Questionable Comments on Dietary Supplements

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I hope you had a chance to read the article I referred you to on Tuesday; you can still read it by clicking on this link. For the record, I’m not a fan of the AG1 product. In my opinion, supplements should not mix herbals from medicinal plants with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. That aside, there are three main points I alluded to in Tuesday’s Memo so let’s take a look.

Pharmaceuticals vs. Supplements

First, dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA, just not in the same way as pharmaceuticals. Here’s the difference:

  • Medicines have to prove they are safe before they are released for use by the public, but they can claim they will prevent, treat, or cure diseases.
  • Supplements cannot make such claims; they can make only structure-function claims: “This product may help digestive health,” for instance.

This “fact” as the writer proclaimed is the mantra of the American Medical Association and FDA. It seems worse now that they’re producing videos together for the general public. There’s a lot more arguments here, but that’s for another time.

So Much Beta-Carotene

The author brought up the beta-carotene and smoking studies, but I don’t understand why he didn’t question the amount of beta-carotene used in either study. The studies used four to six times the actual intake of beta-carotene at that time. These made these studies suspect because of the extreme use of beta-carotene in the studies. That’s what should be questioned.

Inadequate Nutrition

The proof was poor that he used to suggest that over 75% of the adult population get adequate vitamins and minerals from the food they eat. It was a study based on data collected via food-frequency questionnaire from specific segments of the Hawaiian and Asian populations in the mid 1990s, and I think we all know that those diets differ from the typical diet on the U.S. mainland or Europe. There are data from the 2021-2023 NHANES study available. It’s difficult to compare the data because of the way they were analyzed in the prior study, but a look at the nutrient intake from food looks more like we get 66% of the RDA, at least for some nutrients such as vitamin A, and worse for other nutrients.

Are there more problems? Yes, but that’s enough. This was a rehash of old arguments to say supplements are not necessary. But there’s one question that no one ever asks in any studies. I’ll leave you in suspense until next week when we look at what one physician said about creatine. I think you’ll be surprised.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Let’s Talk About Dietary Supplements

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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

Adaptation: Maintenance

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While you’re losing weight, I’ve always taught people to adopt a diet you can maintain for the rest of your life, because that’s how you’re going to have to eat for the rest of your life to maintain your weight loss. During the process, you have an opportunity: it’s going to take time to lose the weight, so you can experiment with any type of diet or eating plan along the way. The same holds true for your fitness plan, because using those calories does help.

If you use GLP-1 RA, the same approach still holds true. Your body is being induced to release a hormone that slows down stomach emptying, thereby eventually letting you know you’re full. Ignore it, and that leads to vomiting, bloating, and diarrhea. The actual GLP-1 hormone our bodies produce works more subtly, and our task is to get to the point that we listen to the inner signals again. Based on the very limited research so far, here is the best way to do that, followed by my best estimate of the time it takes to get to actual maintenance.

The Best Way to Eat

The first step is learning the Mediterranean diet or a version based on your ethnic background and shifting your diet to that while controlling the amounts you eat. Because the focus is on higher fiber foods such as beans, grains, and vegetables, it’s easy to eat less because you’ll feel fuller sooner.

Second, research shows that fiber can be critical in promoting satiety. As you transition to a new diet, you can use fiber supplements to try to get to 30 grams or more of fiber every day. Because you may be battling the loss of muscle at the same time, maintain or increase your protein intake; there are plenty of great plant-based sources of protein.

Finally, try to reduce ultra-processed foods to a minimum. They are deconstructed and reconstituted to provide simple carbohydrates, excess fats from oils, and preservatives and shelf-life extenders that are not necessary for any body functions.

That’s it for now as this is the least researched part of the adaptation phase of weight loss.  In reality, maybe it’s all we really need but when there is more info, I’ll let you know.

The Timeline

To be blunt, there’s no research to suggest how long you have to pay attention before your body completes adaptation to your new weight. Think about it—every system has to adapt, from the digestive system processing food, the microbiome adjusting to new foods, the endocrine system producing the correct hormones, and on and on and on. That’s going to take time.

