Not taking vitamin B12 supplements or regularly eating B12-fortified foods may explain the higher stroke risk found among vegetarians.
Leonardo da Vinci had a stroke. Might his vegetarian diet have been to blame? “His stroke…may have been related to an increase in homocysteine level because of the long duration of his vegetarian diet.” A suboptimal intake of vitamin B12 is common in those eating plant-based diets (unless they take B12 supplements or regularly eat B12-fortified foods) and can lead to an increased level of homocysteine in the blood, which “is accepted as an important risk factor for stroke.”
“Accepted” may be overstating it as there is still “a great controversy” surrounding the connection between homocysteine and stroke risk. But, as you can see in the graph below and at 0:57 in my video Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors: Vitamin B12 and Homocysteine?, those with higher homocysteine levels do seem to have more atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries that lead up to the brain, compared to those with single-digit homocysteine levels, and they also seem to be at higher risk for clotting ischemic strokes in observational studies and, more recently, bleeding hemorrhagic strokes, as well as increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and all causes put together.
Even more convincing are the genetic data. About 10 percent of the population has a gene that increases homocysteine levels by about 2 points, and they appear to have significantly higher odds of having a stroke. Most convincing would be randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials to prove that lowering homocysteine with B vitamins can lower strokes, and, indeed, that appears to be the case for clotting strokes: Strokes with homocysteine-lowering interventions were more than five times as likely to reduce stroke compared with placebo.
Ironically, one of the arguments against the role of homocysteine in strokes is that, “assuming that vegetarians have lower vitamin B12 concentrations than meat-eaters and that low vitamin B12 concentrations cause ischaemic stroke, then the incidence of stroke should be increased among vegetarians…but this is not the case.” However, it has never been studied until now.
As you can see in the graph below and at 2:16 in my video, the EPIC-Oxford study researchers found that vegetarians do appear to be at higher risk.
And no wonder, as about a quarter of the vegetarians and nearly three-quarters of the vegans studied were vitamin B12-depleted or B12-deficient, as you can see below and at 2:23, and that resulted in extraordinarily high homocysteine levels.
Why was there so much B12 deficiency? Because only a small minority were taking a dedicated B12 supplement. And, unlike in the United States, B12 fortification of organic foods isn’t allowed in the United Kingdom. So, while U.S. soymilk and other products may be fortified with B12, UK products may not. We don’t see the same problem among U.S. vegans in the Adventist study, presumably because of the B12 fortification of commonly eaten foods in the United States. It may be no coincidence that the only study I was able to find that showed a significantly lower stroke mortality risk among vegetarians was an Adventist study.
Start eating strictly plant-based without B12-fortified foods or supplements, and B12 deficiency can develop. However, that was only for those not eating sufficient foods fortified with B12. Those eating plant-based who weren’t careful about getting a regular reliable source of B12 had lower B12 levels and, consequently, higher homocysteine levels, as you can see below and at 3:27 in my video.
The only way to prove vitamin B12 deficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in vegetarians is to put it to the test. When researchers measured the amount of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries, the main arteries supplying the brain, “no significant difference” was found between vegetarians and nonvegetarians. They both looked just as bad even though vegetarians tend to have better risk factors, such as lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The researchers suggest that B12 deficiency plays a role, but how do they know? Some measures of artery function weren’t any better either. Again, they surmised that vitamin B12 deficiency was overwhelming the natural plant-based benefits. “The beneficial effects of vegetarian diets on lipids and blood glucose [cholesterol and blood sugars] need to be advocated, and efforts to correct vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarian diets can never be overestimated.”
Sometimes vegetarians did even worse. Worse artery wall thickness and worse artery wall function, “raising concern, for the first time, about the vascular health of vegetarians”—more than a decade before the new stroke study. Yes, their B12 was low, and, yes, their homocysteine was high, “suggest[ing] that vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians might have adverse effects on their vascular health.” What we need, though, is an interventional study, where participants are given B12 to see if that fixes it, and here we go. The title of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study gives it away: “Vitamin B-12 Supplementation Improves Arterial Function in Vegetarians with Subnormal Vitamin B-12 Status.” So, compromised vitamin B12 status among those eating more plant-based diets due to not taking B12 supplements or regularly eating vitamin B12-fortified foods may explain the higher stroke risk found among vegetarians.
Unfortunately, many vegetarians resist taking vitamin B12 supplements due to “misconceptions,” like “hold[ing] on to the old myth that deficiency of this vitamin is rare and occurs only in a small proportion of vegans.” “A common mistake is to think that the presence of dairy products and eggs in the diet, as in LOV [a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet], can still ensure a proper intake [of B12]…despite excluding animal flesh.”
Now that we may have nailed the cause, maybe “future studies with vegetarians should focus on identifying ways to convince vegetarians to take vitamin B12 supplements to prevent a deficiency routinely.”
I have updated my recommendation for B12 supplementation. I now suggest at least 2,000 mcg (µg) of cyanocobalamin once weekly, ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement taken on an empty stomach, or at least 50 mcg daily of supplemental cyanocobalamin. (You needn’t worry about taking too much.) You can also have servings of B12-fortified foods three times a day (at each meal), each containing at least 190% of the Daily Value listed on the nutrition facts label. (Based on the new labeling mandate that started on January 1, 2020, the target is 4.5 mcg three times a day.) Please note, though, that those older than the age of 65 have only one option: to take 1,000 micrograms a day.
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. We call BS (Bad Science) on that! There are ways to help your aging dog go energetically (and pain- and fog-free) into their senior years, with plenty of new – or at the very least revived – tricks to boot. Starting with all-natural, all-healing, 100% safe ashwagandha.
Senior dogs, like senior people, face a unique set of health challenges. These include things like reduced mobility, aching joints, cognitive decline, and decreased energy levels, to name but a few. But it does not have to be this way: Ashwagandha to the rescue!
This adaptogenic herb has been helping humans thumb their noses at so-called geriatric decrepitude for more than 4,000 years. Now it’s increasingly gaining a reputation for doing the same for our furry best friends. KSM-66 Ashwagandha pure root extract, in particular, has shown enormous promise as a safe, natural remedy to support the health of our fur babies as they enter their sweet senior years – and improve their quality of life for longer.
Benefits of KSM-66 Ashwagandha for Senior Dogs
Enhanced Mobility
It comes as no surprise that one of the key issues with aging lies in achy, breaky joint health. Arthritis and joint pain are extremely common issues in older companion animals, significantly impacting their mobility and comfort. KSM-66 Ashwagandha’s anti-inflammatory properties can help manage these symptoms:
By reducing inflammation and pain in the joints, it can improve flexibility and movement.
This, in turn, improves your senior’s ability to once again enjoy their daily walks and playtime.
And this, in its turn, helps your dog stay active and engaged, which can only but improve their brain health.
It’s a veritable chain reaction of health benefits.
Boosted Energy and Vitality
As our beloved furballs age, they also often experience a decline in energy levels, leading to reduced activity and engagement. KSM-66 Ashwagandha tackles this by:
Regulating cortisol levels,
thereby promoting a balanced response to physical and emotional stressors.
Once that is under control, the knock-on effect is:
a natural boost in energy and vitality,
improved stamina, and even
a renewed, puppy-like zest for life.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
The aging process, undoubtedly, has the potential to be a stressful one. Things don’t work like they used to, and your dog is not immune to the feelings of confusion and frustration that arise from this. The end result? Added stress and anxiety to an already increased pain-load. (Thanks creaky joints.)
Here, too, KSM-66 can help, being clinically proven to help reduce both stress and pain! In a recent study, dogs who received KSM-66 showed a 27% reduction in anxiety, and a 44% reduction in pain severity!
Less stress, less pain; happier, healthier fur kids with a liveliness that belies their years. (Say hello, once more, to the zoomies!)
Supercharged Immune Function
A robust immune system is crucial for maintaining health in senior companion animals. (You don’t need eight plus years of veterinarian school to know this!)
KSM-66 Ashwagandha’s recognized immunomodulatory effects can help enhance the body’s natural defenses. By supporting immune function in this way it works to help protect your aging dog or cat from infections and illnesses, contributing to their overall well-being.
Improved Cognitive Function
One of the most significant challenges faced by any senior – pooch or person – is cognitive decline. This often manifests as confusion, disorientation, and changes in behavior. Help is, however, at hand.
KSM-66 Ashwagandha has antioxidant and neuroprotective properties that can support brain health and cognitive function by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. This translates to the potential for your dog to maintain mental clarity and alertness as they enter their golden years. All of which adds up to one thing: better quality of life for longer.
Need more convincing? A completed study, currently under peer review, presented conclusive proof that KSM-66 Ashwagandha can play a significant role in improved cognitive and emotional well-being in geriatric dogs. The study showed that when geriatric dogs were given KSM-66 supplementation, the following happened:
A significant improvement in Canine Dementia scale scores for sleep, anxiety altered activity, and disorientation.
A significant increase in Serotonin and Dopamine.
No adverse reactions occurred during the study period, which shows that ashwagandha is not only effective, but also safe!
None of us wants to see our beloved fur kids suffer; but all of us would like to keep them with us for longer! KSM-66 Ashwagandha offers us a natural ally to achieve the impossible: both quality of life and improved longevity for aging dogs. How’s that for a new trick?
Animal Wellness is North America’s top natural health and lifestyle magazine for dogs and cats, with a readership of over one million every year. AW features articles by some of the most renowned experts in the pet industry, with topics ranging from diet and health related issues, to articles on training, fitness and emotional well being.
What should we eat—and not eat—to lower the cardiovascular disease risk factor lipoprotein(a)?
Lipoprotein A, also known as Lp(a), is an independent, genetic, and causal factor for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. At any level of LDL cholesterol, our risk of heart attack and stroke is two- to three-fold higher when our Lp(a) is elevated. With a high enough Lp(a) level, atherosclerosis continues to progress even if we get our LDL cholesterol way down, which may help explain why so many people continue to have heart attacks and strokes even under treatment for high cholesterol. It’s been suggested that “it would be worthwhile to check Lp(a) levels in a patient who has suffered an event but has no traditional risk factors to explain it.” What’s the point of checking it, though, if there isn’t much we can do about it? “To date, no drug to reduce circulating Lp(a) levels has been approved for clinical use.”
Some researchers blame our lack of knowledge on the fact that Lp(a) is not found in typical lab animals, like rats and mice. It’s only found in two places in nature: primates and hedgehogs. Hedgehogs? How strange is that? No wonder Lp(a) is “an enigmatic protein that has mystified medical scientists ever since” it was first discovered more than half a century ago. But who needs mice when you have men? The level in our bloodstream is “primarily determined” by genetics. For the longest time, Lp(a) was not thought to be significantly influenced by factors such as diet. Given its similarity to LDL, though, one might assume lifestyle changes, “such as increased physical activity or the adoption of a healthy diet,” would help. “However, the effects of these interventions on Lp(a) concentrations are so far either only marginal or lacking in evidence,” but might that be because they have not tried a plant-based diet yet?
As I discuss in my video How to Lower Lp(a) with Diet, when it comes to raising LDL cholesterol, we’ve known for years that the trans fats found in meat and dairy are just as bad as the industrially produced trans fats found in partially hydrogenated oil and junk food. But, when it comes to Lp(a), as you can see below and at 2:05 in my video, trans fats from meat and dairy appear to be even worse.
Just cutting out meat and following a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet did not appear to help, but, as you can see below and at 2:19 in my video, when study participants were put on a whole food, plant-based diet packed with a dozen servings of fruits and vegetables a day, their Lp(a) levels dropped by 16 percent within four weeks.
