Dietary Suplements

[Dr.Suave]

I found a thread about this in another website´s forums. I thought some of you guys could like the information. Im gonna copy paste the text:

77% of the population of the United States consumes a dietary supplement, and is pushed by many influencers and marketers as well as celebrities alike that supplements are the key to health, and to help make sure you get all of the nutrition you need.

The dietary supplement industry in the United States is expected to reach $61.8 billion by 2025.

The idea behind the concept of taking a dietary supplement is great. Don't eat enough fruit? Take a multivitamin. Want to build muscle? Have a whey protein shake. Not getting enough sunlight? Take some vitamin D.

Hell, why should we stop there? Dr. Oz (who is not a reliable source), suggested Garcinia gummi-gutta as a weight loss miracle, and a miracle flower to burst fat.

But what you run into is your bank account slowly moving into the red, supplement after supplement are being exposed as snake oil, and you can't seem to work out which pill is causing your frequent stomach aches.

This is the problem I aim to explore in this blog. You bought all of these supplements for a reason, and you don't want to stop taking any for fear of losing out on their perceived benefits.

You might also be in the minority that are well aware of these issues and thus, don't take any supplements. But even you can be made a victim, because you might grow curious. A quick search on YouTube on supplements, and you run across many channels from established and respected personal trainers, athletes, and nutrition and fitness experts that seem to still push this snake oil.

So, you're understandably confused. What supplements are actually backed by evidence? Which ones do seem to have health benefits? Which ones are safe?

That's the purpose of this blog, we'll explore 10 of the most recommended supplements and separate the wheat from the chaff, the ones that actually are worth your money, ones that you should maybe think twice on, and ones that you should avoid.

But, first, a disclaimer.

I am not a nutritionist. So, take this with a grain of salt. Talk with your doctor about your diet so you can optimize it for your health, and also, keep your skeptic hat on when looking about supplementing your diet.

Without further ado, let's explore dietary supplements.

WHAT IS A DIETARY SUPPLEMENT?:

A supplement, to use the dictionary definition, is something that is added to something else in order to improve it, or complete it.

Thus, by definition, a dietary supplement is actually the least important part in any nutrition plan, and if you get all of your nutrients and vitamins from your diet, a completely unnecessary part.

But the trouble is, in an industry plagued by the illusion of complexity, the average person's perception of their importance is quite skewed. But having said that, supplements can be beneficial if taken for the following reasons:

1. Convenience.
2. Correct a deficiency in your diet.
3. For a negligible performance boost in exercise.

The 10 biggest supplements in the supplement industry are:

1. Whey Protein.
2. Creatine Monohydrate.
3. Fish Oils.
4. Vitamin D.
5. Caffeine.
6. Multivitamins.
7. Citrulline Malate.
8. Beta Alanine.
9. BCAA's.
10. Testosterone Boosters.

The honorable mention supplement is one that plagues the industry as a whole is The Placebo Effect.

And don't worry, we will explore these in depth, starting with the supplements that actually are useful, cheap, and are ultimately good for you in supplementing your diet.

WHEY PROTEIN:

Whey protein itself is a byproduct of milk and cheese production, and the protein itself is a high quality protein that has all of the essential amino acids that you need for general health, but is also excellent if you want to get stronger and build muscle. Not only that, but this protein is easily digestible and absorbed quickly by your body.

And if that wasn't enough, studies demonstrate that in comparison to other sources of protein like casein, or soy, whey protein has a faster rate of protein synthesis compared to casein or soy, making it not at all surprising that whey is often used to promote muscle gain and limit muscle loss during periods of low energy intake. Of course, proteins with a similar composition will also have similar effects but when the effects of a fixed amount of protein are compared, whey seems to slightly outperform other proteins.

And if that wasn't the only benefit, whey protein is cheap, easily available, super convenient, and tastes great!

In terms of a dietary supplement, whey protein should be a staple, especially if you plan to build and keep muscle.

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE:

Closely followed by whey protein, seriously consider creatine as a supplement.

What creatine ultimately does is increase your body's natural phosphocreatine stores. Phosphocreatine aids in the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the key molecule that your body's cells use for energy, and all basic life functions. When you exercise, ATP is broken down to give you energy.

This is completely natural, but the main issue is that the rate of ATP resynthesis limits your ability to continually perform at maximum intensity, as you use ATP faster than you can reproduce it.

Now we see the purpose of creatine. It increases your body's natural phosphocreatine stores, allowing you to produce more ATP, letting your body burn more of it for energy so that your muscles can perform better at high intensity.

Optimizing creatine levels can help you squeeze in more reps and push yourself a little harder in your workouts, leading to stronger muscles over time is the bottom line.

