Questions tagged [nutritional-supplements]
A preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet.
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Should a healthy adult take a daily multi-vitamin?
Is there any reason for a healthy adult to take a daily multi-vitamin?
My intuition tells me that an adult eating a healthy and balanced diet will get all of the nutrients she needs and that taking a ...
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Is there evidence that glucosamine can help repair joints?
I have heard conflicting views on how effective glucosamine is in treating joint problems. For example here you can see a claim being made about stimulating cartilage growth and curing arthritis.
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Does taking whey protein make you gain muscle?
See the following claim, for example:
What are the reasons I should supplement with whey protein?
To build muscle mass
To speed recovery time
Reduce injuries related to working out
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Are there any proven benefits to ingesting wheatgrass?
I have read statements such as "Fifteen pounds of wheatgrass is equivalent to 350 pounds of the choicest vegetables", of which I am obviously skeptical. Are there any independent studies from ...
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Are there benefits to the ECA stack for body-builders?
The use of the "ECA Stack" - ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin - has been common-place in body-building and weight-loss circles. (e.g. in 1999, 2% of the Danish population and 12 million US inhabitants ...
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Does 32 g of Gatorade powder contain 33 g of carbohydrates?
A screenshot of the nutrition facts of a can of Gatorade powder was posted on my Facebook feed:
The label reads "Per 32 g (about 3 tbsp)", but if you read through the ingredients, the amount of ...
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Ester C, the "better" Vitamin C?
If I recall correctly, Vitamin C plays an important role in the body's immune system. Anecdotal testing by myself gave me the impression that I could ward off a developing cold by the intake of high ...
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Are Vitamins ingested in natural food more effective than those ingested in supplements?
There was a comment in this question saying that he was dubious of claims of the Vitamin C benefits of eating an orange. My gut reaction was to respond that Vitamins taken in food are metabolized ...
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Are fish oil capsules beneficial?
Page 28 of the February 2018 edition of Which? magazine says,
(You don't need...)
Fish oils such as Omega 3 capsules
Unless you are advised to take these, you don't need to. Studies show that ...
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Does potassium deficiency cause cramps?
According to Ace Fitness, it is a myth that potassium deficiency causes cramps, since there isn't enough potassium in sweat to deplete potassium. Sodium deficiency is blamed instead. Is this true?
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Can Alpha Brain dietary supplement improve mental acuity and focus?
Alpha Brain is a tablet offered as a dietary supplement by Onnit. They make many claims about its ability to help cognitive function:
The idea behind the Alpha Brain™ dietary supplement was to ...
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Does nail-biting indicate iron deficiency?
I've seen on a lot of websites that nail-biting behaviour is due to lack of iron in the blood. I'm wondering if is this actually true, or just an urban myth which has spread and spread?
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Are zinc supplements beneficial?
There is a lot of advertising for zinc supplements on the web, most of which seems indistinguishable from advertisements for ineffective alt-medicine cures. Are these ads a hoax, or is there any ...
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Do plant sterols prevent prostate cancer?
Not a day goes by without me hearing a "super mega beta prostate" (or some other similar product) commercial.
Super Beta Prostate is a natural prostate supplement made with beta-sitosterol designed ...
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Is Autism in Children frequently due to low Glutathione Levels?
GlutathioneForHealth: Autistic children have 50% less intracellular glutathione than other children), which is why they have so much trouble detoxifing vaccines, medications, environmental toxins, ...
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Do supplements with folic acid cause cancer? Should they be avoided?
There are some claims that taking B12 supplements which contain folic acid causes cancer.
Is this true? Are there vitamin B12 supplements without folic acid?
Here's a passage from the book Eat to ...
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Is Herbalife safe, and can it actually promote sustained weight loss?
I have a friend who's begun taking Herbalife products, presumably for weight loss. I informed him that their products, like all supplements, are not regulated by the FDA, and that there have been ...
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Does Ginkgo Biloba improve your memory?
I have heard that Ginkgo Biloba improves your memory, is this true? If it is true, what kind of memory does it improve? Long term or short term? Auditory, Visual or Spacial memory? Does it effect ...
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Is prescription fish oil better than over-the-counter fish oil?
The possible health benefits of fish oil (primarily from its omega-3 content) have made it a popular supplement.
There are a lot of over-the-counter fish oil supplements (google fish oil) on the ...
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Does Zeolite remove heavy metals and radiation from the body?
This seems to be a potentially dangerous claim:
The Scientifically proven Micronized Zeolite from Zeolite.com
Zeolite is a breakthrough supplement that works at the cellular level by trapping ...
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Protein Per Every Pound You Weigh for optimal muscle building?
I am sure everyone who goes to the gym has been told at one point by some trainer that:
You must consume up to 1.0g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
I have heard many arguments on why this is ...
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Is sulfur a "miracle cure"?
There are claims that sulfur and its compounds like organic sulfur and MSM can cure many health issues.
Sulfur and Methylsulfonylmethane or MSM for short is being claimed to have these benefits:
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Does hydrogen-infused water have these health benefits?
I recently saw a local shop selling packages of water infused with hydrogen gas. It was alleged that hydrogen is an antioxidant and therefore drinking hydrogen-infused water would have various health ...
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Can you measure the quality of fish oil by trying to dissolve styrofoam?
Some people say that if fish oil can melt or dissolve styrofoam that means it is "bad" fish oil, while others claim that indicates "good" fish oil. Here is an example video of ...
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Is lactose intolerance an outdated diagnosis for discomfort after milk ingestion?
As a continuation of a question of most adults being lactose intolerant, the marketing of The a2 Milk Company in Australia House at SxSW 2018 suggested it may not be lactose-intolerance, after all, ...
