Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola - January 03, 2024
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
· While I do not recommend
relying on supplements for your daily nutrition, depending on your state of
health, there may be instances where you need one or more supplements to
address a nutritional deficiency or ailment
· Ten of the most popular
nutritional supplements include ashwagandha, berberine, B vitamins, including
B12, collagen, creatine, omega-3, magnesium, vitamin D and NAD+ precursors such
as niacinamide
· Some nutritional
deficiencies are so widespread, thanks to soil depletion and reliance on
processed foods, that just about everyone can benefit from supplementation.
This is the case for magnesium and B vitamins in particular
Some nutritional deficiencies are so widespread,
thanks to soil depletion and reliance on processed foods, that just about everyone
can benefit from supplementation. In this article, I will review 10 of the most
popular nutritional supplements that may be helpful for many.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb, meaning it helps your
body adapt to stress by balancing your immune system, metabolism and hormonal
systems. The root contains the highest concentration of active ingredients that
modulate hormones, including thyroid hormone, estrogen, progesterone and
testosterone.
Naturally occurring steroids called withanolides in
ashwagandha also suppress pathways responsible for several inflammation-based
illnesses such as arthritis, asthma, hypertension, osteoporosis and cancer.
Ashwagandha also supports sexual and reproductive
health in both men and women. In men, it helps boost testosterone levels, and
has been shown to improve semen quality in infertile men.
In women, ashwagandha’s ability to rebalance
hormones (including thyroid hormone, estrogen and progesterone) has been shown
to improve polycystic ovary syndrome and relieve menopausal symptoms.
Ashwagandha also has natural pain reliever
(analgesic) and rejuvenating properties, and can promote general health when
used regularly. While some adaptogens are stimulants in disguise, this is not
the case with ashwagandha. It can give your morning exercise routine a boost,
and when taken prior to bed it can help you get
a good night's sleep as well.
Berberine
Berberine — a yellow-colored alkaloid compound
found in several different plants, including European barberry, goldenseal,
goldthread, Oregon grape and tree turmeric — has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory,
antiproliferative, antidiarrheal, antineoplastic, antidiabetic and
immune-enhancing1 properties.
It has a long history of use in traditional
medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine, and many integrative health
practitioners swear by berberine as a general health supplement due to its
ability to address such a wide variety of maladies.2
For example, it's effective against a wide range of
bacteria, protozoa and fungi, and is commonly used to treat gastrointestinal
issues, including traveler’s diarrhea and that from food poisoning. Having
similar mechanisms of action as the drug metformin, berberine can
also be used as an oral hypoglycemic for Type 2 diabetics.3 Other ailments berberine has been shown to
protect against and/or treat include:4
|
High blood pressure |
Fatty liver disease |
|
Obesity |
Digestive issues |
|
Neurological diseases
such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s |
Cancer |
|
Anxiety, depression and
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
Many of berberine’s health benefits5 have been linked to its ability to activate
adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK).6 AMPK is an enzyme inside your body's cells.
It’s sometimes referred to as a "metabolic master switch" because it
plays an important role in regulating metabolism.7
Low AMPK has been linked to insulin resistance,
mitochondrial dysfunction, obesity, neurodegeneration and chronic inflammation
— all of which lay the groundwork for a wide variety of serious chronic
diseases.
According to many studies, berberine is
well-tolerated.8 However, it can interfere with some
medications, including oral chemotherapy, high blood pressure medications,
blood thinners, cholesterol medications, immunosuppressive drugs, and
pharmaceutical diabetes treatments.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should
avoid berberine. Other side effects can include constipation, diarrhea, low
blood sugar, nausea and vomiting.
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Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is known as “the energy
vitamin.” Your body requires it for a variety of functions, including energy
production, blood formation, DNA synthesis and myelin formation.
It also plays an important role in neurological
function, and deficiency can culminate in a range of mental health symptoms,
from irritability and depression to dementia and even psychosis. For more
details, see “Vitamin B12
to Help Combat Mental Illness.”
Low B12 also increases inflammation and oxidative
stress by raising homocysteine. High homocysteine, in turn, is associated with
cardiovascular disease and decreased immune response. Vitamins B6, B9 (folate)
and B12 break down homocysteine.9
Recent research10 suggests B12 may also be a key player in
cellular regeneration, speeding up tissue repair. More specifically, the study
found that vitamin B12 is a
limiting factor for tissue repair. In other words, to optimize tissue regeneration,
you need sufficient amounts of B12 in your system.
