Seeking Advice on Choosing the Right Food Supplement

[lenjee]

Hi everyone,

I'm considering adding a food supplement to my diet but am a bit overwhelmed by the choices. I want something that supports overall health and boosts energy levels.

What factors should I consider when selecting a supplement?

Are there any specific brands or types that you would recommend? Also, how important is it to consult with a healthcare professional before starting a new supplement?

I’d love to hear about your experiences and any tips you might have for making an informed decision.

 

[lenjee]

Hi everyone,

I'm considering adding a food supplement to my diet but am a bit overwhelmed by the choices. I want something that supports overall health and boosts energy levels.

What factors should I consider when selecting a supplement?

Are there any specific brands or types that you would recommend? Also, how important is it to consult with a healthcare professional before starting a new supplement sorgenta?

I’d love to hear about your experiences and any tips you might have for making an informed decision.

thanks in advance for any help

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I take Vitamin D3 on the advice of my doctor. Same with Magnesium Glycinate, which my neurologist recommended. I take Vitamin C, Omega 3 with fish oil, and CoQ10 as well.

However, I'm elderly and have a raft of health issues. I'd recommend asking your doctor instead of asking internet randos..

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

and CoQ10 as well.

I'm reading a book about someone time traveled back in 1983 and invented CoQ10. I want to try that.

From pig/cow heart -> from tobacco -> from chemical construction.

 

[Fungus]

Hi everyone,

I'm considering adding a food supplement to my diet but am a bit overwhelmed by the choices. I want something that supports overall health and boosts energy levels.

What factors should I consider when selecting a supplement?

Are there any specific brands or types that you would recommend? Also, how important is it to consult with a healthcare professional before starting a new supplement?

If you don't know which supplements you need, if any, why do you think you need supplements at all?

1. I think either you know from blood samples or testing that you have a deficit in some substance, but they you know onyl after doctors vist. They will tell you.

2. You are guessing you need something, based on symptoms or for some reason getting a monotonous diet, or some condition. The only supplements I would "experiment" with on my own without docs advice are those that the body can dismiss of easily in case of excess. Examples are water soluble vitamins B,C, Mg. But A and D can be accumulate in the body, and liver and can cause problems if overconsumes.
Overconsumption of supplements can even make you ill. So don't get tons of anything unless you have a reaons for or know that mistuning is handle by your body.

 

[MetalBoar]

The most valuable things you can do in this regard are to eat quality food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. If you smoke, stop. If you drink, do it in moderation or quit. If you consume added sugar minimize it as much as possible. If you do just this much you are way ahead of the majority of people.

Creatine is one of the few things that I recommend. It's one of the most widely studied supplements out there that's actually, consistently, been shown to produce improvements in athletic performance. It's safe and largely free of negative side effects (especially if you don't do a loading phase, which isn't necessary). They are now finding that it may have cognitive benefits as well. It used to be so cheap as to be a no brainer. Unfortunately, the quality brands all seem to have gone up by 2-3x since the pandemic, but it's still on the cheaper side. As with any supplement, you are unlikely to get startling results, though if you have been a long time vegetarian the results are likely to be more pronounced.

If you're working out make sure you get enough high quality protein. I think that a lot of people overdo protein shakes and things, but they can be an easy way to bump your protein up without consuming a lot of calories and with little effort if you pay attention to ingredients.

I'm not big on supplements unless you know you have a deficiency. People in the modern world are often deficient in vitamin D, especially if they live in northern latitudes and/or spend all their time in doors. It's possible to be deficient in almost anything but D especially can have a big impact. Magnesium is often low for the average American (YMMV if you are from somewhere else). You can and probably should get tested to see if you have any deficiencies if you are concerned or really interested in optimizing your health.

There are a few other things that might be useful, but you are definitely stretching into the experimental biohacking territory for most of them and it will require more research on your part than asking the Internet, if you want to go there.

 

[HighKick]

The most valuable things you can do in this regard are to eat quality food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. If you smoke, stop. If you drink, do it in moderation or quit. If you consume added sugar minimize it as much as possible. If you do just this much you are way ahead of the majority of people.