I haven’t found research that gives a precise timeline, but I can give you my observation from interviews with people who have lost significant amounts of weight and maintained it: 18 to 24 months is typical. At that point, their bodies seem to have adapted to natural cues again.

Understand that no matter how you lost the weight—medications or simply counting calories or however you do it—the adaptation phase begins then.

The Bottom Line

I’m hesitant to rely on medications for doing something we can do ourselves. The food industry has created a hostile environment of food, and we have to consciously overcome temptation. But if you think about it, everything we need foodwise is also available. We have to train our brains to seek the best and leave the rest. It doesn’t mean we have to eat twigs and berries; it just means we have to pay attention.

On the other hand, weight loss is so important to your health, I’d rather see you lose the weight by any means necessary—but still put the emphasis on healthy eating and exercise.

Medications or foods? Your body. Your choice.

What are you prepared to do today? Eat better. Eat less. Move more. For life.

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Adv Nutri. May 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2026.100647
2. Nutr. 2026 Apr;156(4):101436.  doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101436.

Adaptation: Weight Loss

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As I said when I began this arc, the key point is that whether intentional or as the result of challenges such as joint replacement, the body’s adaptation to repair and growth takes time. This week, I’m going to look at adaptation related to weight loss and weight maintenance.

No matter how we choose to lose weight, we need to eat better, eat less, and move more. Those three actions have to be included to lose and maintain weight loss. It’s also true that no matter how you do it, it’s going to take time—no one went to bed at 150 pounds and woke up at 300 pounds. The reverse is also true; to lose 30, 50, or the 150 pounds, it’s going to take time to lose the weight.

Whether through a specific diet or using the current medications such as GLP-1 RA, people can lose weight. What they aren’t good at is keeping it off, from the early studies 75 years ago or the ongoing ones right now. I believe the problem is that many people believe that when they lose the weight they want to lose, they’re done. Nope, that’s not true—that’s when permanent weight loss really begins: the adaptation phase. The issues are simple yet complicated to execute. Do you require a medication to do it? I’ll talk about that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Adaptation: Exercise

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I can’t think of a better example of positive adaptation than exercise. Whether it’s a sport skill, increasing strength, or improving cardiovascular fitness, exercise uses the adaptation principles; the difference is that it’s an intentional act instead of a response to a physical challenge. As an example, let’s use walking or running to improve the fitness of your heart and cardiovascular system as well as every other system involved—which is just about every other system we have.

Let’s begin with how your cardiovascular system would respond to beginning a walking or jogging program. The first walk with a purpose—faster than window shopping and not so fast that you’re stopping to catch your breath every minute—every system in your body is going, “What the heck is going on here?” Your heart may not be used to speeding up like that. The blood isn’t used to traveling that fast. The 5,000 genes that are typically activated when you start to exercise are awake and alert. Your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and stress hormones are challenged, along with the nervous system that controls how the muscles respond to new movement. It’s a mess, but you manage to get through it.

Depending on how hard you pushed yourself, you may feel it. Maybe fatigue a few hours later or sore muscles. That’s why you begin slowly. Save the fastest you’ve ever walked or ran for another time, and get through this first walk.

But by the third walk, your body will start to adapt; your heart rate might not get as high. By the 10th walk, you most likely will be able to maintain a faster pace, but your heart rate may not be as high as the first walk you took at a slower pace. You’re adapting—in fact every system in your body is adapting to the new stress. It will take less effort to do the same work.

You’re not ready for a marathon or maybe even a 5K yet, but exercise is a positive utilization of the adapting ability of your body. You just have to approach it in a systematic way to improve your cardiovascular health.

If you’re the kind of person who needs to see progress to keep going, track your distance, time, heart rate, and so on, but don’t let a few down days discourage you. Sometimes your body needs a bit of time to catch up; stay the course and you’ll soon see improvement again. On the other hand, if you’re the kind of person who hates record-keeping, you’ll still notice improvement—maybe you’ll walk your usual 30 minutes and feel like going another five, or you’ll realize you’re not breathing as hard as you were a month ago. Do what works for you.

