Supplements are hot right now, with celebrities from Venus Williams and LeBron James to Arnold Schwarzenegger touting products in a global supplement market estimated to be $177.50 billion in 2023.
This is despite many nutritionists recommending that we get our nutrients from a healthy diet, with some supplements believing they are a waste of money.
Dr Zalan Alam, a family doctor in the UK who specializes in improving the quality of life of older people, told Business Insider that research on supplements can be conflicting and confusing, making it difficult to decide whether to take supplements.
“It’s all about customization,” he said. “It depends on your biological age and what you’re looking to aim for.”
He recommended talking to a medical professional about your health issues and priorities and making sure supplements don’t interfere with your medication.
Alam gets three extensions to address his health priorities, which he shared with BI.
Coffee with mushrooms
Alam drinks coffee containing extract of lion’s mane mushroom every morning. Lion’s comb is an adaptogen, which is a plant substance that studies suggest can help balance chemical reactions in the body and reduce stress, according to the Cleveland Clinic. However, research is still quite limited.
Alam started taking the lion’s mane to help him curb the coffee. Although coffee has health benefits, he was experiencing caffeine crashes and wanted to avoid the heart palpitations and increased blood pressure that could result from drinking too much.
Since he started using the lion’s dung/coffee mixture, he drinks far fewer cups each day, has noticed fewer energy crashes and feels less sluggish throughout the day, he said.
It’s unclear if this has anything to do with lion’s mane – there’s not much research on the mushroom’s effect on energy levels or lethargy. However, a 2024 review of studies published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews found that lion’s mane and other mushrooms can reduce anxiety, improve mood, and improve cognitive functioning. The researchers noted that more research needs to be done to confirm these findings.
Alam adds lion’s mane to his coffee. Photograph Michelle Lee/Getty Images
ZINC
Alam takes zinc in hopes that it might make him less sick when he is exposed to bugs from patients.
“Zinc doesn’t prevent you from getting a bug, but it does reduce how bad the bug or infection can be when you get it. So it can reduce the length of time you’re unwell, or you can reduce delays in your recovery,” he said. he.
A summary of the 2022 studies published in the journal Nutrients found that zinc appears to shorten the duration of colds and reduce symptoms, but more research is needed.
Most people in the U.S. get enough zinc from their diets, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, but Alam thinks taking zinc supplements is “worth a try” because most doses of zinc from store-bought supplements “won’t cause any harm.”
However, it’s important to note that too much zinc (more than 40 milligrams per day for adults) can lead to nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting and loss of appetite, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Vitamin D
From September until whenever the weather improves in spring, Alam also supplements his diet with vitamin D, which is needed for bone health, calcium absorption in the gut, reduced inflammation and immune function, according to the U.S. Office of for Dietary Supplements.
“Research says that if you tested every person in the UK at the end of a long winter, maybe 40% of us would be deficient in vitamin D. Especially with our lifestyles these days as we’re more indoors , he said. In the US, about 35% of adults are vitamin D deficient, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Guidelines for supplements vary around the world. For example, the UK government advises people to consider taking vitamin D during autumn and winter, while the Endocrine Society does not recommend vitamin D supplementation for healthy adults aged 19 to 74 because research does not suggest a clear amount that is effective. for disease prevention.
It is up to the individual to decide whether to take vitamin D supplements, but, like zinc, they are unlikely to cause harm when taken in safe amounts, Alam said.