Walking through the supplement aisle can make you feel pretty confident. Promises like “fat loss,” “muscle gain,” and “reduced aging” plaster nearly every bottle and container. And with more than 29,000 dietary supplements to choose from, there’s no wonder you feel uncertain about which ones are more show than substance. Here are top supplements—sensational marketing claims sold separately.

1. Fish Oil

Fish oil is known for delivering omega-3’s, essential fats that our bodies can’t make on our own so must get them from our diet. Even if you eat fish one to two times per week, you won’t be taking in enough omega-3’s to meet your body’s needs. By taking a high quality fish oil, you can reduce triglycerides, lower your risk of heart disease, protect your brain health, and potentially lower your risk of diabetes. Omega-3’s may even help with losing body fat. When choosing a supplement, pay seeks brands that deliver a minimum of 2 g EPA and DHA (two of the three acids in omega-3s) daily.

2. Vitamin D

Plenty of data has suggested that the majority of Americans have less than optimal levels of Vitamin D. That’s not surprising – the nutrient is tough to get from food (though canned salmon, milk, and sardines are all good sources), and the only other method is sunlight. Some people live in areas with less sunlight, and cannot make sufficient amounts of this vitamin, and even when you are outside, most people are covered with clothing and/or suntan lotion. Most experts agree that supplementing with at least 1000 IU’s daily is a good start.

3. Whey Protein

Whey protein is not an essential supplement, but it is a good one to have on hand. Because whey is high in branched-chain amino acids, it can aid recovery from exercise. More importantly, whey protein is a quick, convenient source of quality calories.

4. Greens Products

While not a replacement for fruits and vegetables, Greens products (fruit and vegetable concentrates) are a good “insurance” policy if your produce consumption is lower than idea. Less than 6% of men and 9% of women aged 5 to 34 consume the recommended minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Greens can help fill this void. They’re especially handy when real produce is hard to come by, like during times of heavy travel.

5. Probiotics

Here’s the deal -- there are millions of different strains of bacteria in our guts. Some are good. Others, not so much. The bacteria in your gut can influence your overall health, digestion and immune system. Probiotics can help replenish and nourish your internal supply of good bacteria, sometimes leading to less gas, bloating, and abdominal pain. Aim for a product from a trusted brand that lists at least 3 billion organisms per serving. Keep it refrigerated after opening to protect those organisms.

6. Turmeric (Curcumin)

Turmeric is a spice commonly used in Indian dishes, and a key component in the spice is curcumin. Hundreds have studies have suggested that curcumin possesses a wide range of beneficial health properties, including anti cancer, anti viral, anti arthritic and anti inflammatory properties. The nutrient’s very strong anti inflammatory actions are seen as one of the primary drivers of these benefits.

7. Cinnamon

Another powerful spice, cinnamon has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any of the spices. Several studies have shown that cinnamon may improve insulin sensitivity, which improves utilization of carbohydrates and leads to better blood sugar control. Sprinkle it in shakes, on oats, yogurt, cottage cheese or wherever you’d enjoy the added flavor. Or if you want the assurance of getting a specific dose, you can choose a supplement. Studies have shown that 1g daily (about 1/2 teaspoons) is sufficient.

8. Psyillium

Psyillium is a soluble fiber that can help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar in people who have diabetes. If you choose to supplement, start with small doses and build over time.

9. Creatine

Creatine is one of the most extensively studied nutritional supplements, both in clinical research and by real-life athletes, and to date most findings indicate one thing: Creatine works. The supplement may enhance muscle function during high-intensity exercise, and cause muscle hypertrophy, likely due to increased water retention by muscle cells, although some data suggest there may be gains in muscle fiber diameter as well. Vegetarians may have a greater response to supplementation because of their limited intake of dietary creatine. Creatine supplementation under supervision, 3-5g per day, can help improve strength or speed, or help you add on weight.

10. Beta Alanine

β-Alanine supplements have garnered interest over the last several years as several research investigations have linked its use to performance improvements. Some clinical research shows that taking beta-alanine improves some measures of physical performance, especially during high-intensity exercise and strength training. Beta-alanine is used, under supervision, for improving athletic performance and exercise capacity, building lean muscle mass, and improving physical functioning in the elderly.

11. Glucosamine

Glucosamine is found naturally in the body, particularly in the cartilage: it is one of the building blocks of cartilage and is also found in the fluid that lubricates the body's joints. Glucosamine's job in the body is to generate cartilage production and repair. It can also be manufactured and sold in supplement form -- this type of glucosamine often comes from animal cartilage.

