Category Archives: Food Supplements

As the pressure on young athletes to perform at an early age continues to grow, more aspiring sportspeople are turning to supplements to help - without knowing exactly what they're taking.

Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney has linked up with Drug Free Sport New Zealand to join a new campaign aimed at warning young people about the risks of taking supplements.

The 20-year-old believes it's not worth the risk taking supplements because you never know what exactly what you're taking.

"They don't give you a shortcut, then there's a chance when you get into professional sport, the supplements you take can be contaminated. There's no guarantee - you don't know what you're taking," she told Newshub.

"I can totally understand why you'd see this product and think, 'That's going to give me more muscle, I'm going to get stronger, I'm going to do better', but that's why we need to get these messages out there that food is all you need."

That's why Drug Free Sport New Zealand is promoting McCartney's "food first" attitude to other young athletes to tackle a growing problem.

"We need more education around supplements and food," she said.

"You can get everything from food. Supplements are a shortcut - there just doesn't seem to be enough education about that."

Newshub.

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McCartney urges young athletes against supplement use - Newshub

Calcium is one of the most important minerals for the human body. We need it for a lot more than just strong teeth and bones.

Many people who don't get enough calcium in their diet take calcium supplements.

But do calcium supplements increases the risk of heart disease? That's been the concern for awhile now.

The latest research strongly suggests that they do not, said Dr. John Swartzberg, head of the editorial board at the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter.

That new research found that calcium from food or supplements, up to 2,500 milligrams a day more than double the recommended intake is not associated with increased coronary risk in healthy people.

The current recommendations are for adults to get 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day.

Ideally, we should try to get that all from a diet and not take it from supplements, Swartzberg said. But if you can't get it all from a diet and you need more calcium, I think you can take a calcium supplement without worrying about your heart."

One caution: High doses of calcium from supplements do increase the risk of the most common type of kidney stones, the Wellness Letter notes. High-calcium foods, such as dairy products, protect against these stones.

More Info: Calcium and heart disease: What is the connection?

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Is it safe to take calcium supplements? - KOMO News

How would you feel about unlicensed pilots flying commercial airliners? Consider if we allowed every driver to determine which side of the street to drive on. Irrespective of your political leanings, there are times when federal regulations might be reassuring, and a loss of these regulations might give one pause.

While were at it, how would you feel about the federal government striking down all regulations that require that drugs are safe, contain what they claim, and actually work before going to market? This, and worse, is what happened in 1994, when the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was enacted.

But wait, you say, dietary supplements are not drugs. They are just supplements. They are natural nutrients that are good for you. Arent they? A bit of an explanation is in order.

More is not necessarily better

First, anyone taking a dietary supplement is doing so to improve his or her health. Unless the supplement has a magical quality, the supplement must have a substance in it that has a beneficial effect on the body. The active ingredients in supplements that have effects on the body are chemicals. When you take chemicals to impact health, we call these pharmaceuticals.

Simply because these are unregulated, do not come from Pfizer or Merck, and are derived from plants, does not in any way guarantee safety or efficacy.

Moreover, while its possible that the substances in the supplement may have a benefit when taken in higher doses, it is even more probable that the substances in a supplement can be harmful or frankly, deadly.

Take green tea for example. Green tea has chemicals (polyphenols) that actually block the breakdown of fat in the intestine. This in turn decreases the absorption of fat, which decreases the calories absorbed. In theory, blocking fat absorption might help with weight loss. People who drink green tea a cup at a time over the course of the day are likely to have no problems.

Several dietary supplements made from green tea are on the market. Based on the theory on which supplementation is driven, which is if some is good, more must be better, then what is the harm if each pill contains the equivalent of 10 to 12 cups of tea? Well, there are now more than40 reported cases of liver failurein people who took green tea supplements. In fact, 20 percent of drug-relatedliver injuries are due to dietary supplements. Drinking green tea all day provides small levels of the chemicals in the tea, and there is no significant toxicity.

However, scientists believe taking a pill with 10 or 12 times that amount raises blood levels high enough to destroy the liver in some people. The risk that the concentration of something normally safe in food will become dangerous in a supplement is the risk with any extract sold as a dietary supplement. People have died as a result.

The claim game

Not only does the law allow for marketing of pharmacological products without proof of safety, it allows supplement manufacturers to make what amount to outrageous and misleading claims without proof of efficacy. The regulations even provide for the wording to do so. The manufacturers must make their outrageous claims with great care. Fraud laws still apply. Nevertheless, by using wording such as supports (heart, brain, muscle, bone, digestive, etc.) health the supplement industry can suggest benefit without really making direct claims.

Heres how this works. If a substance is necessary for normal body functioning, and a deficiency will cause harm, one can say that the substance supports the health of that organ or system. This does not mean that excess amounts will have any benefits. Take zinc as an example. Severe zinc deficiency will cause your skin to fall off, your ability to taste to diminish, and your immune system to function less well. Thus, zinc supports skin and immune health, as well as taste function.

