Use of dietary supplements continues to increase – Palm Beach Daily News

Vitamins and other dietary supplements have been around for decades, but a proliferation of new products in recent years has attracted the attention of American consumers who aim to improve their health and even lengthen their lives.

Seventy-one percent of Americans take some sort of dietary supplement, according to the trade group Council for Responsible Nutrition in Washington, and experts put the volume of business worldwide at about $50 billion. Its a business that targets all age groups, but seniors who are focused on maintaining good health and energy levels have become an important market.

The subject of supplements took up more than half of a January anti-aging workshop at The Breakers, sponsored by the Palm Beach Business Group. Entrepreneurs talked about whats on the horizon to help prevent, and even treat, age-related conditions from heart disease to dementia.

Consumers might feel overwhelmed by the plethora of products at vitamin and supplement shops or on their supermarket shelves.

LifeExtension, which was heavily represented at the Palm Beach workshop with a featured speaker and information booths, publishes a 184-page catalog with more than 300 products. Some of them carry exotic names such as Applewise Polyphenol Extract, Cognitex, CR Mimetic Longevity Formula and a skin-care item called Youth Serum.

For novices, Dr. Michael Smith, LifeExtension senior health scientist, boiled the list down to a handful of products he says have the most universal potential for anti-aging benefits.

Setting aside standard fare such as multi-vitamins and omega-3 oils, CoQ10 seems to top the list of supplements for many enthusiasts.

The substance short for coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant found naturally in human cells that helps convert food into energy. The substance may benefit some patients with cardiovascular disorders, according to the U.S National Institutes of Health (nccih.nih.gov/health/supplements/coq10), although research on other conditions is not conclusive.

Smith, whose company is based in Fort Lauderdale, thinks everybody should be taking it, especially seniors.

The older generation are on so many statin medications and other drugs that can deplete your bodys CoQ10, he said. I think everybody should be on it; its safe and its been around for years.

Studies have shown, he said, that in every decade starting in your 30s, you lose 10 percent CoQ10 content in your cells. Thats one of the leading theories of why we age the loss of cell energy production.

Palm Beach doctor Michael Dennis, founding chair of the Advisory Board for the Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University and one of the presenters at The Breakers anti-aging conference, echoes the assessment.

Its an anti-clogging and an antioxidant, and it definitely reduces the risk of heart attack, said Dennis, who also sponsors the Palm Beach County Medical Societys annual Future of Medicine Summit. Theres less cell damage. Its also been shown to be a mild anti-cancer agent and anti-diabetic agent.

The problem is the absorption level. Some forms are absorbed well and some are not.

Studies have also supported the use of Resveratrol. This is the legend about red wine being good for you, Dennis said.

The supplement can activate longevity genes, said Smith.

The Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/red-wine/art-20048281) describes resveratrol as the key ingredient in red wine that could help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce cholesterol and prevent blood clots.

Some research shows that resveratrol could be linked to a lower risk of inflammation and blood clotting, which can lead to heart disease, the clinic reports in its online description of the supplement. But other studies found no benefits from resveratrol in preventing heart disease.

Turmeric might qualify as one of the miracle foods du jour. The plant is used in Indian cooking and contains curcumin, which has been shown to have medical benefits that include battling infections and some forms of cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/turmeric). It also has potential to reduce inflammation and address digestive issues.

Curcumin, which is sold in several different forms by LifeExtension and other supplement companies, is also high on Smiths list. A multi-vitamin, omega-3 oil, CoQ10 and curcumin provide a nice, round prevention regimen, he said. And I would add a probiotic because you want to keep your gut healthy, too.

Dennis would include a low-dose aspirin regimen, and supplements containing magnesium and chromium.

People forget about chromium, but it helps the glucose effect on cells and provides better absorption of foods, he said.

Although the use of dietary supplements still has critics, it seems to be getting more research support. Still, Dennis says: I think you can get carried away. People are being flooded by advertisements for different supplements for almost every part of the body.

One caveat with supplements is that they are not screened by the Food and Drug Administration.

Theres not that evaluation process that goes on with medications, Dennis said, because these are outside the medication category.

Smith contends there is adequate quality control.

Although the FDA does not regulate the supplement industry the way they do pharmaceutical drugs, the FDA does regulate supplements. There are standards we have to follow for finding raw materials, manufacturing and what we can put on labels, he said.

What weve done as a company is to produce a certificate of analysis with our products. We test the raw materials we dont just believe the supplier as well as the final product and thats in our certificate of analysis.

I always tell people that if youre not sure about something, call the number on the back of the label and ask if the company produces a certificate of analysis. If they dont, Id put that product aside and move on to the next product.

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Use of dietary supplements continues to increase - Palm Beach Daily News