I intentionally sent this Memo one day sooner because this is Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. While we celebrate and cherish those who’ve fallen in defense of our country with quiet moments, parades, and fireworks, use the three days to start your fitness program by going for a walk every morning, as long as your physician has no objections to your exercising. By the time you read Tuesday’s memo, you could be on that path to adaptation and a better healthspan than you are right now.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Adaptation: Recovery

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In this Memo arc, I’m going to lay the foundation to support my opinion that obesity is a man-made disease. I’m adding this idea to that opinion: reducing body weight and maintaining the weight loss can occur with man-made solutions. Actually, it’s utilizing one mechanism we often overlook that the body uses all the time: adaptation.

Let’s begin with something serious that involves a broken bone or recovery from a joint replacement, which is essentially the same thing. After the bones are aligned, the first phase of the recovery is reducing the inflammation and pain to restore joint mobility. That involves multiple systems of the body working together; hormones are certainly involved as well as the muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, and other systems as well.

The repair process swings into action to heal the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other tissues involved. Bones take time to heal because all bones start as cartilage, which is then calcified; that takes six weeks or longer. At the same time, the muscular system has to repair muscles that might have been damaged in the process or are being asked to do other tasks than before.

I could continue, but my point is that the repair process is an adaptation process and takes time, often months and maybe even longer to restore full function. Can we use this process of adaptation in a positive way? I’ll cover that on Saturday.

One thing you can do as we approach the first holiday of the summer is to plan your menu and your exercise sessions. Improving your healthspan is easier if you make a plan for the many exceptions to your everyday routine in advance.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Obesity: A Man-Made Disease

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In order to determine whether obesity is an untreatable disease without pharmaceuticals, I took a look at BMI data since 1960. In comparing the BMI of people in the lowest income brackets with the highest income from 1960 through 2024, the lowest income group is always about one BMI unit above the highest income group. The adjusted mean is roughly a BMI of 27 for the poor people versus 26 for the richest people. That continues until the mid-1980s. After that point, the mean BMI continues to rise for the next 40 years—a mirror image with the same one BMI-unit difference.

Mid-1980s

What happened in the mid 1980s that caused the surge in obesity? After checking various sources, there appear to be three factors, not ranked in any particular order.

  • The mid-1980s saw increases in two-income families. There are plenty of economic reasons for that, but the net effect was less time spent preparing food in the home and a reliance on convenience food purchases.
  • There was an increase in fast-food drive-thrus and take-out foods. Since COVID, there is more reliance on food delivery.
  • The mid-1980s saw an increase in ultra-processed foods. Using inexpensive ingredients, particularly carbohydrates and fats, and filled with flavor enhancers that accented the salty and umami, the amount of ultra-processed food has risen to over 50% of the typical American’s diet.

She was asked, “If people stop using GLP-1, will they gain back the weight?” She said yes because there’s no other way to maintain weight loss because of the fat setpoint. I just can’t accept that premise.

The Bottom Line

Overweight and obesity appear to be man-made diseases because of the environment we live in today with so much easily available food. However, I cannot accept that the fat setpoint is permanent. Yes, there are many factors in the brain, the pancreas, and the digestive system that control the feelings of hunger and the anticipation of food, but that doesn’t mean you really need nutrition. You and I just have to learn to ignore those signals that say, “what will my snack be?” when we’re still stuffed from dinner. We must take command. I’m not suggesting it will be easy, but it’s not impossible. In my mind, it’s a lot easier than taking a medication every day for the rest of my life.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 73.
2. Stat Pearls. 2025. Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Is Obesity a Disease?

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In a podcast about GLP-1 receptor agonists and several new medications that are under development, the expert was a researcher on the cutting edge of what these peptides can do for weight loss. A couple of things she said didn’t sit right.

One was that obesity is a disease of genetic tendencies to store fat more effectively and create a body-fat setpoint. The implication is that in a land of food abundance, specifically ultra-processed food, the setpoint could be raised but never lowered without medical intervention. The second was that these medications are the best solution for obesity, and thus people will have to take the medications for life or they’ll gain back weight.