Definitely, consider creatine supplementation, especially if you like to work hard and push yourself at the gym. Studies show around a 5-15% performance boost in heavy workouts, which is pretty good, and the cherry on top is that it's cheap.

So, definitely consider it.

FISH OILS:

It's important to maintain a balanced omega-3 to omega-6 ratio for a number of health reasons, such as:

• Lowering blood pressure.
• Decreasing your anxiety.
• Reducing inflammation.
• Decreasing depression.
• And promoting bone health.

The diets we consume in the modern day, however, contains little omega-3, which is a problem because our bodies cannot naturally produce it.

If you have a diet where you consume loads of fish and seafood, then you're getting plenty of omega-3, but for those who don't, such as vegans, you need to supplement with some fish oil or omega-3 supplements to keep your omega-3 and omega-6 ratio balanced.

In fact, that goes for all of us, so I'm not picking on vegans at all, I'm just saying, before you jump into diets or taking a supplement, it's important to do your due diligence.

For example, for those with ADHD, the research just doesn't show that omega-3's prevent ADHD. When you get diagnosed with ADHD, medication and therapy from a qualified professional is what's required to manage the condition. It's like diabetes. You don't really cure it, as there is no cure, you manage it.

But as for omega-3 in general? Definitely, eat some seafood or take an omega-3 supplement. Research shows there's a good amount of evidence for its health benefits, and if you don't eat enough seafood, omega-3 supplements are great and convenient for keeping your omega-3 and omega-6 levels balanced.

So, definitely consider it.

VITAMIN D:

Around 42% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, which is a vitamin that's essential for good overall health. Vitamin D has been shown to reduce inflammation, lower depression, lower your blood pressure, and the like.

But the real benefit of vitamin D is that it's a fat-soluble vitamin that supports the growth and maintenance of healthy bones.

It can be obtained from food sources, such as the flesh of fatty fish like trout, salmon, and tuna. Beef liver, egg yolks, and cheese are also good sources of vitamin D, primarily D3, and surprisingly, mushrooms can also be good sources of vitamin D.

However, these are variable, as is life in general, eh? So it's a good overall idea to consider taking vitamin D supplements to ensure you get the amount of vitamin D your body needs.

Especially if you live up north during the winter, where sunlight levels are low.

That´s part 1 I guess. Let me know if you guys are interested in the rest of the text.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

It's all garbage bro, when you really get into the weeds of protein alone and utilization rates, a lot of this **** is straight garbage, Whey protein for example carries a 17% utilization rate meaning if you consume 10g of Whey Protein your body is gonna be able to use 1.7g of actual protein while the rest gets turned into carbs.

I used to be the guy that would be going out getting and trying out all sorts of different ****, Ashwanganda, shakes, the pre and post workout, multivitamins, then you do your research and find out half this stuff doesn't even work as intended.

When I stopped all the supplementing and just started eating actual food, removing the pleasure eating, everything changed for me, when I was on dietary supplements my gains in the gym were limited, now I focus on eating real food as I can, what inspired me was watching Rich Piana, obviously the guy was a Roid monster but aside from all that he had a lot of great ideas for diet, he inspired me to just eat meals that tasted like ass for the sake of the gains, never felt as good.

I don't know why eating real food is so overlooked and casted aside, probably because a lot of these people are pleasure eating even through the dietary supplements, like I used to eat 2 protein bars a day and look at them like their own meal, now I understand it's all trash.

It cannot be overstated how important eating real food is which is a ridiculous thing to say but I've been there before just not knowing any better.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Vitamin D is not a vitamin at all, it is a pro-hormone produced photochemically in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol that plays many key roles in the body. It basically modulates your immune system, helps to liquify calcium to allow it to be transported(with the help of Vitamin K2), and is massively important for proper gene expression in many areas of the genome, among other things.

Gene expression is a topic far too vast for this post but I suggest you look it up of you don't understand what that means and why it's important. Essentially, in some cases in order for the "proper gene" to be expressed, Vitamin D is necessary. Zinc also has a role in general expression as there strands of DNA that contain "zinc fingers" that require it to properly express those genes.

Gene expression is especially important when related to various diseases and body malfunctions such as cancer, MS, lupus, etc.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

It's all garbage bro, when you really get into the weeds of protein alone and utilization rates, a lot of this **** is straight garbage, Whey protein for example carries a 17% utilization rate meaning if you consume 10g of Whey Protein your body is gonna be able to use 1.7g of actual protein while the rest gets turned into carbs.

I used to be the guy that would be going out getting and trying out all sorts of different ****, Ashwanganda, shakes, the pre and post workout, multivitamins, then you do your research and find out half this stuff doesn't even work as intended.