Of course, in those 30 days, the study subjects also lost about 15 pounds, as you can see below and at 2:28, but weight loss does not appear to affect Lp(a) levels, so you figure that it must have been due to the diet.
If you’re already eating a healthy plant-based diet and your Lp(a) levels are still too high, are there any particular foods that can help? As with cholesterol, even if the average total cholesterol of those eating strictly plant-based may be right on target at less than 150, with an LDL under 70, there’s a bell curve with plus or minus 30 points that fall on either side, as you can see below and at 2:45 in my video.
Enter the “Portfolio Diet,” which is not only plant-based, but also adds specific cholesterol-lowing foods—so, think nuts, beans, oatmeal, and berries to drag cholesterol down even further. The infographic is below and at 3:11 in my video.
What about Lp(a)? Nuts have been put to the test. Two and a half ounces of almonds every day dropped levels, but only by about 8 percent. That is better than another nut study, though, that found no effect at all, as you can see below and at 3:29 in my video. An additional study found “no significant changes,” and researchers reported that subjects in their study “did not experience a change in Lp(a).” Ah, nuts.
There is one plant that appears to drop Lp(a) levels by 20 percent, which is enough to take people exceeding the U.S. cut-off down to a more optimum level. And that plant is a fruit: Emblica officinalis, otherwise known as amla or Indian gooseberry. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study asked smokers before and after the trial about their “mouth hygiene, cough with expectoration, shortness of breath on exertion, loss of appetite, feelings of impending doom, palpitation, sleep deprivation, irritability, heartburn and tiredness,” as well as such objective measurements as their blood count, cholesterol, DNA damage, antioxidant status, and lung function. The amla extract used “showed a significant improvement compared to the placebo group in all the subjective and objective parameters tested with no reports of adverse events.” No side effects at all. That’s unbelievable! No, that’s unbelievable. And indeed, it’s completely not true.
Yes, subjective complaints got better in the amla group, but they got better in the placebo group, too, with arbitrary scoring systems and no statistical analysis whatsoever. And, of the two dozen objective measures, only half could be said to reach any kind of before-and-after statistical significance and only three were significant enough to account for the fact that if you measure two dozen things, a few might pop up as positive if only by chance. Any time you see this kind of spin in the abstract, which is sometimes the only part of a study people read, you should suspect some kind of conflict of interest. However, no conflicts of interest were declared by the researchers, but that’s bullsh*t, as the study was funded by the very company selling those amla supplements! Sigh.
Anyway, one of those three significant findings was the Lp(a), so it might be worth a try in the context of a plant-based diet, which, in addition to helping with weight loss, can dramatically improve blood pressure (even after cutting down on blood pressure medications) and contribute to a 25-point drop in LDL cholesterol. Also, it may contribute to a 30 percent drop in C-reactive protein and significant reductions in other inflammatory markers for “a systemic, cardio-protective effect”—all thanks to this single dietary approach.
After years as a wellness writer, I’ve become all too aware of the fact that gut health is the foundation for a happy, healthy life. Because of this, I’m always looking for solutions to help me prioritize my gut and microbiome health—in ways that fit into my routine easily and effortlessly.
How do the nutrition and health effects of quinoa compare to other whole grains?
“Approximately 90% of the world’s calories are provided by less than one percent of the known 250,000 edible plant species.” The big three are wheat, corn, and rice, and our reliance on them may be unsustainable, given the ongoing climate crisis. This has spurred new interest in “underutilized crops,” like quinoa, which might do better with drought and heat.
Quinoa has only recently been introduced into the Northern Hemisphere, but humans have been eating quinoa for more than 7,000 years. Is there any truth to its “superfood” designation, or is it all just marketing hooey?
Quinoa is a “pseudograin,” since the plant it comes from isn’t a type of grass. “Botanically speaking quinoa is an achene, a seed-like fruit with a hard coat,” and it has a lot of vitamins and minerals, but so do all whole grains. It also has a lot of protein. As you can see below and in a series of graphs starting at 1:05 in my video Benefits of Quinoa for Lowering Triglycerides, quinoa has more protein than other grains, but since when do we need more protein? Fiber is what we’re sorely lacking, and its fiber content is relatively modest, compared to barley or rye. Quinoa is pretty strong on folate and vitamin E, though, and it leads the pack on magnesium, iron, and zinc. So, it is nutritious, but when I think superfood, I think of something with some sort of special clinical benefit. Broccoli is a superfood, strawberries are a superfood, and so is garlic, but quinoa? Consumer demand is up, thanks in part to “perceived health benefits,” and it has all sorts of purported benefits in lab animals, but there have been very few human studies.
The first trial was a before-and-after study of quinoa granola bars that showed drops in triglycerides and cholesterol, as you can see below and at 1:53 in my video, but it didn’t have a control group, so we don’t know how much of that would have happened without the quinoa. The kind of study I want to see is a randomized controlled trial. When researchers gave participants about a cup of cooked quinoa every day for 12 weeks, they experienced a 36 percent drop in their triglycerides. That’s comparable to what one gets with triglyceride-lowering drugs or high-dose fish oil supplements.
Which is better, regular quinoa or red quinoa? As you can see in the graph below and at 2:22 in my video, the red variety has about twice the antioxidant power, leading the investigators to conclude that red quinoa “might…contribute significantly to the management and/or prevention of degenerative diseases associated with free radical damage,” but it’s never been put to the test.
What about black quinoa? Both red and black quinoa appear to be equally antioxidant-rich, both beating out the more conventional white variety, as you can see in the graph below and at 2:46 in my video.
The only caveat I could find is to inform your doctor before your next colonoscopy or else they might mistake quinoa for parasites. As reported in a paper, a “colonoscopy revealed numerous egg-like tan-yellow ovoid objects, 2 to 3 mm in diameter, of unclear cause,” but they were just undigested quinoa.
For more on the superfoods I mentioned, check the related posts below.
I’ve spent my career as a registered dietitian working closely with supplements (yes, including for supplement companies). In the process, I’ve garnered much respect and appreciation for thoughtfully formulated, science-backed formulas and keep a pulse on what people are actually looking for in their supplements—because the two don’t always align.
The conversations around consumer protections, clean living, and sustainability has come a long way in the past two decades. Not only has it become part of the common cultural lexicon, but even sweeping legislative reforms that tackle regulation (in the form of MoCRA) have been passed.
For elite runners, proper nutrition is one of the key ingredients to success. But among the rigorous workouts and races, maintaining a balanced diet that’s optimized for performance and recovery can be a challenge on its own. That’s why the pros turn to trusted brands like NOW Sports to round out their training with essential nutrients. As the official sports nutrition partner of the Brooks Beasts Track Club, NOW fuels winners and record-setters—but its products are also useful for everyday runners. To learn more about how the Brooks Beasts are fueling for the win with NOW, we talked to Kyle Pfaffenbach, PhD, the team’s nutritionist and associate professor of health and human performance at Eastern Oregon University, and seasoned team member and world record holder Brannon Kidder. Here’s what they had to say.
Nutrition for Runners
Outside: Who are the Brooks Beasts, and why is their nutrition so important?
Kyle Pfaffenbach, PhD: The Brooks Beasts are a professional track team consisting of some of the world’s best middle-distance runners. Nutrition is one of the four foundational pillars of training, with workouts, sleep, and mental health being the others. Proper nutrition, first and foremost, promotes overall health and wellness. From a performance perspective, sound nutritional practices allow the Beasts to train effectively, recover properly, and race competitively.
Brooks Beasts are a professional track team consisting of some of the world’s best middle-distance runners. (Photo: Tim Healy/RunnerSpace)
What are some of the most beneficial supplements for runners?
Pfaffenbach: The most important point to remember is that supplements are just that—supplemental to a healthy diet. If a runner’s overall diet is not sorted, supplements rarely make up for that. Once a healthy diet is in place, one of the most important supplements is whey protein. Whey is a highly absorbable form of protein that kick-starts the recovery process when taken after each run. Next would be collagen peptides. Collagen peptides taken before runs may support ligament synthesis, which could help maintain healthy soft tissues.* There is also a variety of effective supplements that may offer benefits to runners, including beet root powder, creatine, beta-alanine, and tart cherry.
Why do Brooks Beasts choose to use NOW Sports Nutrition products over other brands?
Pfaffenbach: We trust NOW Sports. NOW is transparent with its testing and quality control. The supplements are manufactured in-house under very strict conditions. Many of the products in the Sports Nutrition line are third-party tested and certified through Informed Sport. Finally, we like that NOW offers uncomplicated, straightforward supplements in effective doses. They avoid overly complicated products with complicated blends that often have ineffectively small doses of the desired ingredients.
Fueling for Wins
Brannon, what does your daily regimen and post-workout for nutrition look like?
Brannon Kidder: For my daily nutrition goals, I typically focus on my macronutrient needs. I don’t count these values every day, but I have tracked them in the past to get an idea of what an ideal day would look like. Every day, I shoot for the same fat and protein goals and then vary the carbs to suit my needs. I always make sure that I am getting enough fats and protein first for my recovery. Then, I will make sure to fuel appropriately with carbs for my hard and long efforts. I eat carbohydrates every day, but the needs change for a five-mile recovery day versus a 15-mile run.
Even though the food changes from day to day to suit my training needs, I always focus on hydration and recovery.* I add an Effer-Hydrate tablet to my water before and during my workouts to help replenish what I’m losing through sweat. Then, I drink a shake using Whey Protein Concentrate with some carbs added following training.
As far as daily supplements, I’ll also take Beta-Alanine pre-workout to delay muscle fatigue and speed up recovery time.* And as part of my recovery plan, I use HMB Powder to help maintain muscle strength and mass.*
I have been a member of the Beasts for more than seven years, and I try to dial in nutrition a little more each year. When I’m eating well and using supportive supplements, it can really help optimize my performance.*
What have been some of your biggest accomplishments this season?
Kidder: We started off the outdoor season with a world record in the distance medley relay! It is a somewhat rare opportunity to run a relay as a professional. When the chance to run a DMR was presented to me and my teammates—Brandon Miller, Isaiah Harris, and Henry Wynne—we jumped at the opportunity. We were excited for the chance to race as a team again. There is something special about racing with and for your team rather than an individual event.
Going into the event, we were excited about assembling such a good team and thought we might be able to take a pretty good shot at a world record. On paper, we had the ability to do it, but most of the time your relay result isn’t as simple as adding up everyone’s on-paper personal bests. I think we were able to get the record because we were all running for each other. We knew it would take all four of us having a good day to get the record, and we got the job done. I ran better than I would have knowing my three teammates were relying on me. The season is just getting started, but that has definitely been my biggest accomplishment so far.
What advice can you give runners working toward personal goals in the sport?
Kidder: Whenever I’m asked this question, my answer is always “be consistent.” Running is a sport that really gives you back what you put into it, but sometimes those gains are measured in months and years rather than days and weeks. It’s hard to tell in the moment, but having many solid days stacked on top of each other is the best way to improve. A bunch of good workouts and runs will always beat some great workouts surrounded by inconsistency.
NOW® Sports products have been recognized among the best in the industry, backed by world-class research and development standards and quality-sourced ingredients, to support a range of sports nutritional needs for professional to everyday athletes.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Harness the power of your circadian rhythms for weight loss by making breakfast or lunch your main meal of the day.
