Tag Archive for: supplement

Why You Need to Supplement

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The author of the opinion article in JAMA recommended that physicians make their patients aware of the research that questions the effectiveness of supplementation, hence his title “Negligible Benefits, Robust Consumption” (1). In making that recommendation, he gives the precise reason why that’s a bad idea. As I said Thursday, the answer can be found in the data used in the original article in JAMA about supplementation use in the U.S. (2).

While the JAMA article focused on supplementation, it also included data on food . . .

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Supplements: No Benefits?

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The opinion piece in the journal article was titled “The Supplement Paradox: Negligible Benefits, Robust Consumption” (1). The author is a well-respected physician who has written often about what he feels are the problems in the dietary supplement industry. He used the article I talked about Tuesday as a basis for his latest thoughts. Why would supplement use stay the same when research demonstrates that there are little to no benefits?

He raised three points. First, he suggests that people haven’t heard about the negative studies. I would debate that based on the questions I get about science . . .

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Changes in Supplement Use

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I take dietary supplements, and so do most of the people I know. We’re not alone. Using data from the NHANES data in 1999 and 2012, researchers compared how many people used supplements and what type of supplements they used (1).

Close to 38,000 subjects were included in the study. The percentage of people using supplements remained fairly stable over the time span at 52%; what changed was the types of supplements people took. Multivitamin-multimineral (MVMM) dropped 6% from 37% to 31%. There were some increases: vitamin D supplementation (other than from MVMM) increased from 5.1 . . .

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Supplement Ingredient Follow-up

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The Consumer Report messages on supplements also brought out the responses. There were a few that I thought I should write about to bring about some clarity on the topic.

From the list of “15 Supplement Ingredients to Always Avoid,” I wrote about only green tea extract in depth and mentioned caffeine powder. Most were herbs that are not found in conventional supplements such as multivitamins or coenzyme Q10. What seems to be a characteristic of most herbs on the list is that they cause liver and kidney damage when not used properly such as comfrey, kava, and usnic acid . . .

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Curcumin and Your Health

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Curcumin certainly has the health experts excited. I understand, but I also think there are some things that you have to know about this phytonutrient before you begin taking mega-doses every day.

Absorption and Bioavailability

Curcumin is not well absorbed in the digestive system—in fact, it’s very poorly absorbed, with some studies showing that no measurable curcuminoids reach the bloodstream at all. That’s why a focus of research has been to get the active part of turmeric into a better delivery system. I mentioned combining it with piperine, a component of black pepper, on . . .

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Curcumin Research

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Curcumin is fast becoming one of the most researched phytonutrients in the world. As evidence, in 2000, there were about 100 papers published on curcumin; in 2015, there were 1,100 papers published. And in the first quarter of this year, there were over 400 papers published. Why all the attention on this yellow phytonutrient?

I mentioned the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities on Tuesday. The focus of a lot of research is for curcumin’s use as a potential cancer treatment and preventive for Alzheimer’s disease. Most of these are test-tube studies. Researchers are trying to examine . . .

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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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