Hey, does anyone take supplements - vitamins or stuff like probiotics, tinctures, or apple cider vinegar, or even cod liver oil, which is making a comeback as a thing
I am asking as I am taking a probiotic gummy, but then someone told me you can't take a probiotic in that form so it got me wondering
How do you research this stuff - if you Google it, you get a ton of ads, and then my algorithm on social media goes crazy
Is there reasonable research on supplements beyond vitamins?
Yes... I have a few that I take.
With probiotics, there are two forms that I find helpful. The first is a product called
Seed. It is a two-part capsule since a lot of the cultures in that form are killed in your gut. However real forms such as a good low to no sugar yogurt, AG1, or other forms are more bioavailable. Personally, I take
Yakult each day.
In regards to how you check quality, it is more complicated. Supplements are not required to get FDA approval and can make all sorts of crazy claims. The other is just because they are in one form when processed, does not guarantee they will be that way when they get you to.
MNM as an example is very unstable and has a super short shelf life. There are stabilized forms in research, but outside of that, look for the labels of USP, NSF, or ConsumerLab. I get a lot of stuff from
Bulk Supplements because it is just the raw ingredients and they have historically had great quality. As an example, I get my creatine from them and take 5 mg in the morning and 2.5 mg at night.
The other is research how to take your supplements. Much like vitamins, some are water soluble and some are fat soluble, and others like magnesium, require other elements, like zinc to be fully effective.
lastly, get a good understanding of what you need and why, and whenever possible, get it from a natural source instead of a pill. While you might think your doctor would be the best source of information, they almost never are. The medical industry requires almost no nutritional training to get your MD. A nutritionist might be your best source of information. They will likely run blood and hormone tests to better understand what is going on inside your body to give you a good recommendation.