The two ways you become deficient are through a
lack of vitamin B12 in your diet, or through your inability to absorb it from
the food you eat. Vitamin B12 is present in natural form only in animal sources
of food, which is one of the reasons I advise against a no-animal-food, vegan
diet.
B12-rich foods include beef and beef liver
(grass-fed beef is highly preferable to the grain-fed variety), lamb, snapper,
venison, salmon, shrimp, scallops, organic pastured poultry and eggs.
Warning signs of B12 deficiency include brain fog,
memory lapses, mood swings, apathy, fatigue, muscle weakness and tingling in
the extremities. Unfortunately, B12 deficiency may not present itself for
several years, so by the time you notice symptoms, you may be quite deficient.
When it comes to supplementation, your best
alternatives include injectable B12 and sublingual drops or spray. Most oral
supplements tend to be ineffective, as vitamin B12 is poorly absorbed.
You also want to make sure you’re taking
methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin (which is the most commonly found B12).
When taken sublingually (either by tablet or spray), it goes straight into your
bloodstream.
If you take it as an oral supplement, you have to
rely on a glycoprotein produced in your stomach called intrinsic factor, which
binds to the B12 and shuttles it into the intestine to the end of the small
intestine where it’s absorbed. As you get older, you lose the ability to
produce intrinsic factor, making you more likely to suffer from B12 deficiency.
Other B Vitamins
The other B vitamins are also important, and if you eat a lot of
processed food, you’re virtually guaranteed to be deficient in several of them.
Case in point: in mid-October 2023, Moms Across America (MAA) tested 10
fast food brands for B vitamins,11 and none of them contained either B9 or B12.
Levels of B3 (niacin) were also abysmal.
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of niacin is
14 mg per day for women and 16 mg for men. To meet that RDA, a woman would need
to consume 333 servings of Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches (at a serving size of
210 grams) and a man would need to eat 380 servings.
Chipotle’s carnitas bowl with everything, which had
the highest amount of B3, still requires you to eat eight servings if you’re a
woman and nine servings if you’re a man, to meet your RDA of niacin.
Personally, I believe a B complex is a good option for most people, as you
really need all the B vitamins, not just one or two.
Niacinamide
I also recommend taking 50 mg of niacinamide (aka nicotinamide, a form of niacin or
vitamin B3) two to three times a day, as it plays a vital role in producing
energy in your mitochondria.
Without it, your mitochondria simply cannot make
energy efficiently. Niacinamide is also a precursor to NAD+, which is also
tightly correlated with total ATP production. NAD+ also acts as fuel for
longevity proteins called sirtuins.
Because of its effects on energy production and
NAD+, niacinamide can be useful in the prevention and/or treatment of a long
list of chronic conditions, including obesity,12,13 insulin resistance and diabetes,14 neurodegeneration15 and neurological conditions such as
Alzheimer’s and ischemic stroke,16,17 heart failure,18,19 leaky gut,20,21 glaucoma,22,23 declining testosterone levels,24,25 cancer,26,27 kidney disease,28 alcoholic- and nonalcoholic liver disease,29,30 and even COVID-19.31
Your NAD levels dramatically decline with age. It’s
also used up by DNA repair enzymes and enzymes involved in inflammation and
immunity, such that chronic inflammation, or acute illness in old age, can
rapidly result in depletion. For more details, see “The Crucial
Role of NAD+ in Optimal Health.”
Collagen
Collagen is the most common and abundant of your
body’s proteins. One of its primary purposes is to provide structural
scaffolding for your various tissues to allow them to stretch while still
maintaining tissue integrity.
As a compound of essential amino acids, there’s only
one way to get collagen. Your body can’t produce it, so you must obtain it
through your diet. Historically, traditional diets provided ample collagen in
the form of broth made from boiled chicken feet or beef bones. These are by far
your best alternatives.
If you decide to use a collagen supplement, make
sure your collagen supplement is certified “100% Organic” by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to minimize the risk of contaminants
associated with concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
Moreover, collagen supplements can be either
unhydrolyzed (undenatured) or hydrolyzed (denatured). The processing that most
collagen supplements undergo to become hydrolyzed can also result in
questionable byproducts that are best avoided.