Nevertheless, there is absolutely no proof that supplemental zinc, in the absence of a deficiency, boosts immunity. Wine experts do not enjoy their cabernet more by taking zinc. Skin health is not improved with supraphysiological zinc doses. In fact, because zinc supplementation inhibits copper absorption and copper is also critical for skin health at normal levels, supplementing zinc may have a deleterious impact on healing. Please do not take this to mean that you should continue the zinc and add copper.

Natural may not equal safe

Just because something is natural does not make it safe. Snakebites will kill you. Botulinum toxin is the most deadly substance known. If you care about your health enough to take a pill, elixir, nostrum, or potion, you should care enough to want to be sure that the substances in it are at least safe.

When looser regulations and funding cuts for federal agencies are in vogue, it gives one pause to imagine that snake oil can be marketed without consequence. Currently, the only way we regulate what goes into supplements is through fraud or tort laws. These are enforced through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general, and not by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA regulates drugs, but can only influence supplement manufacturers through guidelines on manufacturing practices.

In the case of fraud, the Federal Trade Commission is the agency that should have the resources to take on these companies. Imagine the cost of doing the research to go after a company that has supplements with hundreds of different ingredients and almost as many claims of benefit. However, the FTC is already operating on a shoestring budget, as are state attorneys general. Alternatively, non-governmental foundations or attorneys may bring class- action suits for fraud. However, these are similarly extremely expensive and complicated. Finally, someone hurt or killed by a supplement might sue for damages. This, too, is expensive and harm is difficult to prove.

While the government is shrinking, consider how we can protect ourselves from the $40-50 billion industry that dietary supplements have become, especially when they give six-figure donations to politicians. For supplements, more regulation is needed, not less.

Reposted from Truth In Advertising with permission, March 27, 2017

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The Danger Of Loosely Regulated Supplements - American Council on Science and Health

Naturo Sciences Green Food Per Serving - $1.33 Pros

The Delaware-based Naturo Sciences promises that their greens powder is raw, vegan, gluten-free, loaded with vitamins and minerals, will boost your immune system and its probiotics and enzymes aid in digestion and absorption.

Hey, thats all we want from a greens powder. Does Green Food live up to its own hype?

Everything in Green Food is separated into four categories: A Food Blend of alfalfa, spinach, barley grass, wheat grass, spirulina, chlorella, and broccoli; an Antioxidant Blend that includes green tea, aai, maca root, rose hips, and acerola cherry; an EFA Fiber Blend of flax seed and apple pectin; and a Digestive Enzyme & Pre & Probiotic Blend with five kinds of digestive enzymes and just one kind of probiotic bacteria.

The list contains just about everything that most people want from a greens powder: seaweeds, grasses, probiotics, enzymes, and herbs. I was only surprised by the absence of milk thistle, which is something thats usually included in greens that focus on their detoxifying properties. (Studies suggest it may support liver health.)

One serving contains 30 calories, 1 gram of fat, 1 gram of protein, 5 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of fiber.

Green Food comes in two flavors, tangerine and berry, and I tried the berry flavor. The label states on the front thatits flavored with goji & aai berry, on the back it also mentions that it includes natural blackberry flavor, stevia, and blue raspberry N&A flavor. If youre wondering, that means natural and artificial. I have nothing against artificial anything, but hiding the word artificial behind an acronym felt a little sneaky to me.

In any case, it tastes great a lot like mixed berry and a little like green tea.

So, what are the specific claims made by Naturo Sciences? That it is loaded with vitamins and minerals, will boost your immune system, has probiotics and enzymes (that) aid in digestion and absorption.

Lets start with vitamins and minerals. One of my favorite things about the product is that instead of simply claiming its nutritious, it provides a pretty comprehensive list of the vitamins and minerals it contains. In some respects, its relatively impressive: one scoop contains90 percent of your recommended daily intake of manganese (a mineral linked to bone health), 40 percent of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C, 25 percent of your B12,18 percent of your Vitamin A, and 10 percent of your iron.

Thats relatively nutritious, but I wouldnt say its reallypacked with vitamins and minerals only manganese exceeds 50 percent of the RDI, and its quite low in B-vitamins, calcium and selenium. Theres also no mention of magnesium, Vitamin D, and some other essential nutrients. So does itprovidevitamins and minerals? Yes. But not to a particularly impressive degree.

Theres also no information regarding the number of probiotic bacteria contained in the product, so its impossible to know if its more or less effective than its competitors. (Greens powders tend to range from 1 billion to 30 billion probiotics per scoop.) Its also important to note that theres just one kind of probiotic bacteria, whereas most supplements tend to contain at least four in order to diversify the potential benefits. Naturo Foods also neglects to disclose how high Green Foods antioxidant content is.

