In my previous post I wrote about foods to blacklist from your diet. Today I am writing about supplements to avoid.
- Do not purchase 714X. You have probably seen the commercials for this product on TV. It is supposed to be a cancer treatment. Also called trimethylbicyclonitramineoheptane chloride, the inventor claims it cures multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and other diseases. The American Cancer Society, our official research centers, or any other research facility have not found any evidence to substantiate those claims.
- Policosanol does not work. This supplement is used to treat cholesterol. It is derived from sugar cane and is found in popular multivitamins but it not effective in lowering your LDL or the bad cholesterol.
- Do not waste your money on herbal weight-loss products. Most of the time these products have no effect on losing weight and some can be harmful. Ephedra, for example, is now banned from the market. Just because a product says it is ephedra free doesn't mean the product is danger free.
- Saw palmetto extract does little to help an enlarged prostate. Men take saw palmetto as a treatment for enlarged prostate or a common condition known as prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A relatively new federally funded clinical trial found no difference in benefits between saw palmetto extract and a placebo.
- Glucosamine and chondroitin promise more than they give. Unless you are in severe pain from arthritis keep your money. In a random, double blind study, the supplements were found to be no more effective than a placebo against arthritis pain. Only a small subgroup, maybe the 20 percent with the worst pain, saw any meaningful benefit.
I am sure there are a slew of other supplement you think we need to avoid. Again, scroll down to comments and type your recommendations. Let's find out what the rest of us think.
To your successful well balanced health.
Ruthan Brodsky
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