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Will cooking with a Lucky Iron Fish add dietary iron to food?
Lucky Iron Fish is a product made of iron, one can use to add to food to boil with and it is meant to boost the iron levels in the food.
One Lucky Iron FishTM can provide an entire family with up to ...
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Do fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids increase the risk of cancer?
A retrospective study came out that found a correlation between increased blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and increased incidence of prostate cancer.
The skeptical responses I've seen come from ...
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Do vitamin D supplements help against winter depression?
People like me who live in the northern part of the world, often get a bit depressed at this time of the year, when it's essentially dark when you leave for work and when you get home from work. This ...
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Does synthetic vitamin C contribute to the formation of genotoxins that can lead to cancer?
While researching Vitamin C supplements, I noticed dozens of people outraged about various companies slipping in "synthetic vitamin c" (ascorbic acid). From what I can tell this aversion ...
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Are fruits better than processed fruit juices?
I had a discussion with a friend of mine. He claimed that (processed) fruit juices from any organization (say Tropicana) are not at par with naturally occurring fruits, rather they are worse. He said ...
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Does Frank Ryan's abdominal fat reducer pill work?
While waiting for a friend to show up for coffee, I ran into an ad in a local newspaper. I was thrilled to find the exact ad online! It's for a medication that claims to target and eliminate belly fat,...
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Is melatonin used as a contraceptive in Europe?
On Episode 515 of the Wellness Mama podcast, Dr. Michael J. Breus made the statement that melatonin is used for birth control in Europe:
Melatonin in Europe is used as a contraceptive. Let me say ...
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Does milk thistle prevent liver damage in alcoholics?
There are some people who take milk thistle to offset or repair the liver damage caused by chronic alcoholism.
Example here
Milk thistle and silymarin are commonly used in the United States and ...
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Is arthritis a symptom of boron-deficiency in the diet?
As shared on Facebook: Wake Up World: Arthritis Cure Found in Nature?
This article claims that boron kills amoebae that cause rheumatoid arthritis. It also claims that areas of the world that have ...
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Does Resveratrol increase human life expectancy?
Resveratrol is a buzz word in health science research. It is hailed
as the discovery of “the fountain of youth” . In the past 10 years
over 500 medical research studies were performed. These ...
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Does Ginkgo Biloba "promote memory"?
Most Ginkgo Biloba supplements are sold with the following claims:
Studied and Shown to promote memory and provide healthy circulation to the body's extremities. (src)
Helps support your memory ...
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Does vitamin D supplementation increase the need for vitamin A?
Tim Ferriss writes in "The Four Hour Body" on page 514 (chapter Sex Machine II Details and Dangers):
Supplemental vitamin D increases your need for vitamin A, so don't forget the aforementioned cod ...
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Can pumpkin/sunflower/flax/sesame/other seeds regulate hormones?
My wife has started using a technique using various seeds through various times to regulate hormone balance. Does this have any merit?
Here's an example of using seeds as a supplement to regulate ...
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Is taking capsaicin in pill form safe and does it speed up metabolism or help you lose weight?
I see ads for numerous supplements and all of them seem to be a scam. Except I have noticed when I am eating a lot of spicy food and hot sauce I tend to lose weight. I have found capsaicin in pure ...
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Does Vitamin K2 MK-4 have a half-life of about one hour?
Mercola writes
MK-4 is a synthetic product, very similar to vitamin K1, and your body is capable of converting K1 into MK-4. However, MK-4 has a very short biological half-life of about one hour, ...
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Does drinking one cup of green tea boost your metabolism by 12%?
In Dr. Oz's Tangerine Weight-Orade recipe, it is claimed:
For a powerful metabolism-boosting drink, try Dr. Oz’s Tangerine Weight-Orade. It contains: green tea, shown to boost metabolism 12% by ...
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Do dietary vitamin supplements like Berocca help improve mental performance?
Berocca is a dietary supplement containing mainly B vitamins and a large dose of Vitamin C. Here's a listing from their website for Berocca Perfomance:
Vitamin B1 15 mg
Vitamin B2 15 mg
...
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Does Korean ginseng develop brain efficiency and prolong life?
From Proceeding of the Mini Workshop Southeast Asia Germany Alumni Network (SEAG):
"... the Korean ginseng (Panax schinsen) has been well known as a tonic,
treatment for Diabetes Mellitus, ...
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Is there any research which supports the use of probiotic yogurts? [duplicate]
I have seen various varieties of pro-biotic yoghurt drinks on the shelves in supermarkets. For those unfamiliar - they are claimed to contain bacteria that is beneficial to the human body and ...
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Do College Cafeterias Put Laxatives in Their Food? [closed]
Going into college this fall, I've heard various rumors about this. Some first hand from college students, some from people who spoke to college students, and some just rumors.
The idea is: sick ...
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Does Forskolin help to break down fat?
The Dr. Oz show website claims:
Researchers have found that forskolin can help to promote the breakdown of stored fats in animal and human fat cells. It may also release fatty acids from adipose ...
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Is Finitro Forte Plus an effective treatment for arthritis?
This advertisement for a product says (French original, followed by my translation into English),
Finitro Forte Plus montre des résultats surprenants dans le traitement de l'arthrite, de l'arthrose ...
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Do Chromium or Manganese supplements have any benefits?
Louie Helm of Rockstar Research Magazine blog argues that that the human body doesn't need Chromium nor Manganese and, therefore, there is no need to have them in multivitamin supplements.
This ...
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Can Methylsulfonylmethane make human hair grow faster? [duplicate]
There is this other question: Is sulfur a "miracle cure"? But it received zero answers at the time of this posting, so it is not a valid duplicate target. The claim therein also is too broad....
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