12. Green Tea

Green tea contains high levels of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that helps combat dangerous free radicals, which can damage cells and DNA. Polyphenols may also be able to prevent inflammation and swelling. The antioxidants in green tea supplements may help protect the heart and blood vessels.

 

 

 

References

1- Journal of the American College of Nutrition: Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases

2- Journal of the American Medical Association: Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Cancer Risk

3- SpringerLink: Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Psychiatry: A Review

4- "International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism"; Effect of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance-Exercise Training on Muscle Insulin-like Growth Factor in Young Adults; D.G. Burke et al.; August 2008

5- "European Journal of Applied Physiology"; The Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Muscular Performance and Body Composition Responses to Short-Term Resistance Training Overeaching; J.S. Volek et al.; May 2004

6- "International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism"; Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Body Composition and Performance: A Meta-Analysis; J.D. Branch; June 2003

7- "Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry"; Long-Term Creatine Supplementation Does Not Significantly Affect Clinical Markers of Health in Athletes; R.B. Kreider et al.; February 2003

8- MayoClinic.com; Is it Important to Include Probiotics in a Healthy Diet?; Katherine Zeratsky; April 2010

9- "The Probiotics Revolution: The Definitive Guide to Safe, Natural Health Solutions Using Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods and Supplements"; Gary B. Huffnagle and Sarah Wernick; June 2008

10- Office of Dietary Supplements: Calcium

11- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin D

12- MayoClinic.com; What Are Prebiotics? How Are They Different From Probiotics, and What Health Benefits do They Offer?; Katherine Zeratsky; October 2009

13- Harvard Health Publications: Fish and Fish Oil: Good For Most Folks but Not For ALL

A preliminary review of individual reports strongly suggest that high-dose vitamin D may be one of the most effective treatment yet discovered for irritable bowel syndrome
IBS, also known as spastic colon, is a common disease with no known cause or cure. The disease is characterized by alternating periods of remission and flareups. Symptom flareups tend to be dominated either by diarrhea or constipation, but they can include either, as well as abdominal discomfort, pain and bloating. Many patients manage IBS through a combination of pharmaceutical and alternative therapies, but no therapy is consistently effective for all people
Some of the strongest scientific evidence for the effectiveness of vitamin D treatments comes from a study conducted by researchers from the University of Sheffield, England, and published in the journal in December 2012
The paper begins by reporting the case of a 41-year-old woman who had suffered from "severe, diarrhea-predominant IBS" for 25 years, and who had received an official diagnosis approximately 20 years prior to the study. She had undergone treatments with anti-spasmodic drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, and anti-microbial drugs, but none had any significant effect on her symptoms
Dietary therapies, including avoiding lactose and gluten, had provided more reliable symptom relief, but had not stopped her from having regular flareups. Likewise, she gained only minimal relief from other alternative treatments including colonic irrigation, counseling, hypnotherapy and the use of other supplements including aloe vera, caprylic acid, garlic oil, peppermint tea and probiotics. Through social media, the woman learned that other sufferers head effectively used vitamin D3 as an IBS treatment
"The patient now takes 2000-4000 IU vitamin D3 daily," the researchers wrote. "Dosage varies according to season, 2000 IU in summer and 3-4000 IU in winter. Since commencing this supplementation regime, the subject experienced significant improvement in symptoms and now experiences near normal bowel habits. In 3 years of supplementation, relapses only occur if supplementation is ceased"
Vitamin D supplementation also produced an end to her ongoing depression and anxiety problems, the researchers reported
Based on these remarkable results, the researchers decided to investigate similar reports. They searched the Internet for websites and forums where IBS patients reported their use of vitamin D. The researchers identified 37 separate IBS patients who reported the use of vitamin D. In 70 percent of these cases, the patients reported that vitamin D supplementation had led to improvements in their condition
Because vitamin D is fat-soluble and might be hazardous at the extremely high doses used for IBS therapy, researchers recommend that patients refrain from self-treating, and instead consult their doctors to be issued a vitamin D megadose prescription
One patient said, "I... have had IBS for about 20 years... in August 2009...I began taking 3000 IU of Vitamin D... surely but slowly, I stopped having the crazy urgency to go, and began to have normal bowel movements... I then began taking 5000 IU of vitamin D a day... and since then ... I feel I have turned the tide"