To its credit (and unlike some competitors), it doesnt say that it can substitute for fruits and vegetables, insteadinstead saying that it can help you work towards your 5 9 servings of fruits and veggies each day.

Overall, I was a littledisappointed with the effectiveness of this product. Its not that high in vitamins and minerals, and I dont know if its high in probiotics or antioxidants.

At around $40 for 30 servings, or $1.33 per serving, its moderately priced about the middle of the road. Given that it tastes good, contains a decent amount of Vitamins C, B12, and iron, and is a source of probiotics, digestive enzymes, and antioxidants, I thinkthe cost per serving isnt too unreasonable. But honestly, something like Macro Greens hasmore benefits, a similartaste, and costs less money.

Compare that withAthletic Greens($4.23/serving), Kyleas Total Living Drink Greens ($3.33/serving),Onnits Earth Grown Nutrients($2.30/serving), Organifi Green Juice ($2/serving),Patriot Power Greens ($1.96/serving),Emerald Balance ($1.30/serving),Green Vibrance($1.08/serving), ORAC-Energy Greens ($1/serving),PharmaFreak Greens Freak($1/serving), Macro Life Greens ($0.72/serving),Sun Warriors Supergreens($0.55/serving), andAmazing Grasss Green Superfood($0.52/serving).

To answer the question in the title of this review: theres not much that makes this product stand out in the field of greens powders. There arent a lot of vitamins and minerals and I dont know how many probiotics or antioxidants it contains. Its tasty and its a decent source of manganese, Vitamin C, and iron, but there are other greens supplements that provide more for less.

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Naturo Sciences Green Food Review What's Different About This ... - BarBend (blog)

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According to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1990 to 2006, the number of Americans taking some sort of supplement increased from 40 to 53 percent. However, studies show that, with a few specific exceptions, most Americans already get an adequate amount of nutrients, through fortified and whole foods.

Fruits and vegetables offer fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants that can't be replicated by a handful of pills, and nutrients, like vitamin A, E, and calcium are better absorbed by the body when derived from whole foods.

That said, supplements do sometimes serve a purpose. People over the age of 50 have trouble retaining vitamin B-12 naturally through food, for instance, and for vegetarians, iron derived from spinach and other plant-based sources is not as easily absorbed by the body. Please consult your doctor, then, before eliminating any supplements from your diet.

If there are no medical concerns, however, you might want to start weaning yourself off supplements today by eating these 10 foods instead.

Stop taking vitamin A: Eat sweet potatoes

(Thinkstock/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

It might be a humble root, but the sweet potato is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. It's a rich source of beta-carotene a pigment that eventually converts to vitamin A within the body. There are endless sweet potato recipes out there, but here are some of the best. If pressed for time, simply cut a sweet potato in half lengthwise, poke holes in both the peel and the cut surface with a fork, and heat it in the microwave for four to five minutes. Don't forget: The skin is full of nutrients, too!

Stop taking B-6: Eat bananas

(Baloncici/Thinkstock/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

Nature's perfect on-the-go snack is also an easy way to incorporate vitamin B6 into the diet. Two medium bananas deliver 44 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6 and also contain potassium and fiber. Other foods rich in vitamin B6 are sunflower seeds, pistachio nuts, and turkey.

Stop taking B-9 (folic acid): Eat black-eyed peas

(Thinkstock/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

One cup of cooked black-eyed peas contains 89 percent of your daily value of vitamin B-9 (folic acid). Folic acid is crucial nutrient for normal brain functioning and emotional health, but excessive alcohol consumption, celiac disease, or inflammatory bowel disease can all negatively affect its absorption. Use black-eyed peas as a base for a cold salad, or cook them down low-and-slow with some stew meat.

Stop taking vitamin C: Eat oranges

(Wikimedia Commons/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

Don't just run them through a juicer; this fibrous citrus fruit is a useful weight-loss tool when consumed whole. Ripping through an orange provides your daily amount of vitamin C, but it also contributes other nutrients such as folate, potassium, and vitamin B-1. One medium-sized orange has only 62 calories, and its fiber and water content will keep you full until your next meal. For a savory serving of vitamin C eat some red peppers, kale, or brussels sprouts.

Stop taking vitamin D: Eat portabello mushrooms

(pixabay/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

Winter mornings take a toll on our tans, but they also affect our natural intake of vitamin D. Fortunately, sunlight is not the only source of vitamin D; it can also be consumed inside at the dinner table. Portabello mushroom farmers expose their crops to additional lighting, which boosts the vitamin D content by almost 3,000 percent. Grill up some portabello mushrooms and top with tomato, mozzarella, and pesto for a spin on a caprese salad.

Stop taking vitamin E: Eat sunflower seeds

(pixabay/The Daily Meal)

A small handful of sunflower seeds provide half of the daily recommended intake of vitamin E. The seeds also contain magnesium and selenium, two minerals crucial to reducing swelling and inflammation in the body. Here are some recipes that can help incorporate sunflower seeds into a meal. If sunflower seeds aren't your thing, sweet potatoes, spinach, and almonds are also good sources of vitamin E.

