Blackhawk
Member
I am always on the fence about supplement use even though two doctors have prescribed me various supplements for various reasons. While I am not pro or against supplement use in any categorical way, I do believe strongly in caveat emptor. The supplement industry is rife with snake oil.
This may be old news, it certainly is a dated film, and full of typical expose type media interviewing using leading questions with inferences of guilt: Supplements and Safety
However, to me it does bring up some very pertinent points if you take supplements:
-Do you do diligent research into the efficacy of the supplements you take?
-Do you approach such research with a open mind or a preconceived bias?
-Do you have a tendency to want to believe in cures and longevity through the magic of taking a pill?
-Do you research and vet your sources?
-Do you obtain COAs for the supplements you buy?
-Do you actually know whether what you buy is even what the label states?
I take supplements, and in some cases have experimented by taking for a while then discontinuing for a while then restarting to see if I can actually feel a difference. In most cases this experimentation produces no discernible difference, but in some cases this practice indeed shows me things are working. That is not to say that feeling nothing means no benefit, but this just means the ultimate question remains... is this supplement actually useful or not? I still have questions even pertaining to things as simple as amount of vitamins C, D, E and B complex that remain unanswered. In some cases like with vitamin D, I have even been tested and blood levels determined, and with that I have a higher degree of confidence in appropriate supplementation, but even there, the evidence is not fully conclusive that more is better. Different studies show different results in terms of optimum levels.
So, I just post this as a point for discussion, and to see how much we collectively approach supplementation based on tangible research, testing and Dr recommendations vs succumbing to hype and belief without documentation.
This may be old news, it certainly is a dated film, and full of typical expose type media interviewing using leading questions with inferences of guilt: Supplements and Safety
However, to me it does bring up some very pertinent points if you take supplements:
-Do you do diligent research into the efficacy of the supplements you take?
-Do you approach such research with a open mind or a preconceived bias?
-Do you have a tendency to want to believe in cures and longevity through the magic of taking a pill?
-Do you research and vet your sources?
-Do you obtain COAs for the supplements you buy?
-Do you actually know whether what you buy is even what the label states?
I take supplements, and in some cases have experimented by taking for a while then discontinuing for a while then restarting to see if I can actually feel a difference. In most cases this experimentation produces no discernible difference, but in some cases this practice indeed shows me things are working. That is not to say that feeling nothing means no benefit, but this just means the ultimate question remains... is this supplement actually useful or not? I still have questions even pertaining to things as simple as amount of vitamins C, D, E and B complex that remain unanswered. In some cases like with vitamin D, I have even been tested and blood levels determined, and with that I have a higher degree of confidence in appropriate supplementation, but even there, the evidence is not fully conclusive that more is better. Different studies show different results in terms of optimum levels.
So, I just post this as a point for discussion, and to see how much we collectively approach supplementation based on tangible research, testing and Dr recommendations vs succumbing to hype and belief without documentation.