In my last chronobiology video, we learned that calories eaten at breakfast are significantly less fattening than the same number of calories eaten at dinner, as you can see at 0:14 in my video Breakfast Like a King, Lunch Like a Prince, Dinner Like a Pauper, but who eats just one meal a day?
What about simply shifting our daily distribution of calories to earlier in the day? Israeli researchers randomized overweight and obese women into one of two isocaloric groups, meaning each group was given the same number of total calories. One group got a 700-calorie breakfast, a 500-calorie lunch, and a 200-calorie dinner, and the other group got the opposite—200 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch, and 700 for dinner. Since all of the study participants were eating the same number of calories overall, the king-prince-pauper group should have lost the same amount of weight as the pauper-prince-king group, right? But, no. As you can see in the graph below and at 1:01 in my video, the bigger breakfast group lost more than twice as much weight, in addition to slimming about an extra two inches off their waistline. By the end of the 12-week study, the king-prince-pauper group lost 11 more pounds than the bigger dinner group, dropping 19 pounds compared to only 8 pounds lost by the pauper-prince-king group—despite eating the same number of calories. That’s the power of chronobiology, the power of our circadian rhythm.
What was the caloric distribution of the king-prince-pauper group getting 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 at dinner? They got 50 percent of calories at breakfast, 36 percent at lunch, and only 14 percent of calories at dinner, which is pretty skewed. What about 20 percent for dinner instead? A 50% – 30% – 20% spread, compared to 20% – 30% – 50%?
Again, the bigger breakfast group experienced “dramatically increased” weight loss, a difference of about nine pounds in eight weeks with no significant difference in overall caloric intake or physical activity between the groups, as shown in the graph below and at 1:57 in myvideo.
Instead of 80 percent of calories consumed at breakfast and lunch, what about 70 percent compared to 55 percent? Researchers randomized overweight “homemakers” to eat 70 percent of their calories at breakfast, a morning snack, and lunch, leaving 30 percent for an afternoon snack and dinner, or a more balanced 55 percent from the time they woke up through lunch. In both cases, only a minority of calories were eaten for dinner, as you can see below, and at 2:25 in my video. Was there any difference between eating 70 percent of calories through lunch versus only 55 percent? Yes, those eating more calories earlier in the day had significantly more weight loss and slimming.
Concluded the researchers: “Stories about food and nutrition are in the news on an almost daily basis, but information can sometimes be confusing and contradictory. Clear messages should be proposed to reach the greatest number of people. One clear communication from physicians could be ‘If you want to lose weight, eat more in the morning than in the evening.’”
Even just telling people to eat their main meal at lunch rather than dinner may help. Despite comparable caloric intakes, participants in a weight-loss program randomized to get advice to make lunch their main meal beat out those who instead were told to make dinner their main meal.
The proverb “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper” evidently has another variant: “Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner away to your enemy.” I wouldn’t go that far, but there does appear to be a metabolic benefit to frontloading the bulk of your calories earlier in the day.
The evidence isn’t completely consistent, though. A review of dietary pattern studies questioned whether reducing evening intake would facilitate weight loss, citing a study that showed the evening-weighted group did better than the heavy-morning-meal group. Perhaps that was because the morning meal group was given “chocolate, cookies, cake, ice cream, chocolate mousse or donuts” for breakfast. So, chronobiology can be trumped by a junk-food methodology. Overall, the what is still more important than the when. Caloric timing may be used to accelerate weight loss, but it doesn’t substitute for a healthy diet. When he said there was a time for every purpose under heaven, Ecclesiastes probably wasn’t talking about donuts.
When I heard about this, what I wanted to know was how. Why does our body store less food as fat in the morning? I explore the mechanism in my next video, Eat More Calories in the Morning Than the Evening.
This is the fifth video in an 11-part series on chronobiology. If you missed the first four, check out the related posts below.
I discuss why we may not want to exceed the recommended intake of protein.
Diabetes isn’t just about the amount of body fat, but also the distribution of body fat. At 0:26 in my video Are BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) Healthy?, you can view cross-sections of thighs from two different patients using MRI. In the images, the fat shows up as white and the thigh muscle is black. At first glance, you might think the bottom cross-section has more fat since it’s ringed with more white. That is the subcutaneous fat, the fat under the skin. But, if you look at the top cross-section, you’ll see how the middle of the thigh muscle is more marbled with fat, like those really fatty Japanese beef steaks. That is the fat infiltrating into the muscle. In the graph below and at 0:48 in my video, the two cross sections are colored so you can see the different types of fat: the fat infiltrating the muscle in red, the fat between the muscles in green, and subcutaneous fat outside of the muscles and under the skin in yellow. If you add up all three types of fat, both of those thighs actually have the same amount of fat—just distributed differently.
This seems to be the critical factor in terms of determining insulin resistance, the cause of type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that the subcutaneous adipose tissue, the fat right under the skin, was not associated with insulin resistance. Going back to the two cross sections, as seen below and at 1:20 in my video, it is healthier to have the bottom thigh with the thicker ring of subcutaneous fat but less fat infiltrating muscle than the top thigh with more fat present in the muscle.
Is it possible a more plant-based diet also affects a more healthful distribution of fat?
We now know the effect of a vegetarian diet versus a conventional diabetic diet on thigh fat distribution in patients with type 2 diabetes. Researchers took 74 people with diabetes and randomly assigned them to follow either a vegetarian diet or a conventional diabetic diet. Both diets were calorie-restricted by the same number of calories. The vegetarian diet was also egg-free, and dairy was limited to a maximum of one serving of low-fat yogurt a day. What did the researchers find? The reduction in the more benign subcutaneous fat was comparable; it was about the same in both groups. However, the more dangerous fat—the fat lodged inside the muscle itself—“was reduced only in response to a vegetarian diet.” So, even getting the same number of calories, there can be a healthier weight loss on a more plant-based diet.
Those eating strictly plant-based also had lower levels of fat stuck inside the individual muscle fibers themselves, which may help explain why vegans in particular are often found to have the lowest odds of diabetes. It is not just because vegans are generally slimmer either. Even if you match subjects pound for pound, there is significantly less fat inside the muscle cells of vegans compared to omnivores. This is a good thing, since storing fat in muscle cells “may be one of the primary causes of insulin resistance,” which is what’s behind both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, if you put someone on a high-fat diet, the fat in their muscle cells shoots up by 54 percent in just a single week.
What about a high-protein diet? That may undermine one of the principal benefits of weight loss: eliminating the weight-loss-induced improvement in insulin resistance. Researchers put obese individuals on a calorie-restricted diet of less than 1,400 calories a day until they lost 10 percent of their body weight. Half of the participants were getting more of a regular protein intake (73 grams a day), and the other half were on a higher-protein diet (about 105 daily grams). Normally, if you lose 10 percent of your body weight, your insulin resistance improves. That’s why it is so critical for obese individuals with type 2 diabetes to lose weight. However, the beneficial effect of a 10 percent weight loss was eliminated by the high protein intake. Those extra 32 grams of protein a day abolished the weight-loss benefit. “The failure to improve…insulin sensitivity in the WL-HP [weight-loss high-protein] group is clinically important because it reflects a failure to improve a major pathophysiological [cause-and-effect] mechanism involved in the development of T2D,” type 2 diabetes. In summary, the researchers concluded that they demonstrated “the protein content of a weight loss diet can have profound effects on metabolic function.”
Is this true of any protein? As you can see below and at 4:19 in my video, if you split it between animal protein versus plant protein, following people over time, intake of animal protein is associated with an increased risk of diabetes in most studies.
Intake of plant protein, however, appears to have either a neutral or even protective association with diabetes, as shown below and at 4:25 in my video.
Those were just observational studies, though. People who eat a lot of animal protein might have many unhealthy behaviors. However, you see the same thing in randomized, controlled, interventional trials, where you can improve blood sugar control just by replacing sources of animal protein with plant protein.
We think it may be the branched-chain amino acids concentrated in animal protein. Higher levels in the bloodstream are associated with obesity and the development of insulin resistance. As you can see below and at 5:00 in my video, we may be able to drop our levels by sticking to plant proteins, but you don’t know if that has metabolic effects until you put it to the test.
Ruining the suspense, researchers titled their study: “Decreased Consumption of Branched-Chain Amino Acids Improves Metabolic Health.” They demonstrated that “a moderate reduction in total dietary protein or selected amino acids can rapidly improve metabolic health,” and this included improving blood sugar control, while also decreasing body mass index (BMI) and body fat. As you can see at 5:27 in my video, the protein-restricted group was eating hundreds more calories per day, significantly more calories than the control group, so they should have gained weight. But, no. They lost weight! After about a month and a half, they were eating more calories but lost more weight—about five more pounds than participants in the control group who were eating fewer calories, as you can see at 5:38 in my video. What’s more, this “protein restriction” had people eat the recommended amount of protein per day, about 56 daily grams. They should have been called the normal protein group or the recommended protein group instead, and the group eating more typically American protein levels and suffering because of it should have been called the excess protein group. Just sticking to the recommended protein intake doubled the levels of a pro-longevity hormone called FGF21, too, but we’ll save that for another discussion.
I have several additional videos and blogs that may help explain some of the benefits of plant-based proteins. Check in the related posts below.
Of course, the best way to treat type 2 diabetes is to get rid of it by treating the underlying cause, as described in my video How Not to Die from Diabetes.
Are there any safe and effective dietary supplements for weight loss?
In a previous discussion, I noted that an investigation found that four out of five bottles of commercial herbal supplements bought at major U.S. retailers—GNC, Walgreens, Target, and Walmart—didn’t contain any of the herbs listed on their labels, instead “often containing little more than cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants…”
You might hope your supplement just contains houseplants. Weight-loss supplements are infamous for being “adulterated with prescription and over-the-counter” drugs. In a sampling of 160 weight-loss supplements that “were claimed as 100% natural,” more than half were tainted with drugs and active pharmacological ingredients, ranging from antidepressants like Prozac to erectile dysfunction medications like Viagra. Diuretic drugs are frequent contaminants, which makes sense. In my previous videos on ketogenic diets, I talk about rapid water loss being “the $33-billion diet gimmick” that has sold low-carb diets for more than a century. But why the Viagra?
At least the spiked Viagra and Prozac are legal drugs. Researchers in Denver tested every weight-loss supplement they could find within a ten-mile radius. Alarmingly, they found that a third were adulterated with banned ingredients. The most common illegal adulterant of weight-loss supplements is sibutramine, which was sold as Meridia before it was yanked off the market back in 2010 for heart attack and stroke risk. Now, it is also blamed for cases of slimming supplement–induced psychosis.
An analysis of weight-loss supplements bought off the internet that were advertised with claims like “purely natural products,” “harmless,” or “traditional herbal” found that a third of them contained high doses of the banned drug sibutramine and the rest had caffeine. Wouldn’t you be able to tell if caffeine was added to a supplement? Perhaps not, if it also had temazepam, a controlled substance (benzodiazepine) “downer” sedative found in half of the caffeine-tainted supplements.
Doesn’t the FDA demand recalls of adulterated supplements? Yes, but they often just pop back up on store shelves. Twenty-seven supplements were purchased at least six months after recalls were released, and two-thirds still contained banned substances. That’s 17 out of 27 with the same pharmaceutical adulterant found originally, and 6 containing one or more additional banned ingredients. Aren’t the manufacturers penalized for noncompliance? Yes, but “the fines for violations are small compared to the profits.”