Stop taking vitamin K: Eat broccoli

(pixabay/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

Though often overlooked in favor of its trendy relative, kale, broccoli is an important vegetable that should be included in weekly dinners. One cup of cooked broccoli contains over 200 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin K, an essential nutrient for bone strength. Broccoli is delicious either oven-roasted, grilled, or blended into a smooth soup.

Stop taking calcium: Eat collard greens

(Shutterstock/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

This staple of southern cooking is actually a superfood in disguise that can be a savior for anyone suffering from lactose sensitivity. A 3.5-ounce serving of cooked collard greens is only 32 calories, but provides a quarter of the daily requirement of calcium, and a half a day's worth of vitamin C. Collard greens are initially tough, but are tenderized after hours of slow cooking.

Stop taking iron: Eat oysters

(Shawn H. via Yelp/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

Whether they're fresh or canned, oysters are some of the most nutrient dense seafood available. A one-cup serving of oysters has 17.5 grams of protein and more than 100 percent of the daily recommended allowance of iron. Need some oyster inspiration? Try these seven outstanding oyster recipes.

Stop taking manganese: Eat chickpeas

(Shutterstock/Courtesy The Daily Meal)

Chickpeas (also know as garbanzos) are inexpensive, versatile, and delicious: One cup of chickpeas covers the recommended daily intake of manganese and folate. Try throwing some canned chickpeas in a blender with sesame paste, lemon juice, and salt for a tasty alternative to manganese pills, or try one of these five life-changing hummus recipes.

This story originally appeared at The Daily Meal.

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These 10 health-boosting superfoods could replace your supplements - The Week Magazine

As people become more aware of their health they are taking more control of their bodies and weight. This leads to increased exercise and activity (hopefully), better food and diet choices and a burgeoning supplement market.

In recent years, the supplement market has seen increasing sales, with the UK market alone estimated to be worth over 600 million. With the supplement market expected to grow by over 7% annually over the next few years, thats a lot of pills, powder and drinks that will be manufactured, sold and consumed. But can you be sure what youre getting?

A paper published recently in the Journal of the Association of Public Analysts A Review of Methods for the Simultaneous Detection of Illegal Ingredients in Food Supplements suggests that we cant. The team report that food supplements are: quite often adulterated with a complex range of compounds and substances.

The UK based team carried out their research by examining two major food safety databases the European Commission run RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) and the United States FDA run Enforcement Reports. These two databases are concerned with food safety and collect all data food safety data including undeclared and unauthorised substances.

The unwanted substances found in the food supplements include:

permitted food additives in excess of their limits, contaminants, unauthorised novel food ingredients, unauthorised nutritionally related compounds, excess vitamins, controlled drugs and one instance of the poison strychnine.

Whilst this quote illustrates the tremendous range of unwanted substances in our food supplements, it is in the details that perhaps the most surprising information is found. When the team looked at the RASFF database from 2009 to 2016 the most frequent undeclared pharmacologically active ingredients in food supplements included sildenafil and sibutramine (including analogues and derivatives). Sildenafil is the medication sold as Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction and sibutramine is used primarily as an appetite suppressant to help treat obesity. So how can we find these substances?

The team suggest that the first choice for screening food supplements for the main pharmacological compounds that they have identified is liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with NMR an excellent first-line method of control for herbal food supplements if it is available. The benefits of using liquid chromatography in conjunction with mass spectrometry are discussed in the article, Capillary Flow LC-MS Unites Sensitivity and Throughput.

So be careful what you buy and where you buy it from. That unlicensed supplement could produce some very unwanted or perhaps wanted side effects.

Read more here:

Unwanted Substances in Food Supplements Chromatography Explores - Chromatography Today

By Jane Rowan, Special to the Reporter-News 6:05 p.m. CT March 26, 2017

Jane Rowan(Photo: Contributed photo)

As we close out National Nutrition Month, we are going to address a topic that I have heard many people express confusion over: probiotics.

Nutrition research has pinpointed specific functional components of foods that may improve health, and prebiotics and probiotics are two such substances.

Although they are available as dietary supplements, it is not necessary to use special pills, potions, cleanses or other concoctions to incorporate prebiotics and probiotics into your diet. These "nutrition boosters" are natural ingredients in everyday food. In fact, Kristi King, spokeswomanfor the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests focusing on food sources first as they are more readily available for absorption and digestion.

Prebiotics are natural, nondigestible food components that are linked to promoting the growth of helpful bacteria in your gut. Simply said, they are promoters of "good" bacteria. That's right, not all bacteria are bad. Prebiotics may improve gastrointestinal health as well as potentially enhance calcium absorption.

Prebiotics are in foods including bananas, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, soybeans and whole-wheat foods.