Creatine is one of the few things that I recommend. It's one of the most widely studied supplements out there that's actually, consistently, been shown to produce improvements in athletic performance. It's safe and largely free of negative side effects (especially if you don't do a loading phase, which isn't necessary). They are now finding that it may have cognitive benefits as well. It used to be so cheap as to be a no brainer. Unfortunately, the quality brands all seem to have gone up by 2-3x since the pandemic, but it's still on the cheaper side. As with any supplement, you are unlikely to get startling results, though if you have been a long time vegetarian the results are likely to be more pronounced.

If you're working out make sure you get enough high quality protein. I think that a lot of people overdo protein shakes and things, but they can be an easy way to bump your protein up without consuming a lot of calories and with little effort if you pay attention to ingredients.

I'm not big on supplements unless you know you have a deficiency. People in the modern world are often deficient in vitamin D, especially if they live in northern latitudes and/or spend all their time in doors. It's possible to be deficient in almost anything but D especially can have a big impact. Magnesium is often low for the average American (YMMV if you are from somewhere else). You can and probably should get tested to see if you have any deficiencies if you are concerned or really interested in optimizing your health.

There are a few other things that might be useful, but you are definitely stretching into the experimental biohacking territory for most of them and it will require more research on your part than asking the Internet, if you want to go there.

Creatine (amino acids) are fantastic for recovery and muscle health. Strongly recommend them.

 

[mograph]

If you're into protein supplements, Consumer Reports wrote a piece on them.

Arsenic, Lead Found in Popular Protein Supplements

Some protein supplements have a high level of toxic heavy metals, according to a report from the Clean Label Project. Consumer Reports explains what you need to know.

www.consumerreports.org

 

[drop bear]

What is your diet like at the moment?

Are we rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic

 

[Gyakuto]

I was a University academic in a department of Biomedical Science. I used to have my library project students complete a project under this title: ‘Which dietary supplements would you recommend for optimal health and why?’ Of course their projects were supported by current scientific research. The following appeared repeatedly in the projects over the years:

1) Coenzyme Q10
2) Vitamin D3
3) A multivitamin
4) Omega 3 oils (although since then, it’s been implicated in the development of atrial fibrillation)

I’d also increase daily protein intake as more and more data is being published on it’s beneficial properties with regard muscle support and longevity.

How Much Protein Can You Digest?

New research suggests that you might be dramatically underestimating how much protein your body can absorb.

arnoldspumpclub.com

 

[Gyakuto]

I should add, taking any supplement won’t enable you to leap tall buildings in a single bound, restore a receding hairline or turn you into a martial warrior beloved of all women.

 

[HighKick]

I was a University academic in a department of Biomedical Science. I used to have my library project students complete a project under this title: ‘Which dietary supplements would you recommend for optimal health and why?’ Of course their projects were supported by current scientific research. The following appeared repeatedly in the projects over the years:

1) Coenzyme Q10
2) Vitamin D3
3) A multivitamin
4) Omega 3 oils (although since then, it’s been implicated in the development of atrial fibrillation)

I’d also increase daily protein intake as more and more data is being published on it’s beneficial properties with regard muscle support and longevity.

How Much Protein Can You Digest?

New research suggests that you might be dramatically underestimating how much protein your body can absorb.

arnoldspumpclub.com

I am fairly certain I over-supplement in the vitamin department. I take a multi-vitamin but also supplement B, C, D, & E vitamins.

 

[Gyakuto]

I am fairly certain I over-supplement in the vitamin department. I take a multi-vitamin but also supplement B, C, D, & E vitamins.

Vitamins A, D, E and K are the ones you have to be careful about because they’re the fat soluble ones that can accumulate to toxic levels in one’s adipose tissue. I’m alarmed at how much Vit D some people take.

 

[Fungus]

Vitamins A, D, E and K are the ones you have to be careful about because they’re the fat soluble ones that can accumulate to toxic levels in one’s adipose tissue. I’m alarmed at how much Vit D some people take.

The dark side of daily vitamin D supplements: After a man died from an ‘overdose’ in the U.K., experts explain how much is healthy

Coroner’s records show the 89-year-old had taken NaturPlus UK vitamin D supplements for at least nine months before his death.

fortune.com

And also vitamin A

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17151585/