adds to its appeal.

According to findings from a large prospective study just published in The BMJ, habitual glucosamine use is associated with a 15% lower risk of cardiovascular events. Breaking that down a bit further, it appears regular glucosamine lowered the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event by 22%, lowered the risk of coronary heart disease by 18% and lowered the risk of stroke by 9%. All statistically significant results.

The research involved over 440,000 people from the UK biobank who didn’t have cardiovascular disease at the outset. Courtesy of an initial questionnaire, researchers knew who was taking glucosamine and how often.