Probiotics are the "good" bacteria or live cultures just like those naturally found in your gut. These active cultures help change or repopulate intestinal bacteria to balance gut flora. This functional component may boost immunity and overall health, especially GI health. Some strains of these live cultures may help prevent specific allergy symptoms, reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance and more. However, effects can vary from person to person.

To obtain more probiotics, King recommends enjoying fermented dairy foods including yogurt, kefir products and aged cheeses, which contain live cultures. Plus, she suggests some nondairy foods that also have beneficial cultures, including kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh and cultured nondairy yogurts.

Check the label to make sure the food contains live active culture, especially on dairy products. There should be a list of the strains present as well. Remember, if the food has been heated (for pasteurization or canning purposes) it will likely not contain any probiotics (such as canned sauerkraut).

Prebiotics and probiotics make a great "dynamic duo" when it comes to healthy eating.Ultimately, prebiotics and probiotics work together synergistically. In other words, prebiotics are breakfast, lunch and dinner for probiotics, which restore and can improve GI health. Products that combine these are called synbiotics. On the menu, that means enjoying bananas with yogurt or stir-frying asparagus with tempeh for a win-win.

The bottom line: At a minimum, prebiotics and probiotics are keys for good gut health.Incorporating health-promoting functional foods, such as foods containing prebiotics and probiotics, into the diet aids in creating a healthier you. As stated earlier, consuming prebiotics and probiotics from food sources is generally best as they are more readily available for absorption and digestion.

In reality though, that is not always easy to do. If that is the case, there are many probiotic supplements now available on the market. Because probiotics are considered dietary supplements, they are not regulated as drugs by the FDA. Unlike drugs, their safety and efficacy does not have to be provedthrough numerous clinical trials and laboratory testingfor them to be sold. Talk with your health care provider before starting any supplement.

For specific advice on obtaining prebiotics and probiotics for your own specific health needs, especially if you have GI issues or a weakened immune system, contact your health care provider of a registered dietitian nutritionist.

Jane Rowan is the extension agent for family and consumer sciences at the Taylor County Extension Office. Contact her at 325-672-6048 or l-rowan@tamu.edu.

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Rowan: Go with your gut understanding probiotics - ReporterNews.com

Here, I said, while underhand pitching a bottle of probiotics at a friend sitting across the room, I think you may find these helpful.

You dont need them? she asked.

Apparently not. After doing some general research about probiotic supplements, I felt they would prove more a benefit to her than me.

What is a probiotic?

A probiotic is a live microorganism found in foods (yogurt and sauerkraut, for example) and supplements. The words bacteria and microorganism may make us shiver, conjuring thoughts of germs, but many actually assist the body with normal bodily functions. Inside our intestines live a world of live bacteria that help digest food along with destroying bad microorganisms that can cause illness and disease.

Probiotic supplements are often promoted as a means of triggering the growth of good bacteria in the gut.

But do they?

Here is where the jury is still out.

Before we jump into how probiotics may show evidence of reducing symptoms of infections, lets address their use by healthy individuals. A recent review of gathered data does not bode promising for healthy individuals and even suggests that the data found no concrete evidence that probiotics improve the balance of gut bacteria in healthy adults. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2016-05-12-no-evidence-probiotics-are-beneficial-for-healthy-adults/)

Trust me when I share that this conclusion shocked me, for I was one of those healthy individuals taking a probiotic supplement every morning.

Though, after some assessment as to how I felt before adopting a daily probiotic compared to the weeks during which I took them, I could honestly report no difference. Of course, how I feel is not necessarily a substitution for a formal study, but the lack of any noticeable change had me questioning the effectiveness of probiotics for me personally. As someone who eats a nutrient dense diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, fermented foods and those high in fiber, did I even need a probiotic supplement?

Ive now been off probiotic supplements for a few weeks, (having gifted my bottle to that friend who I think will benefit), and again, I cannot report a difference. I dont feel better. I dont feel worse. I just . . . am. Thus, Ive decided to skip the added supplement and stick to a nutritious, balanced diet.

Does this mean probiotic supplements are a waste of money? Not entirely.

While there is still need for formal trials on the effectiveness of probiotics, there is promise that they may:

However, these benefits have not shown to be definitively validated and not all probiotics will have the same effects.

Studies on probiotics have been limited, and while it is not possible to be certain of their absolute effectiveness, the opposite is also true. Quality evidence based research does not reveal probiotics to be completely ineffective either.

Lets hope that better designed studies will continue to reveal more and give us direction.

Until then, load those plates with fruits and vegetables, choose foods high in fiber and give fermented foods such tempeh, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, miso soup and yogurt a try.

Read more:

Who benefits from probiotic supplements? - Timesonline.com

Of course I support our local organic farmers and the healthy/fresh produce we get year round. It is true we all need to get our nutritional needs met first through food choice. You can be sure I do this at my home. But, therapeutic levels of a nutritional supplement may be needed for wellbeing that just cant be gotten by eating good food. Choosing the right supplement and the right amount is the key to, perhaps, avoiding synthetic medicine.

