General Health
On vitamins and supplements:
Every now and then I come across an article or a video saying that supplements don't work. Here is an example:
Vitamins and Supplements: An Evidence-Based Approach (Dr. Tice)
and, here is my new favorite:
[1:07:45 .. 1:13:15] (paraphrasing)
"with the modern health care system we don't need to take fish oil.
It is not effective because we now have statins."
and the side effects for statins are?
"muscle pain and damage, liver damage, digestive problems, rash and flushing, increased blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, neurological side effects".
so, who needs fish oil when we have statins ...
In general he is right. For a healthy person - good diet, outdoor activities and good social life is all that is necessary!
And pills are no substitute for a healthy life style!
But if a person has a health problem, there is a lot of supporting evidence that supplements (not just vitamins and minerals) can be life savers (see The Deanna Protocol for example).
So why do we have all these randomized double blind studies showing that supplements do not work?
Simple - we have not evolved eating isolated and concentrated substances. Concentrated and refined foods, synthetic supplements and medications can confuse the body and change the metabolic processes.
For example Dr. Tice talks about the beta-carotene supplement being harmful ... this is old news to me. It actually makes perfect sense. As I know there are about 600 carotenes and at least 2 are used in the macula of the eye. So supplementing with one does not make much sense anyway. Conclusion: beta-carotene should only be taken from food. Juice your veggies!
He also says that vit. D3 has to be taken with Calcium.
Good, but Calcium needs to be taken with (at least) Magnesium and vit. K (MK-7). But the studies did not include these.
Besides combinations, the form of the supplements is also important.
He mentions that vit. E supplement is bad ... but which vit E? The alpha tocopherol (the synthetic form) is known to be harmful for you in more than 80IU I think. Only gamma or mixed tocopherols have to be used at higher doses.
Here is a simple example - H2O vs H2O2. Both give you H and O, but one you drink (with LD50 of 6 litres) while the other you can use for rocket fuel and has LD50 of ~800[mg/kg] for rabbits.
And by the way, vit. E has to be take with selenium ... now you should ask: which form of selenium?
The process of "make 1 change and see what happens" can only take us so far. We need to find synergies and combinations if we are to make a "super" kale or a carrot in a pill.
Here are several links giving in my opinion better explanations on why we should take supplements and which ones. Still take everything with a grain of salt and remember: as me and Dr. Tice, these guys are also not gods!
Critical thinking is your best friend!
Bruce Ames: Vitamin and Mineral Inadequacy Accelerates Aging-associated Disease
CAPT Joseph Hibbeln, M.D.: Nutritional Armor -- Brain and Behavior
Nutrients for Better Mental Performance
Rhonda Patrick: Nutrigenomics, Epigenetics, and Stress Tolerance
Quantity and good absorption matters too, when it comes to oral supplementation (unlike the Myers' cocktail for example).
i.e. "The dose makes the medicine/poison".
Here is a patent for making liposomal supplements:
http://www.google.com/patents/US20120171280
"... for treating scurvy, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, gout, heavy metal toxicity, or diabetes in a subject with ascorbic acid or a salt thereof entrapped in a liposome are provided. In an embodiment, a high dose of the liposome composition is administered.
... for treating cancer, hepatic dysfunction, malignancies, AIDS, trauma, burns, sepsis, pulmonary disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, cystic fibrosis, heart attack and stroke, seizures, sickle cell anemia, bipolarism, chronic fatigue syndrome, autism, and related immunologic illnesses in a subject with GSH entrapped in a liposome are provided In an embodiment, a high dose of the liposome composition is administered.
... for treating or preventing oxidative stress or damage, diabetes, liver disease, inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, peripheral nerve injury, schizophrenia, obesity, cancer, and hypertension in a subject with ALA entrapped in a liposome is provided. In embodiments, a high dose of the liposome composition is administered."
Lecture on vitamin C by brilliant Suzanne Humphries
Dr. John Whitcomb Seminar - Vitamin K2 - Super Vitamin, Hidden Before Our Eyes
of course supplements are just tools to help us on the way to recovery.
Mark Hyman at TEDMED 2010
Functional Medicine with Hyla Cass, M.D. discussing Eight Weeks to Vibrant Health with Randy Alvarez
Every now and then I come across an article or a video saying that supplements don't work. Here is an example:
Vitamins and Supplements: An Evidence-Based Approach (Dr. Tice)
and, here is my new favorite:
[1:07:45 .. 1:13:15] (paraphrasing)
"with the modern health care system we don't need to take fish oil.
