Supplements - come and critique my list

[SoWhatDoWeDoNow]

I couldn't decide whether this should be in S&B or health, but as my shallow primary concern is with my appearance rather than my health I have opted for S&B.

I need to lose 2 stones in weight, my skin is looking ropey and I'm peri-menopausal with raging PMT. I get moody, I get brain fog, I get anxiety, I eat carbs as a way of dealing with emotional stress, and I feel like a pathetic wreck most of the time, although on the face of it I am very together and capable.

I have dabbled with low-carb eating and supplements on and off for years, and I love it but struggle to stick to it, even though I know it works and makes me feel better.

I am going to really make an effort now, as I think it would help my PMT and my skin, as well as my weight.

I have bought loads of supplements to help kick start me and stave off cravings as well.

An over the counter appetite suppressant for those days when I need a little help. Caffeine, guarana, green tea, all the usual stuff. They do work as a way of helping me ease into ketosis, and are good for those days when I fall off the wagon - they stop me over-eating when being fed carbs by other people, hectic schedule etc.

Krill oil. supposedly the best source of all the most valuable omega oils, good for the mood swings, concentration, skin, PMT etc.

Cayenne capsules. Not sure what to expect from those really.
Are they going to give me an ulcer or terrible heartburn?

5-HT supplement. Ditto. Although they are talked about alot in conjunction weight loss and boosting serotonin levels. As my carby over-eating phases are usually triggered by emotions/anxiety and stress I was hoping this might help.

A probiotic.

Kelp for boosted iodine. good for regulating your thyroid and good to ward off cancer.

Melatonin for better sleep and concentration.

A mixed supplement of L-carnitane, Coenzyme Q 10 and chromium.

I have taken them all except the appetite suppressant and the kelp today. I am sort of waiting for there to be some weird explosive reaction in my stomach. I'm a bit nervous about the cayenne.

Any thoughts?

Christ on a bike. Do you rattle when you move?

I am 100% with Alaska on this one.

The only thing that I think might be worth persisting with is the green tea.

special, to be clear, I don't think supplements will help you lose weight, (I don't think anyone other than the OP has suggested this is a good plan), I am coming at this just from a health pov. Having said that, I do think our bodies may shout 'hungry' indiscriminately if they are lacking important nutrients so they may play a part in regulating appetite in that respect. However specific 'weight loss' or appetite suppressants are IMO, best avoided.

I posted my last comment before reading sofia's - it was me who mentioned food being mucked about with, by which I would include harvesting early and travelling long distances/sitting around. I suspect this is is less of an issue in Calofornia than in the UK

remus I think that's meant to be an insult, but I'm not quite sure what it means....I would love to have a translation....

minnesotanice I found that my asthma got much much worse when I started having pretty severe peri-menopausal issues and completely cleared up when I started taking low dose hormones. It also coincided with moving back to los angeles, so I'm sure the extra sunshine didn't hurt (I too read the recent reports about vit d and asthma).

sleep The paper that my father is publishing pulls together the various research and trials on vitamin d and adds to that a description of the biochemical pathway where vitamin d helps regulate appetite (among other things). The idea is that you have to modify diet and exercise, but it will be easier if you have enough vitamin d in your system. The problem is that people who are overweight are generally not eating a healthy diet, so that it's difficult to kickstart the systems in the body into doing appropriate self-regulation because they are missing the nutrients they need to do so. (sorry, hope that wasn't too convoluted).

Any thoughts?

Yeah. You really need to see a doctor qualified in nutritional medicine or a qualified nutritionist. I really wouldn't self-medicate. Some of these supplements may not be right for you, some may have pernicious side effects, and at the very least you could be wasting money.

I would throw out appetite suppressants, caffeine and guarana, and stick to green tea if you need energy (unless you want palpitations?) Never heard of krill oil, linseed, olive and cod liver oil are my way of covering the omegas.

I wouldn't take Kelp - google the side effects. Spirulina (blue green algae) is far safer, but you need an impeccably pure source such as 'Lifestream'.

Dunno what cayenne is supposed to do but it will probably give you indigestion.

This kind of nutritional strategy really needs to be overseen by someone who knows what they're doing.

sofia I'd be really interested to see the paper when it is published. Would it be possible to PM me a link please?

Yes, i'd be happy to. Why don't you send me a reminder through mumsnet and then I'll send it to you when it comes out.

Sofia I don't want to be rude, but the fact that your dad is doing some work on this topic doesn't make him right. Any papers are reviewed by peers and may be found to be not correct- just in the same way that you've dissed the links I posted.

There are many other papers and research showing that many common supplements can be dangerous or at best a waste of money- I just didn't have the time or inclination to link to them all.

There is controversy over Vit D- some people are evangelical over its use, others are more cautious. There is one scientist in particular in the UK who raves about it-( my work involves some research into this too for the media) maybe he is your dad? :)

More food for thought - here and here.

Firstly well done for wanting to do something about your energy levels etc etc.

Secondly, supplements can make a big difference - but only if you are deficient in what the supplement offers.

Thirdly, you are only going to really know if you are deficient if you see a professional.

I had some gut upset etc a few years back and went to a dietician. Did a stool test and discovered I had actually had hardly any good gut flora, and in particular one bad one that was causing my lower back pain (which I didn't even clock was a gut issue). The stool test informed which supplements etc I needed to take, and these, along with a changed diet, improved my health enormously over a 2 month period. So it can work, but I'd not recommend stabbing in the dark.

Can I also add that anyone seeking professional help should consult a dietitian not a nutritionist. They are not the same thing.

A dietitian has a degree and often a masters or PhD and can work in the NHS ( with diabetics etc etc ) as well as their own private clinics, whereas many nutritionists have 'mickey mouse' qualifications often done through short online courses- they are not 'medically' qualified, and don't have much more knowledge than a well-read lay person.