These days information is stunningly easy to get on any topic making it difficult to sort out differing supplement claims. Even the simple questions of when to take the supplement, with food or not, combining multiple supplements and interaction with medications, sometimes seem unclear. Reminding yourself that supplements are food and not a prescribed drug, helps sort this out.

Knowing the best time to take supplements is best determined by your own eating schedule. Most supplements are best taken with food but a very few should be between meals. Most supplements digest the best when taken with meals. When you eat, your digestive system is going into full gear, so you will get the best benefit. Exceptions to this would be individual amino acids, aminos have L in front, like L-Tyrosine or L-Theanine, SAMe and some romantic enhancement supplements. Of course, stimulant supplements are best not taken before bedtime and sleep/sedation supplements need to be taken before bedtime. Also, as with anything, allergies happen, this is very uncommon and rarely severe.

Most of us swallow multiple supplements each day. Unlike prescribed drugs, there is little to worry about in terms of interactions. Think about it as though youre eating at a buffet. Combining food like veggies, bread and protein is only based upon what you want to eat and how you feel after eating. Food supplements are simply more potent sources of certain foods. If taking multiples of supplements, dividing the dose is best, especially if you want to keep a high level of the nutrient going all day long.

The general rule of food supplementation and using prescribed drugs is that if they do the same thing then dont use the supplement, as you can overdo. An example of this is using SAMe or 5HTP for depression while taking Paxil or Effexor. This is not a good thing. Of course with your doctors agreement the supplement may work better for you, so a trial can be made.

Additionally, a small handful of supplements need extra care such as naringin, creatine, kava and ephedra, so extra guidance with these is a good thing.

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The Natural Way: A few general rules foar taking food supplements - Lovely County Citizen

In the Kusa Green Pasture Herbs chat group two weeks ago, someone asked me to name five super food supplements for wellness. My understanding of the question was the search for five magic bullet food supplements into which the crowd of nutritional supplements on the health food store shelves can be distilled. My immediate response was that a categorical answer was impossible because all human beings are different from one another in terms of their individual nutritional requirement. The closets specific answer to this question may be found in tissue or cell salts. Even then, what is good for the goose is not always good for the gander as well. Researchers came upon the idea of 12 key tissue or cell salts from the belief that if we burn the human body to ash and analyse this ash, what we would discover are 12 salts which we can assume the body was created from. It does not mean, however, that these salts are present in every tissue, organ or system of the body in the same proportions or ratios. In fact, the cell salt ration formula in the eye is different from that found in the liver or in the kidney perhaps because these are organs with different consistencies of tissue or cell performing different functions for which reason their constitution and dietary needs are different, however closely related. The website http://www.doctoryourself.com shows just how difficult it may be to boil food supplements down to a few when it discusses the specific symptoms each of the homeopathic 12 cell salts addresses. It say:

3 KALI SULPH (Potassium Sulphate) (a) yellow mucus, later stages of illness, congestion and cough worse in evening (b) dandruff, yellow coated tongue, yellow crusts on eyelids (c) gas, poor digestion

4 CAL PHOS (calcium phosphate) (a) Teething remedy (b) upset stomach, post nasal drip, chronic cold feet, and poor dentition.

5 CAL SULPH (Calcium Sulphate) (a) Sores that heal poorly, Herpes blisters (b) Pain in forehead, vertigo, pimples on the face.

6 CAL FLUOR (Calcium Fluoride) (a) poor tooth enamel, cracks in palm of hands, lips (b) hemorrhoids.

7 NAT MUR (Sodium Chloride) (a) Dryness of body openings, clear thin mucus (b) effects excess overheating, itching of hair and nape of neck (c) early stage of common colds with clear, running discharge (d) insect bites (applied locally).

8 NAT SULPH (sodium Sulphate) (a) Rarely needed (b) green stools and other excess bile symptoms (c) sensitive scalp, greenish gray or greenish brown coating on tongue, influenza.

9 NAT PHOS (sodium phosphate)(a) simple morning sickness, acid rising in throat (b) headache on crown of head, eye lids glued together in morning (c) grinding of teeth in sleep, pain and sour rising from stomach after eating.

10 MAG PHOS (Magnesium phosphate)(a) muscles spasms, cramps and menstrual cramps, if always better with heat (b) hiccups; trembling, of hands (c) teeth sensitive to cold.

11 FERRUM PHOS (ferrum phosphate) (a) First stages of inflammation, redness, swelling, early fever (b) congestive headache, ear aches, sore throat (c) loss of voice from over use.

12 SILICA (a) White pus forming conditions, boils, or homeopathic Lancet, stony hard glands (b) sty in eye area, tonsillitis, brittle nails.