It is not effective because we now have statins."
and the side effects for statins are?
"muscle pain and damage, liver damage, digestive problems, rash and flushing, increased blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, neurological side effects".
so, who needs fish oil when we have statins ...
In general he is right. For a healthy person - good diet, outdoor activities and good social life is all that is necessary!
And pills are no substitute for a healthy life style!
But if a person has a health problem, there is a lot of supporting evidence that supplements (not just vitamins and minerals) can be life savers (see The Deanna Protocol for example).
So why do we have all these randomized double blind studies showing that supplements do not work?
Simple - we have not evolved eating isolated and concentrated substances. Concentrated and refined foods, synthetic supplements and medications can confuse the body and change the metabolic processes.
For example Dr. Tice talks about the beta-carotene supplement being harmful ... this is old news to me. It actually makes perfect sense. As I know there are about 600 carotenes and at least 2 are used in the macula of the eye. So supplementing with one does not make much sense anyway. Conclusion: beta-carotene should only be taken from food. Juice your veggies!
He also says that vit. D3 has to be taken with Calcium.
Good, but Calcium needs to be taken with (at least) Magnesium and vit. K (MK-7). But the studies did not include these.
Besides combinations, the form of the supplements is also important.
He mentions that vit. E supplement is bad ... but which vit E? The alpha tocopherol (the synthetic form) is known to be harmful for you in more than 80IU I think. Only gamma or mixed tocopherols have to be used at higher doses.
Here is a simple example - H2O vs H2O2. Both give you H and O, but one you drink (with LD50 of 6 litres) while the other you can use for rocket fuel and has LD50 of ~800[mg/kg] for rabbits.
And by the way, vit. E has to be take with selenium ... now you should ask: which form of selenium?
The process of "make 1 change and see what happens" can only take us so far. We need to find synergies and combinations if we are to make a "super" kale or a carrot in a pill.
Here are several links giving in my opinion better explanations on why we should take supplements and which ones. Still take everything with a grain of salt and remember: as me and Dr. Tice, these guys are also not gods!
Critical thinking is your best friend!
Bruce Ames: Vitamin and Mineral Inadequacy Accelerates Aging-associated Disease
CAPT Joseph Hibbeln, M.D.: Nutritional Armor -- Brain and Behavior
Nutrients for Better Mental Performance
Rhonda Patrick: Nutrigenomics, Epigenetics, and Stress Tolerance
Quantity and good absorption matters too, when it comes to oral supplementation (unlike the Myers' cocktail for example).
i.e. "The dose makes the medicine/poison".
Here is a patent for making liposomal supplements:
http://www.google.com/patents/US20120171280
"... for treating scurvy, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, gout, heavy metal toxicity, or diabetes in a subject with ascorbic acid or a salt thereof entrapped in a liposome are provided. In an embodiment, a high dose of the liposome composition is administered.
... for treating cancer, hepatic dysfunction, malignancies, AIDS, trauma, burns, sepsis, pulmonary disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, cystic fibrosis, heart attack and stroke, seizures, sickle cell anemia, bipolarism, chronic fatigue syndrome, autism, and related immunologic illnesses in a subject with GSH entrapped in a liposome are provided In an embodiment, a high dose of the liposome composition is administered.
... for treating or preventing oxidative stress or damage, diabetes, liver disease, inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, peripheral nerve injury, schizophrenia, obesity, cancer, and hypertension in a subject with ALA entrapped in a liposome is provided. In embodiments, a high dose of the liposome composition is administered."
Lecture on vitamin C by brilliant Suzanne Humphries
Dr. John Whitcomb Seminar - Vitamin K2 - Super Vitamin, Hidden Before Our Eyes
of course supplements are just tools to help us on the way to recovery.
Mark Hyman at TEDMED 2010
Functional Medicine with Hyla Cass, M.D. discussing Eight Weeks to Vibrant Health with Randy Alvarez
Alessio Fasano, M.D.: The Gut is Not Like Las Vegas
Fat Chance: Fructose 2.0
The Wisdom and Science of Traditional Diets
Esther Gokhale, L.Ac.: Walk This Way
proper posture for sitting, walking for back-pain relief