According to the World Health Organization and just about every other medical society in the world, overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. But is it as simple as that? Based on a recent paper, the risk of getting type 2 diabetes is 7% to 12% in men and women at a BMI of 30; as BMI increases to over 40, the risk goes up to 74% for both men and women. It’s not an excuse to stay obese, but does it mean someone who is obese will get the diseases associated with obesity?  I have more questions, and I’ll cover them on Saturday.

Insider Conference Call is tomorrow night. The topics of the evening are reviewing the top five foods that prevent cancer as well as answering Insider questions. Interested? Become an Insider by 8 p.m. Wednesday and you can join in.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 73.
2. Stat Pearls. 2025. Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Absolutely Monumentous!

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers who perform monumentous tasks every day. For those of you who still have your mom in your life, make it a habit to treat your mom like every day is Mother’s Day. It’s similar to working on your health. It’s not what you do once in a while that matters; it’s what you do every day.

London Marathon

Back to the monumentous marathon. The world record and two-hour mark was broken five years ago in an unofficial marathon run on a track under ideal conditions. But running under track conditions, much like breaking the four-minute mile, is different while being paced by other elite runners compared to running a race on the road.

While reading about the prep for the race, much was made of the weight and construction of the Adidas running shoe and justifiably so. The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 weighed in at 97 grams—similar to a pack of cards or 20 sheets of paper—with a variety of other features to make the shoe strong and durable.

I checked the weight of my new running shoes. They are a dream to walk in, and I can’t wait to finally start running again. My running shoes weigh in at a whopping 339 grams—almost 3.5 times more! That works out to about four ounces per shoe lighter, every step, for 26.2 miles. If I were still running marathons, I’d probably not buy a $500 pair of shoes, but I’d be tempted.

The Training

While the shoe is important, and I won’t diminish the impact in any way, it is the training that makes the runners elite. While I have no knowledge of his specific training programs, I would wager it consisted of three specific factors:

  • Long, slow distance, mostly at altitude
    The purpose is to get used to running long distances. Running at altitude adapts the body to less oxygen in the blood so when he comes back to sea level where there’s more oxygen in the air, he can gain an advantage. Just realize that for him and other elite runners, that pace might be 5:15 to 5:30 per mile and 6 miles per hour for her.
  • Interval training to raise the lactate threshold
    Running intervals just to the point where lactic acid starts to build up allows the body to increase stamina. Short version: effort over time increases.
  • Exact nutrition
    I would imagine every calorie is accounted for as to composition, time in relation to training, and specific tapering so he and she were both primed to run fast.

One thing to realize is that runners at this level eat, train, and sleep—that’s it. But that’s also what they get paid to do. There are some estimates that Sawe earned over $350,000 for his victory.

The Bottom Line

I bet neither you nor I are going to become elite marathon runners any time soon, but the consistency of their efforts is what we need in our lives. We need to make the time to do the things we can do day in, day out, to increase our healthspan. Maybe getting better walking/running shoes instead of the $20 tennies we’ve had for five years might be a good investment. A lifetime of abuse adds up and can make walking difficult as we reach old age. Respect your feet, starting when you’re young, and you’ll be able to keep going for longer.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Photos courtesy of Adidas Media

Monumentous Marathon

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Once in a while, something happens that you need a made-up word to describe. More than momentous, more than monumental, the new world record for the marathon was more than that. It was monumentous: four athletes broke the world record for the men’s and women’s marathon.

At the London Marathon in late April, the official world record for the marathon (that’s 26.2 miles) was broken for both the male and female marathons. More than that, it was shattered by three male runners and one female runner. Kenyan Sabastian Kimaru Sawe’s winning time was 1:59:30, more than a minute faster than the previous record. Two more men crossed the finish line under the prior world record time. Tigist Assefa broke the women’s world record with a time of 2:15:41 and broke her own world record by nine seconds.

Without question, this was a monumentous event. Was it inevitable? I’ll give you my thoughts on that and more on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Photos courtesy of Adidas Media