History

Knowledge of the 12 cell salts came to humanity in 1873 through German doctor William Schuessler who combined biochemistry and homeopathy experiences to propound a theory of brochemic medicine. The 12 cell salts are so safe that two-year-old, pregnant and lactating women and the elderly can take them. The salts do not interact with pharmaceutical drugs. Schuessler said that the body required essential minerals in proper balance in all of its cells imbalance(s) may cause disease in affected tissues. Such imbalances are corrected with the intake of the missing cell salts and the diseases their deficiencies cause are, thereby, eliminated or corrected. As http://www.doctoryourself.com adds:

This seemingly system of cure has great practical application in health. Using only a small number of harmless combination (or salts) of these minerals, it is possible for any individual to treat him or herself simply and effectively for a great variety of every day minor ailments. It is significant that such cell salt treatment is replenishing something the body lacks and wants as opposed to merely suppressing illness with drugs and other chemical. Drugs do not provide missing cell nutrients but drugs do add harmful chemicals to the body which ultimately compound the problem. The Schuessler cell salt may be seen as special raw materials for the body which you need more if you run out of what you normally have.

Does a super cell salt exist which takes away the drudgery of carrying about 12 packs of cell salts? Oh yes, it does. In this cell salt called the PLASMA cell salt, all 12 cell salts are combined in every single tablet. My assumption is that it may be reliable as a dietary nutrient or maintaining the status quo but may not be effective for therapeutic needs. That, in my view, is usually the challenge with supplements which pack bits and pieces of many items when mega doses are needed for serious fire power.

Super supplements

To return to the enquiry on Kusa Green Pasture Herbs, the questions were: I have a task for you, would it be possible to mention your top five supplements/plant for general well-being? You seem to go through about 20 in a day. Secondly, in our organic processes for feeding of plants and livestock, we also use lactobacillus. Truly amazing. Lastly, what is the best solution for heartburn? I do not eat fries I get temporary relief from some things, but I am looking for permanent solution.

Individual differences

My reply to the post, which in some cases will be expanded here, is: It is difficult to categorise five most important supplements because of individual differences. What may be good for the goose may be of less value for the gander. As my work involves mental activity almost all day round, I think always of my brain. At close to 70, the brain of many people may have a tendency to shrink and become less productive, causing memory loss and slow responses to stimuli. The brain may also become easily oxidized by oxygen free radicals and other free radical apart from being damaged by cortisol and other stressor chemicals, if we have a tendency to worry too much about the mundane things of this earth-life. Someone sent us a video post of how the posture of the head vis-a-vis the rest of the body can cause cervical spondylosis and muscles and joint problems throughout the body. I first read about this when I was in high school from an article in the READERS DIGEST titled JOHNS SPINE. The article enabled me to understand the problems of Nigerias one-time military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida when he suffered from RADICULOPATHY and had to have surgery in France. I experienced cervical spondylosis in my thirties after warnings for about 10 years during my early days in journalism. My training then involved reading and writing for more than 15 hours a day. In my 20s, I developed a sharp pain in my left index finger and the corresponding toe. Professor Awodu, a Nigerian accupuncturist, homeopath and chiropactor, put it down to a cervical misalignment. I developed glaucoma at the age of 45 in 1995. It was then that I related these pains to nerve pinches in the neck which may have limited nerve energy flow to the eyes. So, today, when I compensate for the bad head posture in an even busier work life at almost 70 with tortoise neck exercises, I also think of food supplements for my brain, eyes and nerves (nerves originate in the brain) and the glaucoma. For the brain, therefore, I think of Lecithin, to provide Choline and Inositol for the brain nerves, as part of their energy profile, Ginkgo Biloba, to drive blood and oxygen to the nooks and crannies of the brain, thereby enhancing stability and memory, Vervain tea, to calm the nerves and promote restful sleep. Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Selenium etc provide an antioxidant shield against free radicals. Fish Oil provides DHA, an important component of the brains fat content. The brain is a fatty organ. When we exercise it, it generates free radicals. We need to give it fat-protecting anti-oxidants to quench free radicals fire all the time. Grape Seed Extract had fine molecules which easily cross the brain-blood barrier to provide not only anti-oxidant defence but anti-microbial activity as well. Lions Mane Mushroom improves nerves energy flow and helps in the repair of damaged nerves. CoQ10 (Ubiquinol) provides energy. The eyes are closely related to the brain and profit as well from these supplements. They have their own specific needs which include Bilberry (it protects the retina), Zinc (it helps absorption of Vitamin A, a deficiency of which may cause night blindness). Beta carotene (an antioxidant), Lutein, Zeazanthin and Astazanthin (they protect the lens and the retina against blue spectrum of sunlight which causes cataracts and damage the retina). The Lutein, Zeazanthin and Astazanthin are plentiful in Marigold Flower, their commercial source. The eyes are said to require about 20 nutrients, including Alpha Lipoic Acid, and antioxidant which is active in both fluid and fat media, an exceptional feat. I hover around these provisions of Mother Nature from time to time either in food or in food supplements. When I can afford EYEMAXPLUS, I go for it. It was developed by a glaucoma-suffering ophthalmologist and contains all these nutrients. But I do not limit myself to these nutrients, mindful of the belief in eastern part of the world and some parts of the Western world that the eyes are affected by the health of the liver and the kidneys.