When I stopped all the supplementing and just started eating actual food, removing the pleasure eating, everything changed for me, when I was on dietary supplements my gains in the gym were limited, now I focus on eating real food as I can, what inspired me was watching Rich Piana, obviously the guy was a Roid monster but aside from all that he had a lot of great ideas for diet, he inspired me to just eat meals that tasted like ass for the sake of the gains, never felt as good.

I don't know why eating real food is so overlooked and casted aside, probably because a lot of these people are pleasure eating even through the dietary supplements, like I used to eat 2 protein bars a day and look at them like their own meal, now I understand it's all trash.

It cannot be overstated how important eating real food is which is a ridiculous thing to say but I've been there before just not knowing any better.

Real food is obviously important. I have a list of about 60-70 things that I eat, all of them are single ingredient items. Nothing processed, nothing with wheat, nothing with concentrated dairy(whey/Greek yogurt), nothing with refined sugars/HCFS, etc.

That being said, I do supplement with protein powder(green pea/brown rice in combo) due to convenience and because when you are taking in 200+g of protein, it's not always feasible to eat that much.

Usually add it to my smoothies or my oatmeal in the morning.

Also take a wide array of other supplements because contrary to popular belief, even when eating a healthy and varied diet, you will still most likely be deficient in many things including Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Vitamin K2 to name a few.

Additionally, there can be a very wide array of nutrients and minerals from crops based on where it's grown and even field to field in the same farm. One package of broccoli could be loaded with nutrients and minerals and the one next to it that came from a different field could have next to none. It all depends on the soil quality it is grown in and the soil quality has been declining steadily over the last few decades. You think you are getting all your nutrients from fresh produce, but you likely are not all of the time.

Also, protein bars are nothing more than glorified candy bars and should not be consumed by anyone. Basically filled with processed garbage.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

Real food is obviously important. I have a list of about 60-70 things that I eat, all of them are single ingredient items. Nothing processed, nothing with wheat, nothing with concentrated dairy(whey/Greek yogurt), nothing with refined sugars/HCFS, etc.

That being said, I do supplement with protein powder(green pea/brown rice in combo) due to convenience and because when you are taking in 200+g of protein, it's not always feasible to eat that much.

Usually add it to my smoothies or my oatmeal in the morning.

Also take a wide array of other supplements because contrary to popular belief, even when eating a healthy and varied diet, you will still most likely be deficient in many things including Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Vitamin K2 to name a few.

Additionally, there can be a very wide array of nutrients and minerals from crops based on where it's grown and even field to field in the same farm. One package of broccoli could be loaded with nutrients and minerals and the one next to it that came from a different field could have next to none. It all depends on the soil quality it is grown in and the soil quality has been declining steadily over the last few decades. You think you are getting all your nutrients from fresh produce, but you likely are not all of the time.

Also, protein bars are nothing more than glorified candy bars and should not be consumed by anyone. Basically filled with processed garbage.

I still do the protein powder but I'll use egg whites instead of water and possibly a grain based cereal for the extra carbs if I need them, I'll also throw in a whole egg yolk for the digestive enzymes if the shake isn't gonna sit around all day.

But yeah, what I meant was before I was simply consuming the powder as it's own thing when in reality it's supposed to just supplement your actual protein intake, not be the entirety of it lol

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I still do the protein powder but I'll use egg whites instead of water and possibly a grain based cereal for the extra carbs if I need them, I'll also throw in a whole egg yolk for the digestive enzymes if the shake isn't gonna sit around all day.

But yeah, what I meant was before I was simply consuming the powder as it's own thing when in reality it's supposed to just supplement your actual protein intake, not be the entirety of it lol

Oh yeah...there is no way anyone should be doing that. It's a supplement to real food, not a replacement for it.

 

[EyeBRollin]

I don’t take any supplements. Waste of money at my age unless there is some sort of deficiency. Eat a balanced diet.

 

[Murk]

I take fish oil, vit d, vit d3, magnesium bisglycinate, biotin, zinc, copper, multivitamin, vit b complex, d aspartic acid, tumeric, ashwaganda and Tongkat Ali (in cycles), whey isolate, creatine.

And of course I eat whole foods, limited sugar no processed food. I enjoy taking all these supplements I’ve have 0 health issues, my full body blood work is perfect and I have smoked and abused drugs and alcohol most of my life so I am doing something right.

I’ll never give up my supplements. We get 8 weeks of sun in the UK no way I’ll stop the vit D.

 

[SargeMaximus]

Glycine and NAC changed my life as did Diindolylmethane

 

[IKO69]

Good thread, thanks. I'm not taking much these days outside of a vitamin d and magnesium glycinate supplement (NOW brand, inexpensive if anyones lookijg for one). I make homemade kefir and eat a lot of fish, fresh and canned (sardines, eat them on days I lift). Hemp, Chia & Pumpkin seeds, stuff like that. Coconut.