One of the ways supplement makers can skirt the law is by labeling them as “not intended for human consumption because it shifts the responsibility from the seller to the user”—for example, labeling the fatal fat-burner DNP as “an industrial- or research chemical.” This is how designer street drugs can be sold openly at gas stations and convenience stores as “bath salts.” Another way is to claim synthetic stimulants added to slimming supplements are actually natural food constituents, like listing the designer drug dimethylamylamine (DMAA) as “geranium oil extract.” The FDA banned it in 2012 after it was determined that DMAA “was not found in geraniums.” Who eats geraniums anyway? Despite being tentatively tied to cases of sudden death and associated with hemorrhagic stroke, DMAA has continued to be found in weight-loss supplements with innocuous names like Simply Skinny Pollen made by Bee Fit with Trish.
There is little doubt that certain banned supplements, like ephedra, could help people lose weight. “There’s only one problem, and it’s a big one: This supplement may kill you,” wrote a founding member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine.
Are there any safe and effective dietary supplements for weight loss? As I discuss in my video Friday Favorites: Are Weight-Loss Supplements Safe and Effective?, when popular slimming supplements were put to the test in a randomized placebo-controlled trial, not a single one could beat out placebo sugar pills. “A systematic review of systematic reviews” of diet pills came to a similar conclusion: None appears to generate appreciable impacts “on body weight without undue risks.” That was the conclusion reached in a similar review out of the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins, which ended with: “In closing, it is fitting to highlight that perhaps the most general and safest alternative/herbal approach to weight control is to substitute low-energy density [low-calorie] foods for high-energy density and processed foods, thereby reducing total energy intake.” In other words, eat more whole plant foods and fewer animal foods and junk. “By taking advantage of the low-energy density [low-calorie] and health-promoting effects of plant-based foods, one may be able to achieve weight loss, or at least assist weight maintenance without cutting” down on the volume of food consumed or compromising its nutrient value.
Only 2 out of 12 supplement companies were found to have weight-loss products that were even accurately labeled.
According to a national survey, one-third of adults who have made serious attempts at weight loss have tried using dietary supplements, for which Americans spend billions of dollars every year. Most people mistakenly thought that over-the-counter appetite suppressants, herbal products, and weight-loss supplements had to be approved for safety by a governmental agency, like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), before being sold to the public or at least include some kind of warning on the label about potential side effects. Nearly half even thought they had to demonstrate some sort of effectiveness. None of that is true.
As I discuss in my video Friday Favorites: Are Weight Loss Supplements Safe and Effective?, the “FDA has estimated that dietary supplements cause 50,000 adverse events annually,” most commonly liver and kidney damage. Of course, prescription drugs don’t just have adverse effects; they kill more than 100,000 Americans every year. But, you at least notionally have the opportunity to parse out the risks versus benefits of prescription drugs, thanks to testing and monitoring requirements typically involving thousands of individuals.
When the manufacturer of Metabolife 356, a supplement containing ephedrine, had it tested on 35 people, only minor side effects were found, such as dry mouth, headache, and insomnia. However, once unleashed on a broad population, nearly 15,000 adverse effects were reported, including heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and deaths, before it was pulled from the market.
Given the lack of government oversight, there is no guarantee that what’s on the label is even in the bottle, as you can see in the graph below and at 1:55 in my video. FDA inspectors have found that 70 percent of supplement manufacturers violated so-called Good Manufacturing Practices, which are considered the minimum quality standards. This includes things like basic sanitation and ingredient identification. Not 7 percent in violation, but 70 percent.
DNA testing of herbal supplements across North America found that most could not be authenticated. In a significant percentage of the supplements tested, the main labeled ingredient was missing completely and substituted with something else. For example, a so-called St. John’s wort supplement contained nothing but senna, a laxative that can cause anal blistering. Only 2 out of 12 supplement companies had products that were accurately labeled.
This problem isn’t limited to fly-by-night phonies in some dark corner of the internet either. The New York State Attorney General commissioned DNA testing of 78 bottles of commercial herbal supplements sold by Walgreens, Walmart, Target, and GNC “and found that four out of five…did not contain any of the herbs on their labels.” Instead, the capsules “often contained little more than cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants…”
See what a penny a day’s worth of garlic powder can do.
In ancient Greece, “the Art of Medicine was divided into three parts”: cures through diet, cures through drugs, and cures through surgery. Garlic, Hippocrates wrote, was one such medicinal food, but that was to treat a nonexistent entity called “displacement of the womb,” so ancient wisdom can only go so far.
Those who eat more than a clove of garlic a day do seem to have better artery function than those who eat less than that, but you don’t know if it’s cause-and-effect until you put it to the test.
As I discuss in my video Benefits of Garlic Powder for Heart Disease, heart disease patients were randomized to receive either garlic powder or placebo tablets two times a day for three months. Those lucky enough to be in the garlic group got a significant boost in their artery function—a 50 percent increase in function from taking only 800 mg of garlic powder a day. That’s just a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder. A 50 percent increase in artery function for less than a penny daily!
If regular, plain old garlic powder can do that, what about those fancy Kyolic® aged garlic extract supplements? They can be 30 times more expensive and don’t work at all. After four weeks, there was zero significant improvement. It’s hard to improve on Mother Nature.
Garlic powder can improve the function of our arteries, but what about the structure of our arteries? Dozens of studies on garlic all compiled together show that garlic can reduce cholesterol levels in the blood by more than 16 points. So, might garlic powder actually be able to slow the progression of atherosclerosis? Researchers studied a garlic powder tablet versus a placebo for three months. As you can see below and at 1:42 in my video, the placebo group got worse, which is what tends to happen. Eat the same artery-clogging diet, and your arteries continue to clog. However, the progression of the disease appeared to slow and even stall in the garlic group.
Of course, it would be nice to see the thickening of the artery wall reverse, but, for that, one might have to add more plants than just garlic to one’s diet. Still, though, that same quarter teaspoon of a simple spice available everywhere may be considered as an adjunct treatment for atherosclerosis, the number one killer of both men and women in the United States and around much of the world.
What about garlic for high blood pressure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials “demonstrated that garlic has a statistically significant and clinically meaningful effect” on both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, reducing the top number by nearly seven and the bottom number by about five. That may not sound like a lot, but reducing diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by five points can reduce the risk of stroke by about a third and heart disease by 25 percent, as you can see in the graph below and at 2:38 in my video.
“Plant-based medicine provides beneficial effects, alongside with only minimal or no complications”—that is, little or no side effects—“and compared to other medicine are relatively cost-effective.” I’d say so, at as little as a penny per day.
There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.
Are you looking for something to help you
stay young?
Many people who want to stay looking and
feeling like they did in their youth shop around for the best DHEA supplement
to help them achieve this goal.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone that is produced by your body, and then converted to sex hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen.
The amount of each hormone that this supplement converts to depends on your biochemistry, age, and sex. However, after the age of 30, your body’s ability to produce DHEA declines.
And, since your body’s ability to produce testosterone and estrogen also declines with age, people turn to DHEA supplements to help balance their hormones and to stay healthy.
But with so many options on the market,
how do you choose the best DHEA supplement?
In this article, we will look at nine of the best DHEA supplement products available on the market to help prevent disease and maintain your youth.
But
first, let’s take a deeper look into what DHEA is and its possible benefits
when used in supplemental form.
Our Top Picks for the Best DHEA Supplements
If you’re a busy person who doesn’t have time to read this entire review, we’ve simplified everything. Here is a table to show you a quick rating of the best DHEA supplements.
Why Take a DHEA Supplement?
DHEA functions in a variety of ways in your body, including converting to testosterone or estrogen if your body is low in either of these hormones.
As a natural hormone balancer, DHEA helps optimize your health in a variety of ways. If you already have healthy levels of these hormones, your body will use DHEA for other functions such as metabolism, aging, and overall well being.
As you age and your levels of DHEA decline, your probability of developing several health issues increases. Studies have found a correlation between levels of DHEA and disease outcomes.
Specifically, taking a DHEA supplement could benefit those who are suffering from depression, lupus, obesity, inflammation, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and adrenal fatigue.
Additionally, low levels of DHEA may accelerate aging and increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, HIV, and a variety of psychological diseases.
Taking supplements can improve the hydration, thickness, and overall appearance of your skin as you age. It has also been known to help increase bone density, therefore reducing your likelihood of developing osteoporosis.
When it comes to your mental health, studies have found that taking DHEA supplements can relieve mild to moderate depression.
This means that short-term use of DHEA supplements could be very helpful for people suffering from depression who are unable to tolerate anti-depression prescription medications.
Because it acts as a hormone balancer, DHEA can also help regulate mood swings that occur due to hormonal changes.
DHEA also reduces inflammation, which is important for everyone, but specifically, metabolic syndrome is linked to inflammation in the body and can be a result of low DHEA.
When supplementing with DHEA to decrease inflammation, you’re helping protect your body from a vast array of chronic disorders.
Your DHEA levels steadily decline at a rate of 5% per year after they peak in your 20s, which can contribute to a weakened immune system, a decline in cognitive function, and poor physical strength.
DHEA is also negatively impacted by cortisol, which suggests that your stress levels can reduce your body’s amount of this important hormone.
Because you cannot consume DHEA through your diet, it is often a good idea to take a DHEA supplement to add to what your adrenal glands are able to produce naturally.
How to Choose the Best DHEA
Supplement
While there are a lot of options on the market, some DHEA supplements are more effective than others.
One study analyzed the quality of various DHEA supplements and found that while most of the products came within 10% of the amount of DHEA that was reported on the label, some products contained almost no DHEA at all.
On the other hand, they study found that some supplements had up to 50% more DHEA in them than the amount reported on the label.
This
study emphasizes the importance of using a high-quality DHEA supplement, so
make sure you’re buying from a reputable brand and the label on the product
explicitly states how much DHEA is contained in the supplement.
Dosing
Three to six weeks after you start taking DHEA, you should have a blood test to verify the proper dosing for your needs. Failing to do this could result in taking a daily dose that is unhealthy for you.
DHEA blood testing may ultimately save you money if it shows your optimal dosage of DHEA is less than what you believed it was in order to maintain proper DHEA serum levels.
The optimal range of DHEA levels for men is between 400 and 560, and for women, it is between 350 to 430.
Without supplementing with DHEA, those who are over 40 typically have DHEA levels that are below 200, and oftentimes, closer to zero.
Side Effects
DHEA is generally well tolerated, but you may experience some side effects when taking this supplement. Some possible side effects include congestion, headaches, fatigue, acne, and excess sebum production.
Most of these can be managed if you can determine your proper dosing needs.
9 Best Brands of DHEA Supplements
Now that you know the potential importance of supplementing your diet with DHEA, let’s look at the best DHEA supplements to enhance your health.
Superior Labs Extra Strength Natural DHEA is the best overall choice for supporting a healthy immune system and overall health. Each capsule has 100 mg of 100% DHEA without the addition of magnesium, preservatives, or dioxides.
Without any unnecessary synthetic additives, this supplement is made only with high-quality ingredients.
All of the ingredients in this supplement are tested for heavy metals and bacteria that may potentially be harmful that is commonly found in plant material.
This pure DHA supplement is made without GMOs and is put through safety, potency, and purity tests to guarantee its quality. The vegetarian capsules are free from pesticides, allergens, and additives.
Aside from pure DHEA, these capsules only contain natural rice flour and plant cellulose for the vegetable capsule.
This supplement is produced in facilities that are regularly tested and certified by NSF, which is among the strictest quality manufacturing assurance companies.
The company also offers a 100% money-back guarantee to back up their product.
And, one thing that customers especially like about this product is that the company behind it has a very positive reputation and only manufactures DHEA and related products, which means their focus is clear.