The heart is no less important than the brain and the eyes. We must prevent it from enlarging, from over working itself to death, and prevent its blood supply lines by being blocked by damaging cholesterol plaques, homocystene grease or blood platelet congestion by adding blood thinners to the diet without over-thinning the blood. Good blood thinners include onion, garlic, Papain, Bromelian, Nattokinese, EDTA etc. All of these precautious call for supplements such as Ubiquinol, Hawthorn, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin E, Selenium, Lecithin etc. The stomach and the throat are no less important, ditto the mouth and the teeth. Heartburn is dangerous. It can damage the lower esophageal sphincter muscle. The muscles close the gate at the connection point of the throat and the stomach, to prevent regurgitation through the mouth of food in the stomach. That is why, if we stand on our heads after a meal, we are unlikely to vomit the food we had just eaten. Heartburn can throw stomach acid on this spinter muscle and damage it, cause inflammation of the throat (esophagitis) or even throat cancer for when the muscle is damaged, stomach acid which the muscle keeps away easily flows into the esophagus. Doctors of old thought that the Vagus nerve overstimulated acid pumps in the stomach to over pump acid. So, they cut the nerve. But that did not stop the acid flow the succeeding generation of doctors asked their patients to drink milk or to take anti-acid medicines. Milk contains calcium and alkaline mineral which neutralises acid.

The protein in milk provides food for the stomach acid to digest through it instigation of pepsin, a protein-digestive enzyme in the stomach. But the protein in milk is so dense that it requires more acid to stimulate production of Pepsin. Besides, milk is an acid-forming food, measuring about 5.5 or worse on the pH scale. Another succeeding generation of doctors found that some people do not produce the minimum amount of acid required for protein digestion. So, food stays longer than it should in their stomachs, decomposing into acid as it begins to rot. It is this acid which causes heartburn. Some doctors have said it is criminal to give antacids to such patient if their problems have come because they are not producing enough acid, and you are suppressing the little they are producing, you are worsening their problems in ignorance.

The pancreas is often a cause of heartburn if it doesnt function optimally. To function optimally, it must produce alkaline digestive enzymes (Lipase Amylase and Protease). But to do this, it required a generous supply of water about 30 minutes before a meal as Dr. F. Batmanghelidj has explained in his books such as YOUR BODYS MANY CRIES FOR WATER and YOU RE NOT SICK, YOURE ONLY THIRSTY. Between the lower end of stomach and the duodenum the start of the small intestine, there is another sphincter muscle. This one prevents food in the stomach leaving prematurely for the small intestine for another round of digestion into smaller particles. These muscles will not open the gate for as long as the contents in the stomach are acidic, for the intestine is not made to handle acid. When a little acidic food escapes, thats often the cause of duodenal ulcer, or later, cancers. If the duodenum will not admit acidic food partly because the pancreas had not alkalinised the food, a time will come when the stomach itself will be unable to bear the acid punishment or irritation. Its lining becomes inflamed (gastritis). A gastritic stomach is like boiled or cooked meat, in comparison with a normal stomach which presents like a fresh piece of meat. At this point, the stomach may wish to throw up this tormentor in what we may call a return to sender, to the throat and to the mouth which let it in. This irritates the lower end of the throat and may cause it to inflame. I have found that, in many cases, heartburn is relieved and digestion is improved simply by adding digestive enzymes to the diet. My latest protocol is pawpaw leaf juice. It has all the digestive enzymes and more. It relieves heartburn; kills helicobacter pylori bacteria found at ulcer cites and heals ulcers. It softens the stool and increase bulk. But it increases blood platelet count, which some people believe may thicken the blood and cause clotting. But there has been no evidence of this cited in many of the research papers published on this project so far. If anything, pawpaw leaf juice is landed for controlling blood cholesterol levels and improving heart health, apart from helping avert strokes. Another product in my protocol is a product called ACIDIC STOMACK AND ALKALINE BALANCE. It works wonders. I suggest, as well, Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother. I cannot go on, for want of space, to talk about male sexual vitality, the prostate gland and colon health, which present challenges to many people. But I guess the fore going is sufficient evidence that we do not have magic bullets in natural medicine where just about five food supplements will handle all our health needs. Every-one lives his or her life in a way different from how other people conduct theirs. This leads to individual differences, and accounts for specific health needs which Mother Nature, caring and wise, has provided for.

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Any five super food supplements for wellness? - The Nation Newspaper