My personal preference is to use a less denatured
(unhydrolyzed) organic collagen supplement, as it has a more balanced amino
acid profile. That said, I still believe the natural approach is best. Making
homemade bone broth using bones and connective tissue from grass fed,
organically raised animals isn’t very complicated and will produce the best
results. Another alternative is to take glycine, as nearly one-third of the amino acids in
collagen is glycine.
Glycine helps reduce inflammation and oxidative
damage, as it inhibits the consumption of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
phosphate (NADPH). NADPH is used as a reductive reservoir of electrons to
recharge antioxidants once they become oxidized.
Glycine also has cell-protective, and antistress
effects,32 and has been shown to extend lifespan in
animal studies and mitigate chronic disease and disability, thereby increasing
healthspan. You need at least 12 grams of glycine daily for optimal collagen
turnover, plus another 3 grams per day to form glutathione. So, a therapeutic
dose of glycine would be around 15 grams, unless you’re also getting collagen
from food or a supplement.
Creatine
Creatine is commonly used by athletes to improve
performance, as it's immediately used by your body to convert ADP to ATP and
supply energy muscles need for contraction.
Creatine also helps provide energy to your brain
and may improve cognitive performance. It also appears to have protective
effects in cases of mild traumatic brain injury. Of the roughly 20 different
formulations of creatine on the market, creatine monohydrate is the one that
has been studied most frequently and therefore has the strongest evidence of
health benefits.
Creatine appears to work by increasing proteins
that create muscle fibers33 and raising insulin-like growth factor,34 a hormone that increases muscle mass. Data
also suggest that creatine may help lower blood sugar levels.
It is important to choose creatine from a reputable
manufacturer. Clinical trials that have lasted up to five years have reported
no adverse effects in healthy individuals.35 However, it is important to stay within the
recommended dose.
Some people find that creatine makes them feel
bloated.36 Some people are sensitive to using creatine
and feel bloated if they don't drink enough water with the supplement. However,
most of the time it goes away in just a few hours. Factors that affect bloating
include how much water you drink, the intensity of your workout and your diet.
Keep in mind that it's not guaranteed that you will
build muscle from using creatine. Consider creating specific goals for using
the supplement so you are not disappointed. If you're a vegan or a vegetarian,
you might consider using creatine to help protect brain health.
Omega-3
Omega-3 fats are essential for healthy cell membrane
function, and higher omega-3 levels have been consistently linked to better
health and longer life spans. The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA protect health and
promotes longevity by:
|
Thinning your blood, which discourages
inappropriate clotting that can lead to a stroke or heart attack |
|
Lowering serum
triglyceride levels |
|
Helping to lower blood
pressure, in part by improving the health of the lining of your blood vessels
so that they can relax better |
|
Anti-inflammatory effects
— For example, provided you have enough EPA and DHA in your
membranes, when an inflammatory insult occurs, metabolites of the EPA and DHA
— resolvins and protectins — will be synthesized. As their names imply, these
metabolites help protect against and resolve inflammation. If you do not have
sufficient omega-3, the inflammatory response persists longer and can become
chronic |
|
Helping the mitochondrial
membrane process energy — Improving the
fluidity and flexibility of the mitochondrial membrane allows enzymes and the
other proteins embedded in the membrane to operate more smoothly |
|
Adding structural
stability to mitochondrial membranes — When loaded with
omega-3, the membrane allows these agents to move freely, allowing everything
to work as it should |
While most use fish oil to increase their omega-3
level, this isn’t the best choice, as most are synthetic ethyl esters, which
are very different from the triglyceride and phospholipid forms of omega-3
found in sea food.
Ideally, you’d want to get most of your omega-3
from cold-water fatty fish like wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring
and mackerel, for example. If you opt for a supplement, krill oil, which delivers omega-3 primarily in the
phospholipid form, makes it a superior choice to fish oil.
As for dosing, research37 has shown that an omega-3 index greater than
8% is associated with the lowest risk of death from heart disease while an
index below 4% places you at the highest risk of heart disease-related
mortality.