Customers have noted that after taking this supplement, they have experienced an improvement in their mood, mental clarity, energy, and muscle strength.
The 100 mg DHEA vegetarian capsules are easy to swallow and can be taken once or twice each day. With 60 capsules in the bottle, this product will last you one to two months.
PROS
Best overall option for immunity and wellbeing
Go through strict quality testing
Easy to swallow
CONS
More expensive than other products
Some users notice an increase in acne
Users’ experiences vary
2. Best Value for the Money: Zhou Nutrition DHEA 50 mg Supplement
The formula facilitates optimal levels of DHEA to help slow down the aging process and maintain your mental clarity.
This option will help you regain control and restore your peak DHEA levels with just one veggie capsule each day.
Along with age and
increased levels of stress, your adrenal gland is unable to make as much DHEA
as it once could. This supplement helps your body make up for what is lost
through adrenal fatigue and aging.
Zhou Nutrition puts their DHEA supplements through a strict quality assurance process and follows procedures and documentation protocol to make sure that each of their products contains the exact strength, purity, and composition that is labeled on the bottle.
This allows consumers to purchase this supplement with confidence, knowing that they are getting exactly what they see listed.
Zhou Nutrition uses the highest-quality ingredients and follows GMP during production.
They then test all of their products in a second lab before releasing them for sale, so users can be sure that they are getting only the best ingredients in your supplement.
PROS
The ideal option for people who want to slow down signs of aging
Easy to swallow
Has no aftertaste
CONS
50mg may be too high of a dose for some people
Some report a side effect of hair loss
May cause stomach discomfort
3. Best for Muscle Support: Horbäach DHEA 100 mg
This is the best option if you’re looking for DHEA that provides optimum support for muscle health and adrenal function.
As we hit our 30s, we experience a decrease in our adrenal function. Stress becomes more difficult to control. Furthermore, beyond our 30s, our bodies begin to lose muscle mass.
This product is ideal for maintaining optimal muscle health and keeping stress at bay. In the elderly, Horbäach DHEA 100 mg also increases muscle mass for those who do resistance exercises.
Most DHEA sources are available in 50 mg doses. However, this maximum-strength product is available at 100 mg in quick-release capsules.
Taking one capsule a day ensures that your body receives the right DHEA levels it needs at a faster rate.
This product is manufactured free from yeast, gluten, lactose, and artificial colors and flavors. It is non-GMO and made from DHEA sources that have passed the company’s stringent purity standards.
If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of your purchases, this product is certified to have compact packaging that ensures lower carbon emission levels.
Finally, a single bottle of the product contains 200 capsules, making this a great value for your money. The high-quality ingredients, ethical manufacturing, and non-GMO status of this supplement makes it a great buy.
PROS
Non-GMO.
Environmentally friendly packaging.
Quick-release formula.
CONS
Some users notice that it made their skin break out.
The dosage might be too high for some users.
4. Most Easily Absorbed DHEA: Pure Encapsulations DHEA
This is the most easily absorbed DHEA supplement on the market.
The pharmaceutical grade DHEA is micronized to help your body use it to the best of its ability.
Pure Encapsulations is committed to using only premium ingredients to manufacture its allergen-free supplements that will give you the results that you’re looking for in the way that you would expect.
This Pure Encapsulations DHEA is ideal for those who are sensitive, as it is free from additives such as gluten, magnesium, hydrogenated fat, artificial colors and sweeteners, GMOs, and fillers.
Pure Encapsulations worked with other professionals to develop this DHEA supplement, including leaders in genomics, mental health, weight management, and immunology.
Each capsule contains 25mg of micronized DHEA and hypoallergenic plant fiber and water to form the encapsulation. Users have reported a noticeable difference in their hormone balance after taking this supplement.
Many mention its impact on energy, mood, and libido. Users have also reported trying this brand after using a generic store brand and noticing a big difference in results.
PROS
Very easily absorbed
Comes in low dosage capsules to improve users’ ability to control dosing
This brand is often recommended by doctors for help with infertility
CONS
Some report experiencing side effects such as hair loss and acne
May lead to stomach pain
Some bottles are mislabeled regarding the number of capsules contained
5. Best Powdered DHEA: Bulk Supplements DHEA Powder
Bulk Supplements DHEA Powder is the best option if you want more control over your dosing or you don’t like to swallow pills.
This clean and pure powder comes in a sealed foil pouch to ensure its freshness.
It is recommended that users start with 5mg of this powder each day and increase to 25mg per day over one to two weeks.
To measure the powder, users are instructed to use a milligram scale.
This supplement has many benefits, including improving bone density, decreasing inflammation, and supporting mental wellness.
It is also used to help protect aging individuals against cognitive decline. When this supplement is used alongside a healthy weight training routine, it can help build lean muscle, boost your metabolism, and burn fat as well.
Because this powder is not easily
dissolvable, some users choose to buy vegetarian capsules to fill themselves so
they can have more control over their dosing without having to try to mix the
DHEA in with a liquid.
Users often report an improvement in their sleeping habits, reduced inflammation after exercising, and increased energy levels.
This high-quality DHEA is easily absorbed by the body and begins to work quickly after you start taking it daily.
Those who have had any issues with their
order report to have experienced excellent customer service and have ended up
completely satisfied with the problem resolution process.
PROS
Users have high control over dosing
Great for those who can’t swallow pills
Pure DHEA product
CONS
It may be difficult to measure the exact amount
Requires measurement device
Does not dissolve in liquids
6. Best for Increased Energy Levels & Mental Sharpness: Natrol DHEA
This Natrol DHEA formula is specifically designed to provide DHEA to boost mood and reduce stress. It promotes natural, balanced hormone levels and supports a healthy mood.
Natrol DHEA Mood & Stress tablets are vegetarian, and contain no yeast, wheat, corn, milk, eggs, soy, gluten, or sugar. Each tablet contains 60 mg of calcium and 50 mg of DHEA.
PROS
Vegetarian tablets
DHEA and calcium, which the body needs
Promotes healthy mood and stress levels
Made without gluten, dairy products, soy, and other ingredients
CONS
Contains some fillers and binders to form the tablets
This brand offers the optimum dosage of 25mg of micronized DHEA in each capsule. By using micronized particles of DHEA, it is easier for your body to absorb the hormone for increased effectiveness.
The capsules are also free from sugar, starch, lactose, soy, wheat, gluten, egg, corn, yeast, and sodium. They are also vegan-friendly.
The Amazing Formulas brand is free from artificial preservatives, additives, and colors, making it a pure, safe, and potent supplement that is quality guaranteed.
This product is made at a GMP-certified facility, which ensures its high quality.
The capsules are made only with ingredients from suppliers who meet strict standards, and each product is subjected to several quality tests to ensure purity and potency.
One daily dose of this
supplement can help balance your hormones, boost your immune system, improve
your mood, produce energy, assist with weight loss, increase lean muscle mass,
and aid in bone health.
Users have especially reported success with weight loss, mood regulation, and skin health.
Those who have started with a 50mg and had unwelcome side effects report that this is the perfect product to step down to, as the side effects go away but the benefits remain.
PROS
Perfect low-dose in each capsule
High-quality control
Effective in balancing age-related hormonal issues
CONS
Some still experience side effects, even with the low dose
Contains added maltodextrin, which can lead to headaches
Some users reported that they did not feel a difference after taking this supplement
This is the best DHEA
supplement if your goal is to increase your energy. Havasu Nutrition works with
other companies who share their passion for health to create the best
formulations to offer consumers natural solutions to their health-related
issues.
Using only the highest-quality ingredients, this supplement can help improve your health, confidence, and energy levels.
The formula used in Havasu Nutrition DHEA is free from chemicals, preservatives, sugars, and artificial ingredients, so you can be sure that you’re taking an all-natural supplement.
This DHEA supplement will not only help boost your energy and mood, it will also help you maintain lean muscle mass.
The combination of ingredients offers you the critical nutrients that your body needs to have lasting energy and fight aging so you can perform at optimal levels.
Users like that this supplement is made from non-GMO yams, a whole and healthy food source that can increase energy and help support weight loss efforts.
Users have also found this supplement to be effective in increasing libido and reducing symptoms of depression and chronic fatigue.
PROS
Great formulation for increasing energy
Easy to swallow capsules
High value for price
CONS
The quality of the product has declined in recent years
Some report experiencing oily skin when using this supplement
This may lead to dysregulated menstrual cycles in women
9. Best All-Natural DHEA Supplement: Double Wood Supplements 100mg DHEA
This is the best option if you want to be sure to have a supplement that is made in the USA.
With manufacturing, safety, and purity testing occuring in New York, you can be sure that you are receiving a domestic product that has not gone through extensive shipping times before getting to you.
Double Wood DHEA supports healthy DHEA levels as you age with its 100mg capsules.
It supports emotional health and mental clarity, as it works to boost your mood throughout the day. It also supports healthy libido levels that can decline with age.
With third-party testing, this supplement comes with lab report dates and locations of testing so you can trust what you see on the label.
For those who prefer a smaller dose, these capsules can be easily opened and split into two 50mg doses. Users note the high quality and efficacy of this supplement.
PROS
Absorbs easily
Improves sleep
Users note a definite improvement in their mood
CONS
Some report having anxiety after taking this
Product is not vegan
Some users find these capsules to have an aftertaste
Final Thoughts on Best DHEA Supplements for Men & Women
All of the DHEA supplements featured in today’s review are the best in their categories. However, Superior Labs Extra Strength Natural DHEA stands out for its pure ingredients that support immunity and overall wellness.
Connie Stemmle is a professional editor, freelance writer and ghostwriter. She holds a BS in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with her 4-year-old daughter, running, or making efforts in her community to promote social justice.
There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.
No time to read the entire review and just want to find out what the best superfood powder supplement option is? We recommend Organifi Green Juice as the best overall choice.
Mornings can be hectic, and breakfast isn’t even a priority for most of us. But this should not be the case.
Superfood powders are perfect for creating a quick breakfast smoothie. You can even just mix them with water and you’re good to go. And supplementing with superfoods ensures that you’re getting the right amount of nutrition.
However, not all superfood powders are created equal. So how do you choose the right one?
Today, we are reviewing eleven of the best superfood powder supplements available on the market for overall health, weight loss, and proper digestion. We hope that the information in this post will guide you in choosing the right product.
First, let’s briefly discuss what superfood supplements are, and the possible benefits of including them in your diet.
Don’t have time to read the entire review?
If you’re a busy person who doesn’t have time to read this entire review, we’ve simplified everything. Here is a table to show you a quick rating of the best superfood powders.
What’s a Superfood Powder?
Superfoods are popular grocery list items for people who are seeking to improve their daily nutritional intake and overall health.
However, it’s not easy to shop for each superfood individually, even though you may want to include them all in your diet. An easy alternative is to use superfood powders.
Superfood powders consist mostly of fruits and vegetables in powder form, blended to create a dietary supplement that is nutritionally dense and rich in vitamins.
The powders have isolated the most beneficial elements of various superfoods and made them into an easy product to consume without any hassle. The ingredients in superfood powders are carefully chosen as an ideal dietary supplement to support optimal health.
Superfood powder can be added to almost any type of drink. You can add it to your milkshake, a smoothie, or simply a glass of water.
Some supplement powders have digestive-supporting ingredients such as probiotics, which makes the digestion process quick and efficient.
Others contain herbs that boost immune system function and offer other unique benefits.
Why Do I Need Superfoods?