Another said, "When my prescription [for vitamin D] ran out my doctor told me to take over the counter vitamins once a day again... The longer I was off the high dose vitamin D the sicker I got... the day after I started the high dose vitamin D, I felt better quickly"
According to IBS researcher Margherita T. Cantorna of Penn State University, IBS can actually cause vitamin D deficiency. As such, she recommends that all IBS patients have their vitamin D levels tested even if they are not considering vitamin D therapy

Sources
http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/40529
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org

 

 

 

There is a medicinal spice so timelessly interwoven with the origins of human culture and metabolism, so thoroughly supported by modern scientific inquiry, as to be unparalleled in its proven value to human health and well-being.
Turmeric is one the most thoroughly researched plants in existence today.  Its medicinal properties and components (primarily curcumin) have been the subject of over 5600 peer-reviewed and published biomedical studies.  Given the sheer density of research performed on this remarkable spice, it is no wonder that a growing number of studies have concluded that it compares favorably to a variety of conventional medications, including:

•    Lipitor/Atorvastatin(cholesterol medication): A 2008 study published in the journal Drugs in R & D found that a standardized preparation of curcuminoids from Turmeric compared favorably to the drug atorvastatin (trade name Lipitor) on endothelial dysfunction, the underlying pathology of the blood vessels that drives atherosclerosis, in association with reductions in inflammation and oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic patients.
•    Corticosteroids (steroid medications): A 1999 study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that the primary polyphenol in turmeric, the saffron colored pigment known as curcumin, compared favorably to steroids in the management of chronic anterior uveitis, an inflammatory eye disease.  A 2008 study published in Critical Care Medicine found that curcumin compared favorably to the corticosteroid drug dexamethasone in the animal model as an alternative therapy for protecting lung transplantation-associated injury by down-regulating inflammatory genes. An earlier 2003 study published in Cancer Letters found the same drug also compared favorably to dexamethasone in a lung ischaemia-repurfusion injury model.
•    Prozac/Fluoxetine & Imipramine  (antidepressants): A 2011 study published in the journal Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica found that curcumin compared favorably to both drugs in reducing depressive behavior in an animal model.
•    Aspirin (blood thinner): A 1986 in vitro and ex vivo study published in the journal Arzneimittelforschung found that curcumin has anti-platelet effects compared to aspirin, indicating it may have value in patients prone to vascular thrombosis and requiring anti-arthritis therapy.  
•    Anti-inflammatory Drugs: A 2004 study published in the journal Oncogene found that curcumin (as well as resveratrol) were effective alternatives to the drugs aspirin, ibuprofen, phenylbutazone, naproxen, indomethacin, diclofenac, dexamethasone, celecoxib, and tamoxifen in exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activity against tumor cells.
•    Oxaliplatin (chemotherapy drug): A 2007 study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that curcumin compares favorably with oxaliplatin as an anti proliferative agent in colorectal cell lines.
•    Metformin (diabetes drug): A 2009 study published in the journal Biochemitry and Biophysical Research Community explored how curcumin might be valuable in treating diabetes, finding that it activates AMPK (which increases glucose uptake) and suppresses gluconeogenic gene expression  (which suppresses glucose production in the liver) in hepatoma cells. Interestingly, they found curcumin to be 500 times to 100,000 times (in the form known as tetrahydrocurcuminoids(THC)) more potent than metformin in activating AMPK.

