Category Archives: Supplements

…..according to Dr. Rhonda Patrick. She’s not a physician. Her Ph. D. is in biomedical science. I’ve listened to several of her podcasts and think that she does a good job of keeping her recommendations science-based. Her supplementation recommendations assume you’re generally healthy, eating a healthy diet (e.g., Mediterranean!), and exercising regularly, including some vigorous exercise like HIIT (high intensity interval training.

Here’s the list:

1. Vitamin D
2. Omega-3 fatty acid (1.5-3 g/day)
3. Standard multivitamin (ideally containing lutein and zeaxanthin) (she mentions Centrum Silver)
4. Lutein (if not in your multivitamin)
5. Zeaxanthin (if not in your multivitamin)
6. Magnesium
7. Melatonin 1.5-3 mg/day, 2-3 hours before bedtime
8. Creatine monohydrate, at least 5 g/day, 10 g is better
9. Ubiquinol
10. Sulforaphane

I’m not very familiar with sulforaphane. Two commenters at YouTube wrote that she likes the Avmacol brand. PreserVision AREDS 2 formula of multivitamins contains zeaxanthin and lutein. You might want to compare that that product to Centrum Silver. I’m sure Dr Patrick goes into details of these items at her YouTube channel (FoundMyFitness) and podcasts (FoundMyFitness and The Aliquot). In another video Dr. Patrick said the dose of vitamin D is 4,000 IU. I say the dose may depend on your latitude and amount of sun exposure. I’ve heard for years that magnesium oxide and magnesium chloride are very poorly absorbed; magnesium glycinate, citrate, taurate, and malate are better absorbed. So the latter are the preferred magnesium forms. Dr. Patrick also says magnesium is better absorbed if your total daily dose is divided; e.g., take half your daily dose in the AM, half in the PM.

On the other hand, neurologist Steven Novella would probably disagree with taking those supplements. He writes at Science-Based Medicine:

Many times in my career I have sat across from a patient who expressed that they are getting serious about their health, and then rattle off a list of things that they are doing to improve their health – all mostly worthless. I do not blame them – they are victims of a self-help, supplement, and wellness industry that has completely mislead them. A typical list might include: eating only organic, avoiding GMOs, taking daily vitamins, eating low-carb, and using a sauna (or perhaps cryochambers). Sometimes they throw in fully magical interventions, like feng shui or reiki. In short, they invest a lot of time and money into interventions that will not make them more healthy, and distract them from the things we know will. 

If you want to improve your health and longevity the data suggests there are five things that are of primary importance (in terms of lifestyle) – eat a well-rounded balanced diet, get sufficient quality sleep, don’t smoke, limit alcohol intake, and exercise regularly. Obviously, getting good medical care is also very important. Get regular checkups (including for dental health), and address any specific health issues you have, including mental health. 

The good news is – there is not mystery to good health. The lifestyle factors I list above are the 99 percenter, meaning that together that have the overwhelming largest effect on your health. So stop worrying about the 1%, there is no magical “superfood” our there, no hack, and no secret.

So, who ya gonna believe. An M.D. neurologist or a Ph.D. in biomedical science?

—–Steve Parker, M.D.

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Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used in the U.S. to treat or prevent heartburn and ulcers. For example, omeprazole is the 6th most prescribed drug in the U.S. according to one source. PPIs reduce acid production by the stomach. Doesn’t it make sense that God or Nature gave us that stomach acid for a reason?

From the British Medical Journal:

Taking PPIs is associated with a small excess of cause specific mortality including death due to cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and upper gastrointestinal cancer. The burden was also observed in patients without an indication for PPI use. Heightened vigilance in the use of PPI may be warranted.

Source: Estimates of all cause mortality and cause specific mortality associated with proton pump inhibitors among US veterans: cohort study | The BMJ

Click for UPI’s coverage.

If you suffer from frequent heatburn, try cutting down on carbohydrates.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Does running promote osteoarthritis. Probably not.

Science Based Medicine has a new article on supplements for osteoarthritis pain. A snippet:

“Based on their review, the authors do not recommend omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and E, willow bark extract, collagen hydrolysate, glucosamine, chondroitin, combinations of glucosamine and chondroitin, and rose hip. Based on the review, Boswellia serrata extract and pycnogenol appear to demonstrate the most clinically important effects. They also note that while curcumin and MSM demonstrated clinically important effects, the quality of that evidence was low.”

Furthermore…

“The authors conclude that those with osteoarthritis those that are enthusiastic about using supplements, short-term trials of the pycnogenol, curcumin, Boswellia serrata extract, or MSM could be attempted, and should be discontinued after 4-6 weeks if no obvious benefits are noted. Importantly, drug-supplement interactions are not always well understood or well documented, and any supplement should be used with caution (and preferably, consultation with their pharmacist) if being combined with prescription or non-prescription drugs. There is also the very real concerns about supplement quality and batch-to-bath consistency, which complicates evaluations of risk, and determining whether or not they work.”

The SBM writer (Scott Gavura, a pharmacist) also points out the benefits of ongoing exercise, appropriate weight loss, and topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., diclofenac). IIRC, there’s good evidence that topical capsaicin also helps with the pain.

Source: Supplements for Osteoarthritis – Evaluating the Evidence – Science-Based Medicine

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