Supplement Quotes

Fenugreek seed has been used historically as an aphrodisiac and for male reproductive issues. Clinical trials of fenugreek with daily dose equivalents as low as a quarter teaspoon to two-thirds of a teaspoon were found to raise testosterone levels by about 10% within 3 months, accompanied by a rise in sex drive and arousal. Side benefits include an improvement in LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and short- and long-term blood sugar control (with actual fenugreek powder working better than fenugreek extract supplement). It can also make your armpits smell like maple syrup. (Really!) [2023] - Michael Greger

In 2020, an independent study was published——a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of an elderberry extract for the treatment of influenza. In contrast to the industry-funded studies, those randomized to the elderberry seemed to do worse, experiencing more aches and pains. Similarly disappointing results have been reported for the herb echinacea. [2023] - Michael Greger

Ginseng appeared to reduce the risk of developing acute upper respiratory infections, but it did not appear to significantly affect the duration of illness. The preventive benefit is limited to Asian ginseng, which cuts infection risk in half, as opposed to American ginseng, which reduced risk by only 14%, not reaching statistical significance. [2023] - Michael Greger

Zinc lozenges appear to shorten colds by about 3 days, with significant reduction in nasal discharge (by 34%), nasal congestion (by 37%), hoarseness (by 43%), and cough (by 46%). The best way to take zinc for the common cold is lozenges containing around 10-15 mg of zinc taken every 2 waking hours for a few days, starting immediately upon symptom onset as either zinc acetate or zinc gluconate without binders such as citric acid, tartaric acid, glycine, sorbitol, or mannitol. Efficacy against more serious infections such as pneumonia may only be present among those with preexisting zinc deficiency. [2023] - Michael Greger

Lutein/zeaxanthin supplements can improve vision and cognition, but while they can help both prevent and treat a leading cause of age-related vision loss, supplements do not appear to improve the cognition of those already stricken with Alzheimer's disease. [2023] - Michael Greger

Adding 3-5 g of creatine a day and 2-3 days of resistance training a week led to an additional 3 pounds of lean mass over an average duration of about 4 months. Some of this lean mass may be water weight, but creatine combined with resistance exercise increases muscle strength as well. The standard dose to achieve muscle saturation is 3 g a day. For older adults, it takes at least 12 weeks of creatine-supplement resistance training to see a significant additive effect. One third-party supplement testing outfit that checked for impurities chose as its top pick the BulkSupplements brand, which also happened to be the cheapest at about 10 cents per daily 3-g serving, which is about a level teaspoonful. [2023] - Michael Greger

In a study that looked at the effect of strength training in 62 frail seniors, the subjects who did only strength training for 6 months gained no muscle mass. Another group of subjects was given protein supplementation (via a protein shake); those subjects added an average of about 3 pounds of lean mass. The extra protein likely made the difference. Similar results have been found in multiple other studies, although it remains unclear whether protein supplementation helps to improve muscle "strength" as well as muscle mass. We don't store protein in the way we store fat (in fat cells) or glucose (as glycogen). If you consume more protein than you can synthesize into lean mass, you'll simply excrete the excess in your urine as urea. [2023] - Peter Attia

A healthy diet should counteract the loss of the micronutrients in processed foods, but there may be need for supplementation to enhance wellness. Some of the supplements that benefit cardiovascular health are vitamins D, C, B, and E; minerals such as magnesium, zinc, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, and selenium; as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidative nutrients such as curcumin, resveratrol, N-acetyl-cysteine, and pterostilbene. [2021] - Gerald Lemole

Supplements are far, far less regulated than medicines, so if I do take a supplement, I look for a large manufacturer with a good reputation, seek highly pure molecules (more than 98% is a good guide), and look for "GMP" on the label, which means the product was made under "good manufacturing practice." Nicotinamide riboside, or NR, is converted to NMN, so some people take NR instead of NMN because it's cheaper. Cheaper still are niacin and nicotinamide, but they don't seem to raise NAD levels as NMN and NR do. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

If the vitamins and minerals are delivered via a multivitamin pill or capsule, the pill or capsule itself must first break down or disintegrate before the vitamins and minerals it contains become available for absorption. Out of the 49 multivitamins studied, only 24 (49%) disintegrated within the allotted 20 minute window (necessary for potential absorption), leaving more than half of the multivitamins (51%) unable to perform this essential action. The worst performers were Kirkland Signature formula (Costco brand), Nu-Life The Ultimate One for Men, Trophic, SISU Only One, Swiss One, and GNC Mega Men--all of which failed to disintegrate at all! [2019] - Mira Calton

Powdered multivitamins sold in large canisters or tubs may not be the best delivery system. Not only can the powder become oxidized each time the tub is opened and exposed to air and light, but it's nearly impossible to guarantee which micronutrients you will be getting in each daily serving. This is because most vitamins are light and fluffy, whereas most minerals are dense and heavy. Over time, if stored in a large tub, the heavier micronutrients will naturally sink to the bottom, making it difficult to know which ones you're scooping into your daily multivitamin drink. [2019] - Mira Calton

