Tag Archive for: supplements

The Dark-Chocolate Study: The Problems

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After Thursday’s memo, you’ve got to be wondering what could be worse with the dark-chocolate study than its misleading conclusions. I’m going to examine the process the author explained in his faux study to show how that applies to many research studies from legitimate health research.

Not enough of the right expertise
There was no input from a nutrition expert that I could find. The author used a physician to do the study and collect the data. Even though the purpose of the study was to prove that eventually something will be statistically significant . . .

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Question Time: The Scoop on Poop

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Spending the past two weekends on the road, I got asked a lot of questions, and in some cases, I’m asked the same questions several times. This week, I’m selecting the top three questions and answering them for everyone. Let's begin with this question: how many bowel movements per day are normal?

The question came from people who were concerned they’re eliminating too many times or not enough. I know some television doctors and websites talk endlessly about bowel movements; not to be indelicate, they talk on and on about frequency, color, floating or not, and . . .

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The Big Chill: Immune-Boosting Supplements

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Getting ready for cold and flu season, let’s turn to dietary supplements that may help keep your immune system strong. Dozens of supplements are promoted to strengthen the immune system, but let’s stick to what I know works based on the research and my experience: echinacea, garlic, and vitamin C.

Make sure you read this first before you go to the amounts of each supplement to take below because in this case, close enough is. Don’t obsess about the difference between 200 mg or 250 mg, and if I say 300 mg three times a day, don . . .

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Extracts vs. Foods: Tomatoes, Lycopene, and CVD

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In today’s look at foods versus extracts, researchers examined a series of studies on the effects of whole-tomato products versus the phytonutrient lycopene on markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Tomatoes vs. Lycopene
Researchers reviewed well over 100 published studies that used either tomatoes (both raw and cooked) or the phytonutrient lycopene (1). Their objective was to see whether the whole food or the extract was more effective in reducing markers for CVD such as blood pressure, inflammation, and serum lipids. Based on a medical model of treatment and results, they felt the research was underwhelming on the effects . . .

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Dietary Supplements: More Scary Headlines

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In Thursday’s message, I talked about a recent study on the stimulant DMBA found in pre-workout dietary supplements. While I think there’s reason for concern with this untested product, I also think the headlines are deceiving: “Untested Stimulant Found in Dietary Supplements” and “Potentially Dangerous Stimulant Common in Diet Supplements.” The headlines suggest that DMBA or AMP citrate can be found in a lot of different dietary supplements. That’s a blatant misrepresentation of the truth, and it begins with the use of the phrase dietary supplement.

If you’re about to run to see if your . . .

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Dietary Supplements: Untested Energy Boosters

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I often begin a review of a recent study by examining the health headlines; the same is true today. “Untested Stimulant Found in Dietary Supplements” and “Potentially Dangerous Stimulant Common in Diet Supplements”—both headlines refer to a recently published study (1). The stimulant in question is a synthetic chemical called DMBA which stands for 1,3 dimethylbutylamine. It’s also referred to as AMP citrate. Were the headlines justified? Yes and no—today I’ll cover yes.

The researchers purchased 14 products with either the chemical name or the common name on the label and had the products analyzed . . .

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Vitamin E: Foods and Supplements

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Finishing up our look at vitamin E, the logical question is how much vitamin E do we need and where should we get it from? Let’s get right to it.

The RDA for vitamin E, in natural form as d-alpha tocopherol, is 15 mg per day in people 14 and over and 19 mg if a women is breast feeding. That corresponds to 22.4 IU and 26.8 IU. That would be the minimum intake per day from food or supplements. Why two units of measurement? Vitamin E is reported in mg in foods and IUs in . . .

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The Best Source of Calcium

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Let’s go back to where we began. Is any form of calcium, whether from foods, supplements, or some new-fangled source, any better absorbed than another?

No—not enough that it would make a real difference, anyway. There are two primary forms of calcium available that have lead to this absorption controversy, so let’s take a look at them. In supplement form, calcium carbonate has the most calcium per mg at 40% while calcium citrate has about 20%. That means that fewer milligrams of calcium carbonate are needed to get the amount a person needs to take.

The . . .

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Calcium Absorption

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As you might predict, I get a lot of questions about dietary supplements. People read about some just-discovered source of a nutrient and the claims that it’s better absorbed, and they wonder: is this better than the supplement I’m taking? Such is the case with calcium. A company has claimed that their form of calcium from algae is better absorbed.

Let’s start off with a general overview of calcium absorption. Calcium is poorly absorbed regardless of the source—doesn’t matter whether it’s dairy products, fish with soft bones such as sardines, or in supplements . . .

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How to Reverse Heart Disease

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In this final message of the week on reversing heart disease, I’m going to tell you why I think the program was successful, a couple of problems that I have with it, and the bottom line.
 
The Training
The key to this program in my opinion was education. The program began with a five-hour seminar with limited participation: no more than 12 participants. Here’s what they did in the training:

  • Explained the relationship between diet and heart disease in other cultures throughout the world.
  • Showed the damage to arteries in very young . . .

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