Sorry- but it's a bit of a bug bear of mine because I know some dietitians and there's a world of difference between the two.

Jaffa - your attempt at not being rude, although unsuccessful, is duly noted. My father is not in the UK but is one of the most cited scientists in the world. Of course his Vitamin D papers will be reviewed by his peers, as are all his papers before they are published. Is it possible that the real problem lies with the press and the lack of scientific education in many of the people who report the research which results in a lack of ability to discriminate between good and bad studies. (eg. How about all the media that blindly reported over and over Wakefield's studies without ever pointing out that it did not stand up in any way as a reliable clinical study including obvious issies like a sample group that was too small, and no test controls)

so the 'current and sophisticated science' is an unpublished paper by one scientist, who happens to be the Sofia's father. None of that invalidates it per se, but it isn't validated yet. Everything Sofia says is hedged about like a skin cream advert - but still, I wait to see the paper.

and it only refers to vitamin D. Not the dozens of pills that were in the original post.

no, much of the world doesn't get enough to eat. But we are talking about the ill-informed in a rich country who CAN get enough to eat, but instead think pills do magic and waste their money on them.

Sofia- I wasn't being rude, I was being frank and analytical. If you insist on perceiving some frank scepticism of your dad as rude, so be it.

No one knows who is on MN and although you are genuinely the daughter of this man, you could be anyone!

You must admit that if you are his DD then you will be biased perhaps?
As someone else has just said, one man's evidence in the huge sea of research does not prove anything. There is a huge amount of debate on all kinds of scientific issues and we all know only too well that the experts cannot agree on many topics.

Until recently, fish oils were the panacea for everything- now there is some evidence that they are of no benefit to older women re. heart disease.

The same applies to calcium supplements- now implicated in heart disease above 1200 mgs a day.

The same applies to Vitamin E once promoted as a preventative to heart disease- now seen as possibly dangerous.

The list goes on and on....

Evening primrose was once thought to help PMT- now it's not, although it might help breast pain.

If you want to, then post a link to your dad's research so we can all read it for ourselves.

Sigh. I think there is enough information on this thread to get the op started. special and jaffa I hope that you both manage to find happiness and health in your lives.

I hope you do too Sofia.

Get your dad to come on MN and state his case if he wants to- he'd be most welcome:)

There is a huge amount of research around 5HTP. Do some thorough reading and you'll find you won't need to take half the supplements on your list.
It will cut your carb craving, sort your sleep out after a period of adjustment, lift your mood and pmt, make the lack of daylight easier to deal with and make you feel better without making you manic.
Start small and work up to a twice daily dose that is right for you.
5HTP and krill oil should have you ready for anything. Good luck.

The Professor of Immunology I saw who rid me of migraines, eczema and unexplained allergies, sent me to a fully qualified nutritionist, (ie one trained in nutritional medicine), which NHS dieticians are not.

The Professor explained that NHS dieticians simply repeat the current medical dogma, and medical research in the area of diet is not particularly sophisticated, thus he does not use them.

But apparently no-one is more of an authority than Jaffacakes...

Coenzyme q is a con. It's other name ia ubiquinone as it's ubiquitous. You do not need it in synthetic form. It exists in the mitochondria of your cells. The fda do not support it as a supplement. There is no evidence that supplements do anything except cause flatulence in large doses.

I am a grumpy scientist. I hate the way the vitamin supplements industry takes advantage of people's ignorance. I hate the way the uk education system doesn't produce school leavers with enough basic scientific knowledge not to be manipulated by big companies making a quick buck on the back of their ignorance.

The things you have bought, probably at considerable expense, will at best give you more interesting urine. At worst, in the long term some damage to your kidneys and heart.

How interesting Twinkle- I am agog wondering if that was the same Prof of Immunology I saw who cured me of my eczema and migraines. Do tell!

I think you may be confusing two different types of people- there are many dietitians who are involved in quite ground breaking work into diet- one whom I know is doing a masters in allergy at Southampton Uni and treats her patients with a very open and well-informed mind.

I think it all depends on whether the dietitians have special interests.

You saw someone for allergies- the OP needs basic nutritional advice, as she doesn't have an illness as such.

Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist and slap a sign on their office door. But you can't do that with dietitians.

To be fair, it's not just the supplements industry that takes advantage of ignorance (and indeed fear) to sell products - pharmaceutical companies are equally guilty of that.

Personally I do not believe that supplements are necessary unless you are actually deficient, and I'm not convinced that synthetic vitamins are the answer even then.

That was to Marmite ^^

I'm not confusing anything Jaffa, simply pointing out the limitations of NHS dietiticians and that some nutritionists are well qualified.

I assume you know that a Masters is not a particularly advanced qualification.

I certainly agree with that Twinkle- they seem to be finding that many foods contain tiny trace elements that are beneficial for health which can't be or aren't replicated in manufactured vits and mins.

One of the biggest misnomers is that fruit juice is good for you- yet experts say that the amount of fruit needed for 1 glass of juice is way beyond what we would normally consume and is ridiculously high in sugar, even if is natural sugars, plus you don't get the fibre you'd get from eating 12 oranges.

Twinkle- you seen rather aggressive over this. Why?

You don't have the monopoly on knowledge on this any more than anyone else and I'm certainly not saying I do.

I think I made a very valid point to say that anyone can call themselves a nutritionist without being 'properly' qualified- and having done something like a 8 week online course.

I also don't know what you are on about re. a masters. A masters from a Russell Group uni which is one of the best - or maybe THE best- in the UK for allergy research is not particularly advanced? What would you say is then? Presumably a PhD?