Hi All,
You see so many ads for various health supplements. Do you have any recommendations or positive/negative experiences to share?
I’ve found myself ponding about trying some of these, but I doubt I’ll see any positives from it. Have you found that some of these work?
I take Emergen-C when I get up in the morning. I cut my cold/flu illnesses by 2/3 when I started taking that stuff several years ago. I also take 3 D3 pills with that because my vitamin D was very low. That’s pretty much it.
Because I’m a frequent blood and platelet donor I take 65 mg of iron every other day along with 250 mg of vitamin C to help absorb the iron, and a B complex to turn the absorbed iron into hemoglobin.
I’m a guy with only one working eye, so my retina guy has me on AREDS-2 (Age Related Macular Degeneration) supplements.
Bear in mind that you can find positive anecdotes for any supplement or health practice, from alleged cold prevention products to cure-alls like apple cider vinegar and urine-drinking. Some of these testimonials have come from Dopers, which doesn’t make them any more reliable than run-of-the-mill endorsements seen on social media.
It’s important to verify if there’s actual good evidence that supplements are effective for whatever they’re touted for - not just the individual ingredients, but the products themselves. Due to lax regulation, you can’t be sure the products contain what the label says (not to mention possible hidden ingredients). And the effect of mixing a whole bunch of supposedly beneficial things together is another unknown.
In the case of Emergenc-C, evidence is running way behind hype. And the company has already been dinged for unproven claims.
My proven supplements are fresh fruit and adequate sleep.
Berberine has brought my a1c down to non-diabetic levels (type 2). I mentioned this to my doctor and she said, “Oh yeah, some of my patients have gotten good results with berberine.” 
(Let’s not tell anybody, though, right?)
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q6M6W9F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Peruse the reader comments. For example:
I’ve been a diabetic for over 20 years and for past 5 years have had trouble with a high A1C. After being on this product my A1C fell by 2 points without changing my diet. It really helps! Oh
or
My Dr was pleased with my Labs, my A1c went down by 6 points. Already ordered 2nd bottle!!!
Not everyone gets these results. YMMV. Keep checking your BG.
I work with a lot of pharmacists and their opinion is unanimous: supplements are a waste of money, unless your doctor/pharmacist/health care provider tells you that you should be taking one for a specific condition. As @Jackmannii pointed out, production of supplements is unregulated so you cannot be sure of the ingredients or the dosage of what you are buying. There is also plenty of misinformation out there for people who “do their own research” on these things, as well as the “couldn’t hurt” camp (in some cases, you can be doing harm to yourself).
That said, I have tried melatonin to help get to sleep on the occasional restless night, and found it to be helpful in that regard. I believe it is doing what it advertises because I may be groggy in the morning after waking, which I never have happen when not taking it. It could all just be in my head, tho.
I’ve read that a lot of people are deficient in Vitamin D. I live in Ohio and work indoors. I’ve never been tested for Vitamin D, but I take a daily supplement anyway, with the assumption that I’m probably deficient in it.
My oncologist* recommended I take vitamin D3. So I do.
*(I had a brief encounter with breast cancer in 2015.)
We don’t eat much fish so take fish oil, I time it so the capsules are melting when I swallow my morning (prescription) CBD and THC oils so if it isn’t doing anything else it should be helping with the absorption of those. Long term use of lung medications means calcium is advised (though my bone density test was wickedly good thanks to weight training so I may drop it until I drop the iron). Magnesium does seem to help with muscle recovery, it relaxes a bit too. Probiotics definitely make a difference when my diet gets a bit wrong and my bowels object. I take a 30 day course every few months.
I tried CoQ10 on Dr suggestion for migraines, it just made me itch and itch.
The bodybuilders who adopted the old weirdo when I first showed up at the gym had me try all sorts of things. I’d rather coffee to pre workout. Creatine was like a second menopause with the hot flushes. BCAAs made water taste good but cordial is much cheaper. I do take a basic whey protein shake after a workout if food isn’t soon. It seems worthwhile.
I’ve been taking prescription Vitamin D for a long time.
I keep hearing about COQ10. Hows that work?
I was beyond miserable within days, I wasn’t on it long enough to know if any use. If you don’t get that response my doc had good anecdotal evidence that made it worth buying a bottle.
A few years after I started taking statins for my high cholesterol, my PCP strongly recommended I take CoQ10. Statins decrease the amount of CoQ10 in your body, which is a problem, so supplementation is necessary. As far as how much CoQ10 to take, you’d have to ask your doctor. It comes in 100mg, 200mg, and 300mg tablets. I take one 200mg per day.
Recommendations to take CoQ10 supplements to prevent or treat statin-associated myopathy (muscle pain) are based on shaky science, and at least one prominent health body recommends against taking them.
CoQ10 supplementation has also been recommended for prevention of cardiovascular disease, but evidence is weak in this area as well.
“My doctor said to do it” may or may not be more reliable than what a random anonymous Internet poster recommends.
Be skeptical.
I had a bad knee injury, saw the doctor, did physical therapy, and started taking glucosamine / chondroitin. When I saw the doctor months later (after being cured) and told her about the supplement, she said it’s possible that it had helped me, as it’s been shown to help with knee injuries.
Actually, it was a Cardiologist and two different PCPs. So unless you are a world-renowned published cardiovascular researcher…
My urine has become much more expensive.
How do reported recommendations of one cardiologist and a couple of PCPs stack up against the scientific literature as cited in the following review (see also the link I previously provided)?
That cite supports my fish oil habit at least
I’ll try pretty much anything to lessen migraines, if COQ10 worked for me I wouldn’t give a damn what the literature says. It would be cheaper than the medicinal cannabis and may not have been nearly as life destroying as topiramate. It works for some, hoping to be amongst them isn’t a bad thing.
I started taking it because I was told statins reduce CoQ10 levels in your body, and CoQ10 is considered an antioxidant. I didn’t take it because of any issues with my muscles.
This article from the Mayo Clinic explains it well.
“Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant that your body produces naturally. Your cells use CoQ10 for growth and maintenance.”
“Levels of CoQ10 in your body decrease as you age. CoQ10 levels have also been found to be lower in people with certain conditions, such as heart disease, and in those who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins.” emphasis mine.
“CoQ10 is found in meat, fish and nuts. The amount of CoQ10 found in these dietary sources, however, isn’t enough to significantly increase CoQ10 levels in your body.” emphasis mine.
“CoQ10 dietary supplements are available as capsules, chewable tablets, liquid syrups, wafers and by IV. CoQ10 might help prevent or treat certain heart conditions, as well as migraine headaches.”