I recommend taking a maximum of 1 gram of omega-3
per day. Higher amounts could be risky, in my view, because EPA and DHA are
both polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) and, like linoleic acid (LA), are susceptible to oxidation and the
production of dangerous aldehyde metabolites.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant element in your
body38 and one of the seven essential minerals we
cannot live without.39 It’s involved in hundreds of biochemical
reactions in the body,40 and deficiency can contribute to significant
health problems.41
It is necessary for the healthy functioning of most
cells, and especially your heart and muscles.42 Low levels can impede both cellular metabolic
function and mitochondrial function.
According to one scientific review43,44 that included studies dating as far back as
1937, low magnesium may actually be the greatest predictor of heart disease.
Research published in 201745 shows even subclinical magnesium deficiency
can compromise cardiovascular health. My favorite form of magnesium is
L-threonate, as it appears to make its way into your brain the best.
Vitamin D
Last but not least, vitamin D. Ideally, you would
get most of your vitamin D from sensible sun exposure. Depending on where you
live, this may not be possible however, so oral supplementation may be
necessary for at least part of the year.
The ideal dose for most adults of normal weight is
6,000 IUs a day; 7,000 IUs if you’re overweight; and 8,000 IUs a day if you’re
obese. At those dosages, most people can reach a minimum blood level of 40
ng/mL (100 nmol/L),46 which is the lower cutoff for sufficiency.
Other research suggests you may need as much as 9,122 IUs per day to reach 40
ng/mL.47
Most definitely, the conventional claim that you
only need a few hundred IUs per day — which is still touted by medical
professionals in media48 — is completely inaccurate and is based on a
statistical error49 that for some reason has never been
officially corrected.
Your best bet is to get your vitamin D level tested
twice a year. Based on the evaluation of healthy populations that get plenty of
natural sun exposure, the optimal range for general health appears to be
somewhere between 60 and 80 ng/mL (150 to 200 nmol/L).
Taking oral vitamin D together with vitamin K2 and
magnesium is also recommended, as you need 244% more oral vitamin D if you’re
not also taking magnesium and vitamin K2.50 In other words, if you take all three in
combination, you need far less oral vitamin D in order to achieve a healthy
vitamin D level.
- Sources and
References
·
1 Supplements in Review, July 18,
2017
·
2 Health. What Is Berberine?
·
3, 4 Doctormurray.com
Berberine
·
5 Self
Hacked, Berberine Benefits
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6 Diabetes
2006 Aug; 55(8): 2256-2264
·
7 Am J Physiol. 1999 Jul;277(1 Pt 1):E1-10
·
8 Frontiers in Pharmacology 2021;
12: 653887
·
10 Nature Metabolism 2023; 5:
1911-1930
·
11 Moms
Across America October 18, 2023
·
12 Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry September 2022;
107: 109056
·
14 Nutrients June 2022; 14(11):
2219
·
16 Cell
Reports April 20, 2023; 42(5): 112372
·
18 Nature Cardiovascular Research
February 13, 2023; 2: 174-191
·
20 Nutrients 2023; 15(1): 174
·
21 Lifespan
January 11, 2023
·
22 JAMA
Ophthalmology 2022;140(1):11-18
·
23 Haidut.me
December 9, 2021
·
24 Nature Aging 2022; 2: 105-114
·
26 Nature Metabolism 2022; 4:
711-723
·
28 Nat Metab March 2023; 5(3):
357-359
·
29 Exp Mol Pathol April 2016;
100(2): 303-306
·
31 Metabolism
December 2020; 295(52): 17986-17996
·
32 RayPeat.com Gelatin Stress and Longevity
·
33 Journal of Physiology,
2006;573(2): 525-534
·
34 International Journal of Sports
Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2008;18(4): 389-398
·
36 Tactical Elite, Does Creatine Make You Bloated?
·
37 Preventive Medicine July 2004;
39(1):212-20
·
38 Austin Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences,
2014;2(10)
·
39 Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, March 28, 2018
·
40, 42 NIH.gov Magnesium Fact Sheet for Professionals
·
41 Open Heart 2018;5:e000668, Magnesium in human biology
·
43 PR
Newswire, January 31, 2013
·
44 New Hope
Network, January 31, 2013
·
45 Open
Heart November 7, 2017
·
46 Dermato-Endocrinology
2017; 9(1) article e1300213
·
47, 49 J. Prev Med Public Health July 2017; 50(4):278-281
·
50 GrassrootsHealth Magnesium and Vitamin K2 Combined
Important for Vitamin D Levels
Source: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/01/03/10-popular-supplements.aspx
