INTERESTING BOOK ON SUPLEMETS .. Do You Believe in Magic? Vitamins, Supplements, and All Things Natu

Juan Vergara

Intriguing book I'm (still) reading recommend by john post (@johnpostmd)
He says:
Best book I bought in 2015? Do You Believe in Magic? Vitamins, Supplements, and All Things Natural: A Look Behind the Curtain @DrPaulOffit

It surely got me thinking!!!!

ezellrh

Juan, let us know what you think when you wrap it up. Interested.

Paul Hough

Uh...isn't John Post the medical director of Rock Star Triathlete Academy? Isn't Ben Greenfield one of the founders of Rock Star Triathlete Academy?

david ware

Post is part of ,friel's Training Bible Group.

Paul Hough

From his own bio:

Currently

Medical Director, Training Bible Coaching, 2007-present
Medical Director, Rock Star Triathlete Academy, 2010-present

Juan Vergara

MAIN LEARNING FROM THE FIRST HALF OF THE BOOK : "The dietary supplement industry is essentially unregulated. It's not overseen by the FDA as pharmaceutical products are. In fact, neither you nor I have any idea if any of these products are safe or effective! We simply don't know since the supplement industry operates under a different set of rules. Of the 54,000 products currently marketed only 170, that's one hundred seventy, or 0.3% have documented safety tests." SCARY!!!!

Paul Hough

Exactly...which is why when you buy supplements it is best to buy pharmaceutical grade and not food grade. Differences spelled out below:

Pharmaceutical Grade is the highest quality supplement. In order to receive the FDA grading of Pharmaceutical Grade the supplement not only has to be made according to Pharmaceutical Grade guidelines but all ingredients that go into the supplement must be processed according to Pharmaceutical Grade guidelines. If the ingredients are Food Grade ingredients then the supplements are Food Grade.

Pharmaceutical Grade supplements must be 98% to 99% pure. This means that they cannot be full of fillers and binders. Food Grade supplements can have upwards to 30% impurities, fillers and binders in them.

In order to have supplements be effective they must be absorbed into our bodies. When we take x-rays in our clinic, we often see multivitamins on the x-ray which means the body is not absorbing it very well.

Another difference between Food Grade and Pharmaceutical Grade supplements is the quality. This becomes important in supplements like Omega-3 and other oily supplements. The oils can go rancid if not processed and stored in the proper way. Many times Food Grade supplements are processed in a more inexpensive manner which causes the supplement to have an inferior quality. In the case of oils Food Grade supplements are often processed with high heat which is not good for the oily supplements.

Many times Food Grade supplements will be very inexpensive but it is just a waste of money to buy supplements at any price if they are not absorbed into your system. It is better to spend more on supplements and get a Pharmaceutical Grade supplement than to throw your money away on Food Grade supplements.

Food Grade supplements do not have to list on the label the fillers and binders. Due to this you have no idea what is really in these supplements. It may be that you really do not want to be putting some of this stuff in your body. They are allowed to throw a pile of substrate or powder on a cement flow, putting bleach on the product or radiating the substrate to kill any contaminants. Up to 88 different chemicals can be added to the products (to kill contaminants) which don’t have to be listed on the label.

How can you be sure that the supplement is Pharmaceutical Grade and not Food Grade? Very simple, call the company. As a general rule of thumb, if you’re getting from the grocery store or local big box store, you’re buying food grade products. If you get from a doctor or through a clinic, chances are you’re getting high end pharmaceutical grade product.