TONIGHT: AMA with Xand van Tulleken on wellness, supplements and health tech 7-8:30pm, post your Qs now!

[RayaMumsnet]

Hi there,

We’re delighted to announce an AMA with leading doctor, broadcaster and presenter Xand Van Tulleken, on Thursday 10 September, 7-8:30pm.

He’ll be discussing his new book Make Me Well: A Quest to Understand the Confusing World of Wellness

"There has never been a more confusing time to try to be healthy. In the past decade, the healthcare sector has witnessed a remarkable surge in innovation: drug design, genomics and diagnostic technology have all changed almost beyond recognition.

Simultaneously, there has been a significant expansion in consumer health services, including the supplement industry, blood testing, consumer genomics and wearable technology, which claim to improve “wellness” (emphasising physical and mental performance and longevity) rather than curing or preventing specific disease states.

For a typical consumer this is both confusing, as the health and wellness industries are almost indistinguishable, and expensive, as consumer health emphasises personalised products, often sold on a subscription basis. In Make Me Well, Xand van Tulleken investigates the new Wild West of the wellness industry, demystifying a landscape dominated by three products: supplements, blood testing, and wearable technology. In doing so, he shines a light on how people can take care of themselves better in this new and overwhelming world of wellness."

Please post your questions below and join Xand on the thread at 7pm on Thursday 10 Sept to hear the answers.

As always, please remember our guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil.

I'd be interested to hear what Dr Van Tulleken thinks about menopause supplements, particularly the ones that claim to influence hormonal fluctuations. Is there any truth to this claim? Are these supplements actually any use to women?

I’m seriously considering getting one of those health scans done (like Neko) but they’re quite expensive and I'm unclear from online reviews on how reliable or helpful they are.

Do you think they’re worth it? And generally a good thing to get done?

Of all the supplements and heath tech currently marketed to us, what’s the biggest waste of money and is there anything you think is generally worth paying for?

What are the best things to do in middle age in order to stay capable, independent and heathy in old age? Do finances play a part in this, for example, having money to afford equipment, health foods and supplements?

What is your opinion on microbiome testing? They are becoming more widely available. Can doing an analysis of the gut microbiome lead to personalised recommendations for improving health outcomes or even treating certain health problems like eczema, IBS etc?

Should I be taking any supplements if I feel really well? 41, fit and healthy, but everyone around me is taking magnesium, HRT, creatine, collagen - is the supplements market just an unregulated wild, wild west designed to feed into women's insecurities and anxieties? Which ones are actually worth investing in?

Is there any truth to the idea that multivitamins are helpful for mental health struggles (anxiety/depression).

Do you really need to take iron on an empty stomach?

Would you recommend creapure creatine to highly active mid 40s women?

My youngest child is nearly 3 and my hair has still not recovered from postpartum hair loss. Are there any supplements that would actually help? I have read Biotin only helps if you are deficient.

My ferritin is always low due to heavy periods (between 10 and 15). Should I be taking a daily iron tablet?

I was diagnosed with a functional B12 deficiency (where serum B12 levels appear normal, but B12 is not able to be used at the cellular level).. As it is almost impossible to get the correct tests done (for methylmalonic acid and homocysteine) to diagnose this - and GPs sometimes know nothing about it - I suspect there are huge numbers of people (especially perimenopausal / post-menopausal women) who have this hidden deficiency. Given that high homocysteine and methylmalonic acid levels are associated with a whole host of significant health issues (including memory loss, dementia, mental health issues (including anxiety and even psychiatric symptoms), muscle weakness, vision problems, neurological problems, CFS, (even hair loss @Iocanepowder!) - why oh why is B12 supplementation (via injection) not routinely encouraged / supported in older populations? Especially where there are suspicions of dementia? I honestly think B12 is one of the foundation stones for health and well-being, especially in an ageing population - so why is nothing being done about it, at a policy level?

Thank you!

As a MD, what credentials do you have to be an authority on this? Surely a medical nutrition professional aka Registered Dietitian, who is has a degree or Masters or doctorate in nutrition would be better placed or at least partnered with? Why don’t you doctors stay in your lane more? As an RD, if I pushed the amount of personal and professional bias onto the public as you and your brother do I could be struck off!

@PestoQueen sorry to hop in, I believe Dr Van Tullekin is also active in the field of epidemiology (certainly a few years ago i understood he had an academic post at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (they have a large epidemiology focus there).. if I am thinking of the correct Dr V T!

I’d like to understand the benefits or negatives for taking supplements for perimenopause whilst still continuing with fluxotine? Thanks

Firstly, I'd just like to say that I love your podcast series.
My question is : what do you think about the trend for having a tablespoon of virgin olive oil everyday? Is it beneficial or just a fallacy? How can it be good for you if it burns the back of your throat? Does it really help with weight loss?My husband takes this everyday.
Thank you.

There is so much conflicting advice about supplements, especially for women going through perimenopause. Which supplements, if any, are genuinely supported by strong scientific evidence, and how can we tell whether we actually need them rather than simply being influenced by clever marketing?

My daughter loves you! We came to watch your kids show at the Southbank Centre last year, it was great fun!

My question is this:

I have heavy bleeding and historically my levels were always low (vit d, iron, b12) but it seems I don't absorb tablets. I have had iron infusions previously. Now my levels are borderline there's no treatment via the GP. I'm continuously tired.

Do you think that the parameters are too high for intervention or is too much emphasis now placed on levels?
Essentially, do we make too much of levels and overtreat or are the boundaries too high thus people are undertreated?

Hi Xand - I read your interview in The Times - food for thought. Then when I went to bed I had restless legs and remembered I hadn’t taken my magnesium for a while.

Of the studies you looked at in your book, how many were looking specifically at women? Because I feel ageing for women is earlier and harsher than for men, and I wonder if supplements are more helpful for women than they are for men.

I'd like to ask about whey protein powders. I find an iced coffee with eg 26g protein (as promised on the side of the pack) every morning pretty useful - it's a big change for me as i have never been able to stomach any breakfast beyond slugging back a hot coffee.
BUT, it's undeniably ultra-ultra-processed. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts as I am definitely trying not to lose muscle in menopause (and am otherwise well up on cottage cheese and greek yog etc - just not first thing).

Hi there Chris,
Thanks for doing this. Can you talk about any supplements that perimenopausal/menopausal women who are not on HRT or intending to take it should be using, if any at all?

Hi there Chris,
Thanks for doing this. Can you talk about any supplements that perimenopausal/menopausal women who are not on HRT or intending to take it should be using, if any at all? Apologies, I haven't read the article yet.

Hi Dr Xand, Another perimenopausal/menopausal woman looking for help here! I'm really confused about supplements with many ailments going on, taking collagen, fish oil and multi vitamins. So repeat questions about HRT alternatives if might be intolerant/side effects and weight gsin concerns. Im suffering with IBS and eczema and have tried probiotics (like Symprove) for the former but unsure if that flares my eczema due to histamine. Its all a lot to think about.

What are some of the most surprising discoveries you made when researching this book?

Hello everyone! thanks so much for the questions!