Book Review: P.D. Mangan’s “Best Supplements for Men”

Death in a bottle?

Best Supplements for Men: for more muscle, higher testosterone, longer life, and better looks was published in 2017 so should still be up to date. I have the paperback but it’s also available as a Kindle e-book. Per Amazon.com’s rating system, I give it five stars (I love it).

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My favorite sentence in this book is, “If you don’t eat, exercise, and sleep right, the health effects of adding any supplement may be minimal to non-existent.” That sets an honest tone. Also in favor of integrity is that the author doesn’t offer Mangan-branded supplements for sale.

I like this book and learned a lot from it. I’ve benefited by reading the author’s tweets and blog (Rogue Health and Fitness) for several years. He’s smart and, I believe, honest.

The author supports his assertions with numerous scientific references, organized by chapter at the back of the book. If he cites a study done in mice, he tells you. Human studies admittedly carry more weight.

Have you wondered if protein supplements and creatine are good for muscle strength and energy? Does magnesium increase testosterone levels? Does berberine have beneficial health effects? The answers are here.

The author gives good advice regarding calcium supplements that even most physicians don’t know about.

Great recommendations on food.

No book is perfect, and this one is no different. It has no index. So if you’re curious about turmeric or supplements that control diabetes, you have to scan the whole book. My copy didn’t include references for chapter 11. Page numbers for chapters in the index didn’t match the actual chapter starts. My least favorite sentence in the book was something about Dr. Joseph Mercola being a trustworthy source of health information; he is not (search “mercola” at ScienceBasedMedicine.org).

Again, I like this book, learned much from it, and recommend it to men. If you’re taking lots of supplements now, read this book to find out if they help, harm, or are only good for making expensive urine.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Some personal notes from my reading. Many of the cited studies are “association”-type evidence  rather causation. Berberine may help reduce blood sugars in diabetics just as well as metformin. Creatine: Yes, for muscle growth and strength. Magnesium 700 mg/day increases testosterone. Mag oxide may be worthless due to poor absorption. Mangan likes mag citrate but Lexicomp says it’s no better than oxide; absorption “up to 30%.” Citrulline: Yes, for ED, and may help with HTN. DHEA 50 mg/day increases testosterone in men by 50%, but only in men over 70. During fat weight loss, whey protein helps prevent muscle loss. MCT oil may also help (e.g., cook with coconut oil). ASA 81 mg/day seems to prevent some cancers in folks over 55, especially colorectal cancer.