We hear all too often individuals are buying nutrition supplements from the health food store or big chain stores because the sales person told them to buy that one. Some individuals meet with a nutritionist or other physician and end up walking out with 10 plus different supplements!!! It's understandable that if you do not know what you need or what a supplement does, you are looking for guidance from someone who is supposed to be experienced, right? But what if the individual you are getting the information from got their information from the wrong place? Fact is if you are not testing you are guessing.
You test for success. This means it's imperative to do lab work to know what you need in the first place. Why take vitamin D if your vitamin D levels are normal? Why take a B complex if your B levels are fine? Why would you eat certain foods if you knew they were inflammatory and created an immune response the moment you ate it? But unless you test, you will not know this. We have lab work done on our clients and patients and use Functionised Integrative Therapeutics to order food sensitivity panels, genomic markers and what are known as "Zoomers".
Overrated Supplements
The supplement industry is huge. It brings in tens of billions of dollars each and every year. The unfortunate part of this industry is that most of the supplements on the market either don't work or are not right for you.
The following 5 supplements are overrated. Their popularity soars but benefits are in question. If you buy these supplements each month, you may want to first get labs done and then spend your money elsewhere (or better yet, save and invest it!!!) 1. Multivitamins Taking a multi makes sense. The idea is to get all of your vitamins and minerals with one swallow. These nutrients are essential for life, right!?!? Better than a multi though is a well balanced diet! If you want to drink Mountain Dew all day then yes, a multi is a good idea. Often in multivitamins though are poor ingredients such as -oxide (rust) that our bodies cannot absorb. Instead of taking a multivitamin each day, get a vitamin/ mineral panel done. Then take single nutrient whole food supplements in order to supplement your body. Remember that while you may be deficient in some nutrients, you may be fine or have an overabundance in others. There is such a thing as toxicity. 2. Fat burners Some will not workout without a fat burner. How many times have I stated that if you have to use a fat burner to workout, there is a problem. While fat burners seem like a good idea (increase metabolism, burn more fat). Remember that the sexy idea of fat burners come from fancy bottles, marketing campaigns and celebrity endorsements. Most fat burners fall into the categories though of being ineffective or harmful. The reason for this is that your metabolism is your metabolism. While supplements increase it slightly (possibly), this increase is marginal. Any supplement that causes fat to be released from your cells do not make the fat vanish. You must burn it as energy (beta-oxidation). Fat burners often cause jitters and sleeplessness, which will cause your body to increase fat. They can also cause cardiovascular dysfunction. My advice is to first exercise and eat a balanced lifestyle and then seek a true health professional for advice down the road. 3. BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) Let's just stop here. BCAA's are a total waste of your money. Their benefit does not match their cost as they are the same cost as the most expensive protein supplements on the market. Second you are far better supplementing with an essential amino acid IF it is needed. You can be tested to see what your body lacks in terms of amino acids. If you are looking to get a good source of protein (BCAA's are contained in this protein btw), then have a piece of chicken or fish or beef. 4. Testosterone boosters There are testosterone boosters that do work! It's called correcting nutritional deficiencies that are linked to low testosterone. By replenishing a mineral such as zinc (if low), your testosterone levels may rise. But if you are not deficient in zinc, then taking more zinc will only lead to toxicity and not higher testosterone. Furthermore, your testosterone levels will not rise above normal levels through supplementation of secretagogues or minerals. The only way to elevate it higher than normal would be through introducing higher levels of testosterone from an exogenous source. Again it goes back to getting tested. If you're not testing you're guessing. Supplements That You May Consider
1. Creatine
Yes, creatine!!! Creatine is for more than simply fitness freaks like myself. Creatine has been shown through decades of research to increase power at the cellular level. Through increased cellular power, and energy, your cells can grow (increased muscle hypertrophy). Aside from strength and size gains (not steroid like size but healthy hypertophy), creatine prevents sarcopenia and has been shown to have cognitive benefits and reduction of symptoms of depression. While you can get creatine from beef, not everyone eats beef daily. Therefore, supplementing with creatine would make sense for people of any age. 2. Garlic In vito, garlic kills everything. It's a great anti-viral and anti-bacteral and anti-vampire. But research is not definitive if the results are in vivo. What is clear is garlic’s positive effect on blood pressure and cholesterol. While garlic will not make you immune to heart disease, it has been shown to improve blood lipid panels, which may reduce your risk of heart attack down the road. 4. Turmeric (curcumin) Curcumin is just awesome! Curcumin is the compound that makes tumeric so potent and is what is studied. Curcumin does have a poor bioavailability rating. This is why it's important to take it with piperine and fat. But research shows the benefits of curcumin when it comes to: lowering cholesterol, improving blood sugar control, lessening symptoms of depression, and reducing osteoarthritis pain. Most of these things have a common element: excessive inflammation. Curcumin appears to be a powerful anti-inflammatory compound, with the ability to increase the amount of antioxidants our bodies make. Supplement Budget
Do you ever track how much you spend on supplements? Most individuals do not actually take a look to see how much they spend on supplements. Once they do, they are shocked. They are shocked to learn how much they have spent for so long!!! It adds up. A basic supplement regimen of a multivitamin, fish oil and vitamin D costs on the very cheap side $20 per month or $240 per year. Better quality supplements and an increased regime costs anywhere from $500 to $1000 per year. These costs are being spent without ever even testing to see if and what you need. Instead of figuring out with the sales person at the store, which supplements to buy, determine which to buy based on actual needs and evidence. Even so called evidence of supplements may be inaccurate because the evidence is based on rodent studies and not actual humans or the studies are small with methodological issues. Second, the best bang for your buck comes from supplements with proven, substantial effects. Your body has been created and evolved over hundreds of thousands of years. It maintains a state of homeostasis utilizing thousands of extremely complex pathways. What heavily marketed supplement is going to change evolution with a single pill??? 2. How do you know which supplement to buy? Have you not figured this one out by now? If you don't test you are guessing and always test for success. This is only a fraction of what was discussed on this podcast. Tune in to hear it in full and please leave your questions and comments below.
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