Superfoods are important to include in your diet because they contain all of the necessary disease-fighting nutrients that help you maintain your health. Superfoods fill the nutritional gaps that are often found in people’s diets.
Many people have some nutritional deficiencies, and superfood supplements may reduce or eliminate these deficiencies in your body.
What’s more, superfoods can do this without adding too many calories to your diet. These ultra-healthy foods can aid in weight loss, especially when you are consuming them in powder form.
Superfood powders usually fulfill most of your daily nutritional requirements. The fiber and protein content provides a feeling of satiety and helps regulate your appetite so you don’t experience that mid-afternoon sugar crash.
In addition to keeping you full, superfood powders can boost your energy. Some powders contain compounds such as those found in green tea that are known to give you an energy boost. If your goal is to lose weight, this increased energy can help you achieve that.
Superfoods can also help strengthen your immunity due to their high levels of antioxidants. Consuming antioxidants minimizes damage to your cells that can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases.
Including superfood powder in your diet can help you feel confident that you’re giving your body what it needs, especially because eating a wide variety of foods can be hard to do in our fast-paced society.
Similarly, superfood powders help save time on meal prep because they make perfect on-the-go meals, especially during busy mornings.
Superfood powders also improve your digestive health. Many superfood powders contain gut-friendly probiotics that support healthy digestion.
Others have digestive enzymes in them to help you properly digest your food, and inulin to nourish the healthy bacteria that live in your gut.
As long as your gut is healthy, the rest of your body has a much higher chance of being healthy as well—including your skin!
Superfood powders nourish your skin, and those who have taken them report an improvement in their skin’s texture and elasticity.
Now that you know why you should include superfood powders in your diet, let’s look at factors to consider when choosing the best superfood powder.
Tips for Choosing the Best Superfood Powder
Look for supplements with high levels of antioxidants.
Not only can having low levels of antioxidants increase your risk of developing a chronic disease, the amount of antioxidants that you consistently have in your body also has a great impact on how long you will live.
So, while you are trying to improve your health, you might as well do it as best as you can and increase the amount of disease-fighting antioxidants in your body.
Low-level antioxidants can increase your risk of developing a chronic disease, look for supplements with a high level of antioxidants.
Choose a product that lists vegetables or fruits as its ingredients.
You want to choose a powder that is derived from whole foods because these are the products that will provide you with the vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
As a general rule, it is best to get your micronutrients from whole food ingredients rather than isolated vitamins because the nutrients in whole food sources often work in synergy, helping your body absorb the nutrients better.
Also, micronutrients in whole foods are usually more bioavailable than they are in synthetic forms.
Ensure that your superfood powder contains fiber for digestion and metabolic support.
You don’t want to neglect your gut health when you’re already taking measures to improve your overall health by drinking superfood powder. These extra ingredients will also help you lose weight if that is your goal.
Check to ensure that your powder supplement does not have added sugars or artificial sweeteners.
Nutrient-dense vegetable powders are often difficult to make in a way that tastes particularly good, especially when you’re trying to fit up to 12 servings of vegetables in a single scoop.
To make these powders palatable, manufacturers often add ingredients that may be harmful, such as artificial sweeteners or GMO ingredients. Watch out for these unnatural additives, and avoid buying powders that contain them.
Be wary of added sugar or artificial sweeteners in your powder supplement.
Make sure that the product does not contain fruits and/or vegetables tainted with pesticides.
You want to choose an organic powder to avoid these harmful chemicals. Consuming the chemicals from pesticides can lead to a variety of chronic diseases.
Studies have shown that organically grown fruits and vegetables have higher amounts of nutrients such as Vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron, which are all vital for the healthy functioning of your body.
Avoid products that contain emulsifiers and thickeners added for a more agreeable texture.
Emulsifiers are used in processed foods to make sure they are all uniform. They make ice cream creamy, keep oil and vinegar separate in salad dressings, and make cookies stay soft.
However, these additives have been found to impair your ability to stabilize your blood sugar, increase bacterial adherence in your intestines, and increase your chances of suffering from metabolic syndrome.
This means that these ingredients can impact gastrointestinal health as well as metabolic health, which are two separate systems that are both critical to your overall health.
Steer clear of products with artificial colors.
Artificial food coloring agents such as Yellow #5 and Red #40 are made from petroleum and can put your health at great risk. Some of these risks include hyperactivity in children, cancer, and allergic reactions.
Artificial colors are often hidden ingredients in processed foods, so make sure to check out the ingredient label on your superfood powder to ensure that any color added to the powder is from a natural source.
Now, let’s take a look at some contestants for the best green superfood powder 2024 has brought to us so far.
9 Best Superfood Powders to Start Your Day with a Healthy Drink
1. Best Overall Superfood Powder: Organifi Green Juice
Organifi Green Juice is the best overall option. It provides you with numerous health benefits, as it is packed with several all-natural superfood ingredients to give you a powerful drink mix.
Drinking this superfood powder in the morning will kick-start your body’s processes of detoxing, creating natural energy, and reducing stress.
This product contains ingredients from whole foods, including moringa, chlorella, mint, spirulina, matcha green tea, beets, ashwagandha, wheatgrass, turmeric, lemon, and coconut water.
Having all of these superfood ingredients in one powder helps you save time in the morning, or any time you are on the go.
This superfood mix will help you feel a boost of energy, and help increase your focus throughout the day. It is also full of nature’s most powerful superfoods and loaded with vitamins and minerals, which help improve your immune system.
Finally, these ingredients will also help make your skin glowing and healthy. What’s best is that users find this powder to have a smooth taste with a touch of mint, making it the best tasting greens powder.
It is great for people who follow all types of diets, as this product is suitable for vegans, non-GMO, and free from gluten and soy.
PROS
It contains all-natural, whole-food ingredients.
It provides multiple health benefits.
It has a variety of ingredients to flush out toxins.
Athletic Greens is a whole food superfood powder designed for athletes and gives a body everything it needs for healthy energy, good digestion, workout recovery, and improved immunity. It’s vegan, paleo, keto, and made from organic ingredients without gluten, eggs, nuts, dairy or added sugars.
Athletic Greens is NSF certified and endorsed by world-class athletes and health experts for an active, healthy life.
Athletic Greens is loaded with vitamins and minerals for a healthy body, including Vitamin C, Vitamin E, energy-giving B-complex vitamins, zinc, and more. But what good are all those vitamins if you can’t digest them?
That’s why this formula is made with highly absorbable ingredients, and also contains naturally occurring digestive enzymes to help balance and boost digestion.
It also has prebiotics and probiotics to support the immune system, antioxidants and adaptogens that help the body recover from stress and fatigue. In fact, this superfood formula has the antioxidant equivalent of 12 servings of fruits and vegetables.
Athletic Greens is vegan and paleo, and a keto-friendly food. It’s gluten free, egg free, nut free, and dairy free, with no added sugars. It’s made from organic, high quality plant-based ingredients. It has a more pleasant, less bitter flavor than other green superfoods.
PROS
High in vitamins and minerals
Supports digestion, immunity, and recovery
Vegan, paleo, and keto-friendly
No gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs, or added sugar
CONS
3. Best Value for the Money: Orgain Organic Superfoods
Orgain Organic Superfoods Powder provide a high amount of nutrients to your body every day, which helps support the general functions of your body and your immune system. This is also the best superfood powder option for weight loss.
Orgain Organic Superfoods gives you 50 superfoods in every serving. Even though each of these superfoods has been reduced to a fine powder, you still get all of their nutritional value. By consuming organic ingredients, you are giving yourself a safe and healthy dose of nutrition.
This is a great-tasting option for a fast breakfast if you are in a rush or you are aiming to limit your calorie intake for the day. It will keep you full until lunchtime, and the flavor will satisfy your need for a tasty treat.
This is a great option for people who follow all types of diets, as it is USDA organic, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, lactose-free, soy-free, non-GMO, and does not contain added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or any artificial ingredients.
PROS
The best option for weight loss.
Tastes great.
It can be used to make overnight oats.
CONS
Low in vitamins C, A, and B6.
Some people have experienced constipation after using this.
Not kosher.
4. Most Budget-Friendly: Nested Naturals Super Greens Natural Health Powder
The powder is certified by Good Manufacturing Practices, is tested by a third party for quality assurance, and the manufacturers donate a portion of their profits to Vitamin Angels, a non-profit organization that combats malnutrition worldwide.
This powder contains over 20 organic ingredients that are split up into six categories: an alkalizing blend, a fiber blend, an antioxidant blend, an immunity blend, a probiotic blend, and an enzyme blend.
One antioxidant that this product has that is unique is called truebroc. The actual antioxidant is called glucoraphanin and is found in broccoli.
Truebroc is said to be especially effective in combating inflammation and oxidation, which can help reduce your chances of developing many chronic diseases.
One scoop of this powder has 35 calories, 1 gram of fat, 4 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. It also includes digestive enzymes and 1.5 billion probiotics from six strains of bacteria, which will give your gut health a boost.
PROS
Includes probiotics and digestive enzymes.
It offers a wide range of ingredients.
Not too expensive.
CONS
The nutrition label lacks full information.
The taste takes some getting used to.
It doesn’t offer as many probiotics as other sources.
5. Best Superfood Powder for Weight Loss: MatchaDNA Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder
MatchaDNA has the very highest quality matcha powder, in a culinary-grade matcha that is sustainably grown and USDA certified organic.
The Hiroshi family has been growing matcha tea since the 13th century, in a family farm at high altitudes in the Hunan district of China, above the runoff of chemicals from lower-altitude farms.
Their matcha is handpicked and processed in small batches and packaged in a sealable tin container for perfect freshness.
MatchaDNA Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder can be added to hot water and enjoyed as a tea, with milk or sweetener if you choose. You may also want to add it to smoothies, make a matcha latte, or try making green tea ice cream or using it in baking recipes.
Matcha is naturally rich in antioxidants, beta carotene, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, so it benefits every part of the body.
This 100% pure matcha powder is certified organic by US and EU standards, sustainably farmed, and fairly traded, so it’s a product you can feel good about. It’s tested for lead and heavy metals, and the tin can is reusable and recyclable.
PROS
100% pure matcha powder with no additives or sweeteners
Premium quality culinary matcha
Can be enjoyed in many different ways
Certified organic in the US and EU
Fairly traded
Affordably priced
Sustainable packaging
CONS
Product can be inconsistent
6. Best for Your Digestion: Vibrant Health, Digestive Vibrance
If your digestion isn’t working properly, it doesn’t matter how healthy your food is; you need healthy digestion in order to absorb and use the nutrients you eat.
This Digestive Vibrance superfood blend from Vibrant Health is designed for bowel health and improved digestion, along with healthy minerals. Vibrant Health carefully sources every ingredient for the highest quality and potency.
The Vibrant Health, Digestive Vibrance blend soothes your stomach with over 100 billion probiotics from 8 different strains, prebiotics, fermentable fibers, and botanical extracts.
With natural ingredients like pomegranate, rosemary, green tea, ginkgo biloba, and ginger, it’s also rich in energizing Vitamin B6 and a great source of selenium and dietary fiber.
It’s flavored with natural ingredients like organic sugar cane powder and stevia, and mandarin and vanilla for a naturally sweet citrus taste. It contains no GMOs, and is vegan, soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. It can be added to juice, water, or your favorite beverage, to promote healthy digestion.
