Let’s Talk About Dietary Supplements

I’m in a constant state of frustration over comments about the use of dietary supplements. Not by gurus and influencers; I don’t expect much from them except promotion of specific products for monetary gain. I mean the people with the credentials, with the scientific background, who say things that are simply not accurate. They seem to become bolder every time they punch letters on a keyboard. In the next four Memos, I’m going to provide you with a link to read what I’m talking about along with an overview of what stood out to me. On Saturday, I’ll give you reasons behind my frustration. But it’s not all bad.

The first was an article from one of the writers at McGill University’s Office for Science and Society. This is a well credentialed university department with this mandate: “to demystify science for the public and separate sense from nonsense.”  They go on to say they have a history of tackling fake news in the world of science well before the term “fake news” even existed. They cover everything with science behind it including diet, nutrition, and medicine.

In this article, the writer went off on a specific product you may have heard about called AG1 powder back in March of 2024. The premise of the article is that vitamins, minerals, and herbs are not necessary in the first place and certainly a not a green powder that has 75 ingredients in it. But in his criticism, the author says at least three things that are not accurate. He cites the beta carotene and smokers study, studies on vitamin K and anticoagulants, and that dietary supplements are not regulated in the US! I’ll give you my thoughts on Saturday. The link to that article is below.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/you-probably-dont-need-green-ag1-smoothie