Tag Archive for: supplement

Curcumin and Pepper

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I’m just back from Peoria, and there’s nothing like spending a couple of days with health-conscious people to yield some very interesting questions. This week, I’m going to examine one question in detail: is turmeric absorbed as effectively without pepper in the blend? A phytonutrient found in turmeric called curcumin is being extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. But pepper? I checked into it and here’s what I found.

In a study done in 1998, researchers examined the absorption of curcumin with and without piperine, the phytonutrient that provides the pungent smell . . .

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Breastfeeding? Take Vitamin D

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To recap the week, breastfed infants do not appear to be getting enough vitamin D. Neither the moms nor the infants are exposed to enough sunlight to make their own vitamin D, especially in winter. Moms who breastfeed and don’t supplement their infants with vitamin D don’t have adequate amounts of vitamin D in their breast milk. That leaves a logical question: what happens if the moms supplement their diet with vitamin D? Two recent studies asked that very question.

In the first study, Australian researchers gave pregnant women either a placebo, 1,000 IU vitamin D3, or . . .

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Vitamin D for Babies

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The next logical question is this: if babies aren’t getting enough vitamin D from breast milk, will supplementing the babies’ diet with vitamin D3 increase vitamin D levels? Researchers examined data collected from the TARGet Kids! primary healthcare research network, a large cross-sectional study conducted in Canada, to answer the question.

The researchers examined data from over 2,500 breastfeeding mothers and infants who had vitamin D levels checked regularly. Those infants who were supplemented with vitamin D while breastfed had higher levels of vitamin D than those who were breastfed without taking a vitamin D supplement. The . . .

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Weight Loss Supplement: The Bottom Line

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Based on Thursday’s memo regarding the lack of any research on the effectiveness of Acacia rigidula and the chemical ingredient β-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA), why did this get so much press? After all, there’s no evidence people are dropping in the streets because they’ve used this chemical. I think it’s directly due to the passion of a single science writer and the lack of follow-up by the FDA. I can’t be sure, of course, but let me lay it out for you.

Let’s start with the FDA. When they found supplements tainted with BMPEA a . . .

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Weight Loss Supplement: The Acacia Rigidula Headline

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Science by headline is becoming more and more common; case in point, the headlines said things such as “New Study Reports Untested Amphetamine-like Substance in Weight Loss Supplement!” I just can’t let that one go, so that’s the subject of this week’s messages.

Let’s begin with the study. Researchers tested 21 weight loss supplements that contained an ingredient called Acacia rigidula. Never heard of it? Neither did I. It’s a type of bush commonly known as blackbrush acacia that grows in Texas and Mexico and purportedly has similar properties to the banned herb ephedra . . .

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Herbal Supplements Under Fire

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The health news headlines were all abuzz last week. The New York State Attorney General sent out cease and desist notices to four of the largest retailers in the country relating to the sale of several herbal products because based on testing hired by the NYS Attorney General’s Office, the herbal products did not contain much, if any, of the herbs on the label. Further, they contained some other substances that were not on the label such as rice and other plants.

You can imagine the result. Those opposed to herbal products yelled and screamed, “I told you so . . .

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