Make sure your multivitamin is delivered in powdered form in single-serving packets or in a capsule proven to disintegrate in 20 minutes or less and is coated with shellac or wax. The multivitamin shouldn't contain sugar (e.g. sucrose, maltodextrin, fructose, fruit juice, corn syrup solids, high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, tapioca syrup, or corn syrup), preservatives (sodium benzoate, BHA, or BHT), binders/fillers/flow agents (e.g. magnesium or calcium stearate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, talc, polyvinyl alcohol, cornstartch, sodium starch glycolate, crospovidone, croscarmellose sodium, or gellan gum), artificial colors/sweeteners/flavors. [2019] - Mira Calton

We currently recommend 2,000 IU of vitamin D in your multivitamin. We prefer a liquid vitamin D3. When trying to increase your bone density (and especially if you're taking extra calcium), we suggest taking a liquid vitamin K2 (MK7) supplement at around 120-240 mcg daily, on top of what is in your multivitamin. Make sure not to purchase a combination D3 and K2 supplement (the two nutrients will compete). Most physicians recommend taking 1,300 mg of calcium a day (including supplement and calcium-rich foods). Calcium cannot be absorbed at over 600 mg in a single serving. You don't have to worry about the studies where excess calcium caused arterial calcification, as long as you make sure to take your extra vitamin K2. [2019] - Mira Calton

We worked closely with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to validate our anti-competition method for micronutrient absorption and were granted the U.S. patent on Anti-Competition Technology, and used this technology to create our product, Nutreince, which we take twice daily. For those who opt to search for their own multivitamin among the plethora of products lining store shelves from respected manufactures like Garden of Life, NOW, and Thorne Research, we strongly suggest you take our Multivitamin Stack-Up Quiz (at CompareYourMulti.com). We cannot stress enough the importance of this extremely thorough and free analysis. [2019] - Mira Calton

We suggest supplementing your protein intake with a 100% organic, non-GMO, grass-fed, whey protein concentrate (not a protein isolate). Whey protein concentrates deliver all the key health components naturally found in whey, whereas protein isolates remove the fat from the whey, and by doing so also remove many of its key health components with immunological properties, such as phospholipids and phosphatidylserine. Whey protein concentrates also naturally contain lactoferrin which has been proven to positively affect both the osteoclast and the osteoblasts in the remodeling activity of bone. [2019] - Mira Calton

Scientists agree that separating EPA and DHA increases their ability to have desirable biological effects. You can choose to search out and find a high-quality triglyceride-form EPA and a separate DHA product or you can try our product--Origin Omega--which has done the work for you. Using our patented Anti-Competition Technology, we split the more than 1,500 mg of EPA and DHA in Origin Omega into separate morning and evening servings, naturally eliminating their competition. This allows you to rest assured that your omega-3 product is formulated for optimal absorption and extraordinary results. [2019] - Mira Calton

Look for a probiotic that supplies a minimum of 5 billion CFUs (colony-forming units--this is how probiotics are measured) and at least 5 different probiotic stains (spanning both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families), because each strain produces different benefits. Additionally, there are two types of probiotics, spore-forming (soil-based) and non-spore-forming (from fermented food). We recommend taking a probiotic that contains both, with at least 1 billion spore-forming CFUs. Spore-forming probiotics will be those listed as Bacillus on the supplement facts. [2019] - Mira Calton

One important clinical trail showed that supplementation with melatonin for 1 year had significant bone-related benefits--those taking 1 mg of melatonin saw a 0.5% increase in femoral neck bone density, but those taking 3 mg saw a significant 2.3% increase in bone density. If you decide to take melatonin, make sure to cycle on and off (perhaps 3 weeks on and 2 weeks off, followed by 2 weeks and 1 week off, then repeat). Taking too much of this hormone for too long can limit your body's natural ability to make it.  [2019] - Mira Calton

Resveratrol is a bioactive well known to be in grapes, red wine, and grape juice. But resveratrol is also present in blueberries, cranberries, peanuts, and even pistachios, as well. In nature, resveratrol acts as a natural fungicide to fight fungi that could destroy the plant. So this is a bioactive that is first and foremost part of a plant’s health defense system. The practical challenge with resveratrol is that it is present only in small amounts in red wine and most foods. Because of this, resveratrol may be one of the few exceptions where the bioactive may be better obtained through a concentrated supplement rather than the actual food. [2019] - William W Li

To make sure you're getting enough of the crucial vitamin K2, you can take high-vitamin butter oil or emu oil in capsules (as directed), or 1 teaspoon per day, after the largest meal of the day. For supplementation, you can take 150-200 milligrams of MK7 vitamin K2. [2018] - Steven Lin