Nutritional Supplements
Nutritional supplements have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My earliest childhood memories include that smell of an open bottle of antioxidants walking into my Nona’s bedroom at home. Turns out she was also ordering Vitamin K from Sweden in the late 1970’s.
My brother and I would take every opportunity to gulp down her chewable Vitamin C tables as kids. Mum would put fibre in the tin of Milo. Mum also worked in a pharmacy often giving us multivitamins, effervescent vitamin drinks and occasionally glucose tablets on sports days as kids.
This was all in the early to late 1980’s.
In the mid 1990’s my mates would spend money on cartons of beer while I’d spend money on cartons of Aussie Bodies Protein Revivals and tins of Exceed sports drinks.
In 1997 I lived in a dojo in Brisbane training Kyokushin Karate full time. The need for extra calories was necessary. I was introduced to protein powder and also creatine later that year by one of my training partners.
Fast forward to April 2003 and the Pan Pharmaceuticals recall happened in Australia. This was a big deal. The TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) served Pan Pharmaceuticals with an order to stop supplement production for 6 months. Turns out Pan supplied about 75% of all nutritional supplement brands of vitamins, minerals, fish oils and the like.
The supplement shelves at Mum’s pharmacy were bare. This experience taught me that most companies used great marketing to sell their products and a shared centralised facility to manufacture them.
The government is at it again with changes to the regulation of sports supplements here in Australia https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/resource/guidance/changes-regulation-sports-supplements-australia.
It’s clear the push is on for greater ‘regulation’ to limit anyone making any ‘claims’ in relation to nutritional supplements. It’s disguised as regulation. I see it as censorship. Instead of making claims about quality vitamins, minerals and fish oils being cheap, safe and effective to quote Andrew Saul; I’ll just share what I take daily.
It’s largely been this way since 2004.
AM1: 5:30am
Co-Enzyme Q10
Vitamin C
Joint Support
Mag/Cal
Electrolytes
Beta Alanine (a recent addition I’m trialling)
AM2: 10am/Breakfast
Multivitamin (vitamins & antioxidant support)
Multivitamin (broad spectrum mineral support)
Fish Oil
Mag/Cal
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Grape Seed Extract
Palmetto Product
Vitamin K2
Niacin
Creatine (a recent reintroduction I’m trialling again)
PM1: 6pm/Dinner
Multivitamin (vitamins & antioxidant support)
Multivitamin (broad spectrum mineral support)
Fish Oil
Mag/Cal
Vitamin C
Grape Seed Extract
Ashwagandha
Liver Support
Probiotics
PM2: 9pm
Joint Support
Vitamin C
A few others including eye support, cognitive support, immune support, vitamin E and the like are used on rotation, however the above are daily staples.
This is specific to me after 20 years of consistent trial, error and listening to my body. Currently in my mid 40’s, training around 10-15 hours a week, often double day sessions.
Dose, Duration and Frequency
Outside of product quality, the effectiveness of any protocol is determined by the dose, duration and frequency of use.
In terms of dose it’ll take too long to detail it all. I’ve heard Andrew Saul suggest the biggest side effect of vitamins is not taking enough. For me, a few of the daily doses are as follows: Vitamin C is 4+grams/day, Vitamin D is 4,000+IU/day, fish oil is 3,000+mg/day and Co-enzyme Q10 is 200+mg/day.
Duration is another factor. They’ll work for as long as you take them. The ideal duration of use is lifetime. The book you don’t read doesn’t help. It’s the same with the nutrition you don’t take.
Frequency wise, water soluble vitamins (the B vitamins and vitamin C) should be taken more frequently, while fat soluble vitamins (the others) can be taken once daily or less frequently. A good even bet is to spread them out taking them at least twice a day with food.
As already mentioned, product quality is an important consideration. This from my preferred supplier provides some insight. I’ve been to their facility, seen their processes first hand and met the scientists.
“Each raw material supplier is vetted by our Quality Assurance team to meet stringent quality measures.
Raw materials are sampled in house with testing to guarantee the quality of the lot of material received.
A state-of-the-art onsite laboratory allows qualified scientists to ensure the identity, purity, and potency of each ingredient and finished product—confirming the absence of contamination.
Extensive product records and standard operating procedures document and guarantee quality for every batch.
A robust stability program confirms products meet label claims throughout their shelf life”.
Safety
Obesity, heart disease, cancer, cognitive challenges, depression and the like are on the rise in the West. Everyday too many people are digging their own graves with a knife and fork due to poor food choices. Yet supplements can sometimes be thought of as risky or unsafe.
Forgive me if I find it difficult to keep a straight face.
As reported by the OMNS (Orthomolecular News Service) the 39th annual report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (1) shows throughout the year, in the entire USA, there was not one single death from a vitamin or mineral supplement. If they are dangerous, where are the bodies?
Ironically, prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer in the United States and Europe (2). I am not diminishing the value of prescription medication. Instead presenting a little known fact relating to the safety of nutritional supplements.
Practical Applications
Food is the foundation. Supplements are exactly as they are labelled, a supplement to quality food choices. The worse we eat the more valuable supplements become. The greater the expectations we have for our body, the more valuable supplements become. As we age the more valuable supplements become.
I started with a multivitamin and fish oil. Then added all the others one by one over the subsequent months, years and decades based on my needs and goals.
It’s also been my experience that consistency trumps complexity. Making one, two or three of the essentials a part of your daily habits for life is superior any temporary complexity in terms of product combinations.
Finally, you won’t know until you go. I didn’t know the quality of my sleep would improve significantly within a few months of supplementing back in 2004.
You can only find out through practical experience.
References:
- Gummin DD, Mowry JB, Beuhler MC et al. (2022) 2021 Annual Report of the National Poison Data System (NPDS) from America’s Poison Centers: 39th Annual Report, Clinical Toxicology, 60:12, 1381-1643, DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2022.2132768 https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2022.2132768
- Our Prescription Drugs Kill Us In Large Numbers https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25355584/