Millions take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) daily for arthritis and related inflammatory conditions, but are completely unaware that far safer, and at least as effective, natural alternatives already exist. The latest human study to clinically confirm turmeric's medicinal value was published in the Indonesian Journal of Internal Medicine in April, 2012 and found the curcuminoid extract of turmeric was able to reduce inflammation in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
Researchers compared the effect of a curcuminoid extract to the NSAID drug diclofenac sodium in reducing cycloxygenase -2 (COX-2) secretions by synovial fluid's monocytes in two, randomly divided, groups suffering with knee osteoarthritis. The synovial fluid is an egg yolk-like liquid within the cavities of the synovial joints, which serves to reduce friction between articular cartilage during movement.  In knee osteoarthritis, a condition that afflicts 1 in 2 people by the age of 85 years, the immune cells known as monocytes express increased inflammatory COX-2 enzyme activity within the synovial fluid. In the study, subjects were given either 30 mg 3 times daily of turmeric extract (curcuminoid) or 25 mg 3 times daily of diclofenac sodium for 4 weeks. After the treatment period, aspiration of the joint as performed and the secretion of cycloxygenase-2 enzyme by synovial fluid's monocytes was evaluated.
In curcuminoid group the average scores were 1.84±0.37 and 1.15±0.28 respectively (p<0.001). In diclofenac group the average scores were 1.79±0.38 and 1.12±0.27 respectively (p<0.001). In curcuminoid group the decreasing score of cycloxygenase-2 secretion was 0.70±0.51 while in diclofenac group was 0.67±0.45. There was no significant difference in decreasing the score of cycloxygenase enzyme secretion between both treatment groups (p=0.89).
In summary, both curcuminoid and diclofenac sodium were capable of significantly decreasing the secretion of the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme, with nearly identical potency.
What is most remarkable about the more recent study is not that turmeric curcuminoids have potent anti-inflammatory properties – there are already hundreds of studies confirming its COX-2 reducing and otherwise anti-inflammary effects -- but rather how much safer they are relative to NSAID drugs like diclofenac, which like most pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory drugs have been linked to adverse health effects such as increased cardiac mortality, miscarriage and seizure.
A 2006 study estimated that 26 million people throughout the world suffer from this condition, and that by 2050, the prevalence will quadruple, by which time 1 in 85 persons worldwide will be afflicted with the disease. Given the global extent of the problem, interest in safe and effective preventive and therapeutic interventions within the conventional medical and natural alternative professions alike are growing.
Turmeric Produces 'Remarkable' Recovery in Alzheimer's Patients.
Turmeric has been used in India for over 5,000 years, which is likely why still today both rural and urban populations have some of the lowest prevalence rates of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the world. A recent study on patients with AD found that less than a gram of turmeric daily, taken for three months, resulted in 'remarkable improvements.
Studies reveal that curcumin is capable of enhancing the clearance of the pathological amyloid–beta plaque in Alzheimer's disease patients, and that in combination with vitamin D3 the neurorestorative process is further enhanced.
Other documented Anti-Alzheimer's mechanisms include:
•    Anti-inflammatory: Curcumin has been found to play a protective role against β-amyloid protein associated inflammation.
•    Anti-oxidative: Curcumin may reduce damage via antioxidant properties.
•    Anti-cytotoxic: Curcumin appears to protect against the cell-damaging effects of β-amyloid proteins.
•    Anti-amyloidogenic: Turmeric contains a variety of compounds (curcumin, tetrahydrocurcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin) which may strike to the root pathological cause of Alzheimer's disease by preventing β-amyloid protein formation.
•    Neurorestorative: Curcuminoids appear to rescue long-term potentiation (an indication of functional memory) impaired by amyloid peptide, and may reverse physiological damage by restoring distorted neurites and disrupting existing plaques.
•    Metal-chelating properties: Curcumin has a higher binding affinity for iron and copper rather than zinc, which may contribute to its protective effect in Alzheimer's disease, as iron-mediated damage may play a pathological role.
The other natural products effective in treating Alzheimer's disease:
•    Coconut Oil: This remarkable substance is capable of improving symptoms of cognitive decline in those suffering from dementia by increasing brain-boosting ketone bodies, and perhaps more remarkably, within only one dose, and within only two hours.
•    Cocoa: A 2009 study found that cocoa procyanidins may protect against lipid peroxidation associated with neuronal cell death in a manner relevant to Alzheimer's disease.
•    Sage: A 2003 study found that sage extract has therapeutic value in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
•    Folic acid: While most of the positive research on this B vitamin has been performed on the semi-synthetic version, which may have unintended, adverse health effects,  the ideal source for this B vitamin is foliage, i.e. green leafy vegetables, as only foods provide folate. Also, the entire B group of vitamins, especially including B6 and B12, may have the most value in Alzheimer's disease prevention and treatment.
•    Resveratrol: this compound is mainly found in grapes, peanuts and chocolate.
•    Gingko biloba: is one of the few herbs proven to be at least as effective as the pharmaceutical drug Aricept in treating and improving symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
•    Melissa offinalis: this herb, also known as Lemon Balm, has been found to have therapeutic effect in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
•    Saffron: this herb compares favorably to the drug donepezil in the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

A remarkable study performed at Chiang Mai University, Thailand and published in the American Journal of Cardiology last July, found that the administration of curcuminoids, natural phenols within the spice turmeric, reduced the frequency of myocardial infarction (heart attack) after coronary artery bypass in a group of 121 patients randomly selected to receive a placebo or 4 grams a day beginning 3 days before the scheduled surgery and continued until 5 days after surgery.The primary end point was the incidence of in-hospital myocardial infarction, which was found to be decreased from 30.0% in the placebo group to 13.1% in the curcuminoid group --  a 56% relative risk reduction.