PROS
Natural prebiotics and probiotics to promote healthy digestion
High quality carefully sourced ingredients
Contains over 100 billion probiotics from 8 strains
High in nutrients and fiber
Naturally flavored and sweetened
CONS
Some people find the flavor too strong and sweet
7. Best Protein/Superfood Powder Combination: Kylea’s Total Living Drink Greens Superfood Powder
Did you ever wish for a protein powder with the benefits of a superfood? Well, how about a superfood powder that is loaded with protein?
Kylea’s Total Living Drink Greens Superfood Powder has a vegan protein blend that helps you build lean muscle, along with phytonutrients, probiotics, digestive enzymes, antioxidants, and so much more! It’s a fantastic way to get lasting energy, improve your health, and even support weight loss.
Kylea’s Total Living Drink Greens Superfood Powder has everything your body needs in one simple scoop.
It’s full of plant-based proteins, fruits, vegetables, grasses, algae, digestive enzymes, probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and even herbs.
It has no sugars, and each scoop has nearly 12 grams of protein, with the nutritional equivalent of 7-10 servings of raw vegetables. Simply add a scoop to water or juice, and enjoy the benefits of a superfood, multivitamin, and protein powder in one.
PROS
Complete formula for overall health
High in plant-based proteins
Contains probiotics and digestive enzymes for digestive health
Contains skin-healthy, heart-healthy ingredients
CONS
Some people do not care for the taste
This formula is not organic
8. Best Source of Antioxidants for Your Heart: Navitas Organics Cacao Powder
Navitas Organics Cacao Powder offers the best source of antioxidants for heart health. It is certified USDA organic and non-GMO, giving you a clean source for nutrition.
This plant-based superfood blend includes cacao, which is an excellent source of minerals such as magnesium, which is vital for all of the cellular functions in the body.
The cacao powder used in this formula is cold-pressed, meaning it goes through a gentle process that preserves the nutrients in the cacao bean. It offers all of the benefits of chocolate, magnified.
You can use this powder to blend into your smoothies, bake, mix into your yogurt, or even make a healthy chocolate bar.
This organic green superfood is delicious and contains over 25 cleansing, nutrient-rich greens, and whole fruits and vegetables.
Drinking this powder helps eliminate toxins from your body and provides you with digestive support while boosting your energy.
The antioxidants in this superfood powder include barley grass, spirulina, spinach, wheatgrass, and kale, all of which are organic.
It also contains natural phytochemicals and chlorophyll to boost its antioxidant powers and neutralize free radicals in your body.
This product is free from artificial or added sugars, refined flour, or any ingredients that contain hydrogenated oils or chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, or antibiotics.
People enjoy the fact that this option is easily digestible and gut-friendly.
This powder takes the guesswork out of maintaining a healthy diet. It is not just for athletes who have to physically perform at an optimal level.
This is also a great option for busy professionals, parents, and people who are health conscious and want to be able to perform at their best, both physically and mentally every day.
Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.
Emma Engler, M.S., is a Nutrition Research Scientist at mindbodygreen supporting nutrition product research, development, and innovation, as well as science education and communications.
Image by Tatjana Zlatkovic / Stocksy
February 28, 2024
We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links.
Stomach aches, nausea, and fatigue are a few of the side effects you might feel after taking your vitamins. However, taking your supplements at the right time of day or night can help combat these side effects for good.
We know that it can be confusing to decide when to take certain vitamins (there are lots of different kinds out there, after all), so we made it easier with this cheat sheet. Here’s the best time to take every vitamin in your daily regimen.
The need-to-knows:
B vitamins shouldn’t be taken at night. Since they tend to be more energizing for some individuals, they may cause sleep trouble in some people. While this isn’t the case for everyone, other supplements like magnesium and CBD are more suitable for bedtime.
Fat-soluble vitamins should be taken with food. This includes vitamins A, D, E and K. Taking these with meals will encourage proper absorption into the body.
Vitamins, minerals, and other active ingredients can have medication interactions, such as interfering with absorption, so ask your physician about how to time yours with your other prescriptions to be safe.
What time to take vitamins & supplements
Below you’ll find a breakdown of the most important instructions for taking each of the popular vitamins. We’ll let you know if it should be taken with or without food, what time of day is best, and any common contraindications to keep in mind.
Vitamin A: Anytime, with food
“Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Like all fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), its bioavailability increases when they are taken with a source of fat,” explains registered dietician Maya Feller, R.D., CDN.
Either take your vitamin A with a full meal containing healthy fats or make a snack with ingredients like avocado, peanut butter, etc. to ensure it’s absorbed properly.
Feller adds that people who are pregnant or have liver disease will want to talk to their doctor before starting vitamin A (especially in the retinol form) supplementation. Some blood thinner medications can also have contraindications with high doses of vitamin A, she says, so flag those to your doctor if you’re on them too.
Vitamin C: Anytime, with or without food
“Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and does not need to be taken with food to increase bioavailability,” Feller says.
However, when taken in excess, some people experience GI symptoms including upset stomach and loose stools when taking vitamin C, so keep that in mind if you’re trying a new product.
Anyone who is prone to specific types of kidney stones will want to talk to their doctor first.
Vitamin D: Anytime, with food
Vitamin D’s bioavailability increases when you take it with a meal that contains fat, Feller says. However, the time of day doesn’t matter as much.
Vitamin E: Anytime, with food
Vitamin E is another fat-soluble vitamin that should be taken with a meal that contains healthy fats to increase absorption.
Similar to vitamin A, those on blood thinner medications will want to talk to their doctor about when and if to take this one.
Vitamin K: Anytime, with food
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s best taken with food.
Lifestyle physician and longevity expert Poonam Desai, M.D. suggests that people with kidney health concerns talk to their doctor about when and if to take this vitamin.
B vitamins: In the morning, with or without food
“B vitamins are water soluble, so [they] can be taken on an empty stomach any time of the day,” Desai says.
However, she adds that some people do report difficulty sleeping after taking some B vitamins, so she recommends taking them in the morning to be safe.
“In addition, B vitamins play a vital role in metabolism and energy production—another reason morning is a good time to take them,” she notes.
Multivitamin: In the morning, with food
Because most multivitamins contain B vitamins, Desai recommends taking them in the morning to avoid sleep disruptions.
Since multivitamins also usually include some or all of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), you’ll want to take them with food as well.
Prenatal vitamin: Anytime, with food
For optimal absorption, Desai recommends taking prenatal vitamins with food. “Many women experience nausea during pregnancy, and taking a prenatal vitamin with food lowers the chance of nausea, acid reflux, and upset stomach,” she adds.
If your prenatal contains B vitamins, it’s best to take it in the morning.
When to take other supplements
Now that we’ve covered the best time to take vitamins, let’s dig into when to take other popular supplements, like minerals and probiotics:
Iron: Anytime, with food
“Iron is a mineral that can be taken with a source of vitamin C to increase its absorption,” Feller says. Iron vitamins can be taken on an empty stomach, but its best to take with food.
This mineral can cause stomach discomfort in those prone to GI concerns, she says. If this happens to you, consider pairing your supplement with food (but avoid high doses of calcium, fiber-rich foods, or taking alongside thyroid medications to prevent possible interactions).
Constipation is also a possible side effect of iron supplementation. If you have trouble getting things moving after taking iron, Feller recommends switching to a liquid iron supplement that’s easier to digest.
Magnesium: It depends on the type
Magnesium bisglycinate: Magnesium bisglycinate has specific benefits for sleep quality, so it should be taken an hour or so before bed. This form tends to be the most bioavailable and easy on digestion and does not need to be taken with food.
Magnesium citrate: Best taken earlier in the day with some food.
Magnesium oxide: Best taken earlier in the day with some food.
Magnesium malate: Best taken first thing in the morning with some food.
Feller points out that those with heart, kidney, or gastrointestinal considerations and those on prescription medications should check with their doctor before starting a high dose magnesium supplement.
Calcium: Anytime, with food
Calcium is another nuanced supplement when it comes to its relationship with other medications (particularly thyroid medicine), so make sure to check with your physician before buying it and consider the optimal time of day to supplement to avoid absorption barriers or side effects.
Another note is that calcium absorption is limited to approximately 500 mg at a time so it’s best to space out taking calcium supplements across the day if you’re consuming higher doses (e.g., for bone density needs).
Probiotics: Anytime, with or without food
Different probiotics contain different types of bacterial strains, so their effects vary greatly. For this reason, Feller explains that there is no universal recommendation for when to take probiotic supplements. Look to the label to see whether or not yours should be taken with food, in the morning, etc.
Protein powder: Anytime, preferably soon before or after a workout
As for timing, that really depends on your goal and daily schedule. If you plan on working out that day, consider taking protein within a few hours before or after your workout.
If you aren’t exercising that day but still want to take protein powder (a worthy stepping stone to reaching your daily protein intake goals), just take it whenever you want a snack or add it to your meal.
Collagen: Anytime, with food
The protocol for collagen greatly varies depending on the forms included in your supplement, Desai says. However, most of them should be taken with food to increase absorption, she notes. Given that many collagen supplements come in powder form, it’s easy to work them into smoothies, lattes, yogurt, etc.
Hemp-derived CBD: Anytime you want to relax, with or without food
Considering hemp-derived CBD has a calming effect, it’s particularly beneficial to take before bed or when you want to feel relaxed.
This supplement doesn’t come with quite as many contraindications, but it’s always best to consult your physician before adding CBD into your regimen.
Supplement
When to take
With food
Vitamin A
Anytime
Yes
Vitamin C
Anytime
Doesn’t matter
Vitamin D
Anytime
Yes
Vitamin E
Anytime
Yes
Vitamin K
Anytime
Yes
B Vitamins
Morning
Doesn’t matter
Multivitamins
Morning
Yes
Prenatal vitamins
Anytime
Yes
Iron
Anytime
Yes
Magnesium
Depends on form
Depends on form
Calcium
Anytime
Yes
Probiotics
Anytime
Depends on strain
Protein powder
Anytime
Doesn’t matter
Collagen
Anytime
Yes
CBD
Anytime you want to relax
Yes
The mindbodygreen POV
Some vitamins and minerals work best when taken in the morning, while others are well-suited for nighttime. You’ll also want to take certain supplements with food in order to increase their bioavailability (and decrease your risk of digestive upset).
Also, remember to double-check your supplement routine to ensure you’re not consuming more than the recommended dose, as many vitamins and minerals have a tolerable upper limit (UL) or max daily intake that has been demonstrated to be safe.
This guide provides a general primer on when to take your vitamins and supplements, but refer to the label on your particular product to know for sure.
Finally, consult your doctor before investing in supplements if you’re on medication and let them know if you have any unwanted side effects like GI issues, nausea, and so on.
FAQ
Is it better to take vitamins in the morning or at night?
B vitamins have been shown to disrupt sleep in some individuals and thus are best taken in the morning. Vitamins A, C, D, E, and K can be taken any time of day—but most of them should be consumed with food.
What vitamins are best taken at night?
Supplements like magnesium and CBD can support sleep when taken before bed.
Should you take vitamins before or after eating?
It depends on the supplement. It’s best to take fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, K, and B right after or with a meal to increase absorption.
The takeaway
Knowing when to take your supplements can help you maximize their benefits. While there are helpful guidelines, it’s still best to double-check your product label and ask your physician if you’re unsure. Not sure what vitamins you should be taking in the first place? Take our quiz for a personalized supplement routine that will help you optimize your well-being.
There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.
There are numerous health benefits from including omega 3 fatty acids in your diet on a daily basis. Not only does this nutrient help your body, it has also been proven to assist with brain function.
While the human body can convert raw materials or other fats into most of the kinds of fats that it needs, this is not true for omega 3 fatty acids. The body can’t make these essential fats from scratch, so it has to get them from food.
However, it’s not easy to include omega 3 fats in your diet, as it is only available in a small number of food options. As such, many people forget to include this nutrient in their eating habits. That’s why it’s important to consider taking an omega 3 supplement.
That said, choosing the best omega 3 supplement can be a daunting task. There are hundreds of different fish oil brands available, and not all of these products accurately state the amounts of important ingredients.
In this article, we’ll provide a quick overview of omega 3 fatty acids, their benefits, and what to look for when choosing your omega 3 supplement. Finally, we’ll give you a review of our top nine picks.
Don’t have time to read the entire review?
If you’re a busy person who doesn’t have time to read this entire review, we’ve simplified everything. Here is a table that provides a quick rating of the omega 3 supplements.
What Are Omega 3 Fatty Acids?
Omega 3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oils, are a critical part of cell membranes that affect the function of the cell receptors. They start the production of hormones that regulate blood clotting, improve blood vessel function, regulate genetic functioning, and reduce inflammation.
They have also been shown to help prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke, can help minimize the effects of lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, and can help protect you from cancer and other health conditions.
Omega 3 fats make up a family of polyunsaturated fats. The three main omega 3s are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). While EPA and DHA come mainly from animals and algae, ALA can be found in plants, vegetable oils, leafy greens, and nuts.
As many as 90% of adult Americans have suboptimal levels of EPA and DHA, which suggests a need for supplementation, especially for people with (or who are prone to developing) heart disease.
Because of the widespread deficiency in this important nutrient, food companies around the world have started creating omega 3 fatty acid fortified products such as bread, mayonnaise, yogurt, popcorn, milk, orange juice, children’s pasta, eggs, and infant formula.
8 Benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids
1. Supports healthy blood flow to the brain.
Omega 3s help prevent blood platelets from clumping together, which keeps blood flowing freely to the brain. It also keeps you arteries smooth, which prevents plaque from building up and preventing blood from reaching the brain.
2. Are said to protect against breast cancer, heart diseases, Alzheimer’s, asthma, and fatty liver.
Omega 3s have been tied to numerous heart-health benefits, including a reduction in triglycerides, a reduction in blood pressure, an increase in healthy cholesterol, and a reduction in inflammation—which also helps combat asthma, which is caused by inflammation in the lungs.
Omega 3s have also been linked to a decrease in mental decline due to aging and Alzheimer’s disease because people who eat omega 3s have an increase of gray matter in their brains, which is the tissue that processes information and memories.
These essential fats have also shown promise in the fight against breast cancer, and they can reduce inflammation and liver fat in people who have been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is the most common cause of chronic liver disease.
3. Omega 3s are vital for early development.
Developing infants need omega 3s for proper brain development. Supplementing with omega 3s has been linked to several benefits in children, including improved brain function, a reduced number of behavioral problems, improved communication and social skills, decreased risk of ADHD, and a decreased risk for developmental delays.
As a baby’s brain rapidly develops in the womb, the mother sheds excess DHA stores in her body to support her child. If there is a deficiency, the child’s development could be inhibited.
Because of these benefits, it is important for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers to supplement their diets with omega 3s.
4. Improves skin health.
If you have dry skin, omega3 (and especially EPA) can benefit your skin and hair. EPA regulates the oil production in your skin, and keeps your skin hydrated. Omega 3s can also protect your skin from damage.
When your body is exposed to UV rays, free radicals are generated in your body, which can damage cells and lead to premature aging of the skin. Omega 3s are an antioxidant that protects your skin from these substances.
These fats not only protect your skin against sun damage, they can also help repair it. EPA helps prevent your body from releasing enzymes that destroy collagen, helping you avoid developing wrinkles.
Preliminary research has also suggested that omega 3s could also help prevent skin cancer. Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, omega 3s can also relieve uncomfortable skin conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema.
5. Prevents visual problems.
DHA is especially important in the maintenance of proper eye health. There is a lot of DHA located in the retina, where it keeps the photoreceptor membrane healthy and ensures the best production of vision via light transmission.
An omega 3 deficiency has been associated with dry eyes and inferior eye structure development in children. It is also associated with higher rates of macular degeneration and damage to the retina.
6. Improves quality of sleep.
Studies have suggested that people who consume higher levels of dietary omega 3s have fewer instances of insomnia or interruptions in sleep.
Because chronic inflammation can negatively impact sleep quality (due to its tendency to increase the number of stress hormones in the body), this may explain why omega 3s improve sleep. They help reduce inflammation and lower the stress hormones that are associated with a lack of sleep.
7. It improves bone strength and helps treat arthritis.
Getting enough omega 3 fatty acids in your diet is important for optimal bone health. Poor bone health is linked to chronic inflammation in the body. If you reduce inflammation in the body, you will benefit your bone health.
Omega 3 intake may also improve bone health by helping regulate your calcium balance and osteoblast activity. Because of its ability to fight inflammation, omega 3s can also help reduce the pain associated with arthritis.
Studies have suggested that people who consume higher levels of dietary omega 3s have fewer instances of insomnia or interruptions in sleep.
8. Helps reduce inflammation.
As you have likely noticed, one of the principle benefits of supplementing your diet with additional omega 3 fats is that it has a profound anti-inflammatory effect. Inflammation is the basis of almost all chronic diseases, so this benefit is highly sought after.
Studies have shown that increasing your intake of omega 3 fatty acids can slow the progression of many chronic inflammatory disorders, including autoimmune and neurological disorders.
7 Things Look for When Buying Omega 3 Supplements
1. Type of Omega 3
You want to find a supplement that is as close to natural as possible. When looking at the type of omega 3s, you should specifically check for the EPA and DHA contents because these are the most critical types of omega 3s.
You should also know that a supplement containing 1000 mg of fish oil per capsule won’t do much for your health if the EPA and DHA contents are both very low.
2. Actual Amount of Omega 3
Similar to above, you want to know which fats are specifically included in this fish oil, and in what amounts. Don’t be attracted to labels that advertise any amount of “fish oil.” You want to specifically look for the amount of EPA so you know that the supplement will benefit your health.
3. Form of Omega 3
There are four forms of omega 3 supplements to choose from, and knowing which is which can help you pick which one will offer you the best daily dosage.
To make sure that the supplement you are interested in offers the best body absorption, you should see if it contains free fatty acids (FFA), rTG (triglycerides and reformed triglycerides), and phospholipids (PL) rather than ethyl esters (EE).
Supplements that are less processed and have fewer ethyl esters are superior because your body cannot easily absorb ethyl esters. You also want to check for “GOED standard of purity” marks because this indicates the supplement is safe and holds all of the ingredients that are listed on the label.
When looking at the type of omega 3s, you should specifically check for the EPA and DHA contents because these are the most critical types of omega 3s
4. Dosage
You’ll find that most fish oil supplements contain between 500 and 2,000 mg of omega 3s per dose. You should talk to your doctor to help you choose the right dosage for your specific needs, but your daily fish oil consumption should not exceed 3000 mg.
Fish oil products typically have an average of two to three years catch-to-capsule time. Fish oil is highly prone to oxidation, so it is important to check your capsules every so often by smelling them.
Once they begin to smell strongly in any way, it is important to throw them away. In order to not accelerate the expiration of your supplement, store your fish oil properly. Some supplements need to be refrigerated, while others must be stored at room temperature away from any sunlight.
7. Sustainability
Is your supplement certified by the MSC? Environmental Defense Fund? In addition to the fish oil itself, it’s important to know that the fish that was used to create your supplement was harvested in a sustainable and ethical way.
You also want to make sure that the species is not under any kind of ecological threat.
Contraindications: When NOT to Take an Omega 3 Supplement
Fish oil supplements should not be taken by everyone, because some people may experience adverse side effects. Because they are not suitable for some people, check with your doctor before taking an omega 3 supplement. In general, you should likely avoid these supplements if you:
Fish oil products typically have an average of two to three years of catch-to-capsule time. Fish oil is highly prone to oxidation, so it is important to check your capsules every so often by smelling them.
Are allergic to any fish products or any fish oil components, such as EPA and DHA.
Don’t take omega 3 supplements if you have an allergy to fish or nuts. While it is clear that you should avoid these if you are allergic to fish, rare incidences of skin rashes have been reported by people taking fish oil supplements who had other food allergies, such as to nuts.
Are on blood-thinning medications.
When it is taken in high doses, fish oil can thin your blood and prevent it from clotting. Persons who suffer from bleeding disorders, bruise easily, or take blood thinners should seek advice from their doctors before taking fish oil supplements.
Are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding should not take fish oil supplements without talking to their doctors due to the possibility of ingesting mercury.
According to the FDA, mercury can harm a developing child’s nervous system. Also, fish oil could contain polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins, which can harm both a child and a mother’s health.
Now that we have discussed what you want to look for in an omega 3 supplement and some things to be wary of, let’s review the best products that are on the market today.
The 9 Best Omega 3 Supplements
1. Best Overall Choice: Viva Naturals Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplement
Viva Naturals Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplement is the best high-concentration fish oil available. This organic supplement has the highest bioavailability and is easy for your body to absorb into your bloodstream to improve brain health.
This is achieved by using a supercritical extraction process to concentrate the omega 3s in the fish oil without using heat or chemicals, resulting in a purified fish oil that gives you three time more omega 3s in each serving than other leading supplements can provide. Each serving provides 2,200 mg of fish oil, 1,400 mg of EPA, and 480 mg of DHA.
The oils are delivered to your body in triglyceride form and have been clinically proven to be more bioavailable for your body, which provides value to this product because you get more out of every serving than from other products.
This product has a unique formulation that naturally supports improved health and wellness. The supplement is primarily made up of omega 3 fish extracts, but it also includes glycerin, purified water, and vitamin E. It is free from fillers and non-GMO.
Life & Food Omega 3 Supreme Strength 1400 mg has the best absorption of anything offered on the market. This omega 3 supplement is formulated to provide you with an optimal omega 3:6 ratio.
The fish oil concentrate has 1050 mg of omega 3, which is made up of at least 664 mg of EPA and 336 mg of DHA. This supplement is pharmaceutical-grade, comprised of 75% omega 3s, which surpasses Labdoor quality testing and GOED standards.
These distilled capsules are made from wild Alaskan-caught pollock. They are cleaned, refined, and tested to ensure product quality. The capsules are easy to swallow and have an enteric coating for maximum absorption.
PROS
Does not contain gluten, GMOs, dairy, fillers, additives, eggs, soy, shellfish, sulfates, or dioxides.
Does not cause fish burps.
Pharmaceutical-grade.
CONS
Some find these are difficult to swallow.
Capsules have a bitter taste.
Has a fishy taste.
3. Best Value for the Money Nordic Naturals – Ultimate Omega
Nordic Naturals – Ultimate Omega is the best choice because it provides ultimate support with 1280 mg of omega 3s to improve the health of your heart, brain, and mood.
Nordic Naturals uses a unique formulation for this supplement, as well as proprietary manufacturing and extraction procedures to ensure the high amount of EPA and DHA in their product.
The supplement also contains Vіtаmіn E аnd rosemary еxtrасt, because Nordic Naturals found through research conducted over a period of several years that vitamin E and rosemary extract are able to improve the lоng-tеrm frеѕhnеѕѕ of fish oils.
This supplement has not shown any negative side effects on the body, and is safe to use. You may be able to take this supplement even if you have a shellfish allergy because the oil is derived from sardines and anchovies.
PROS
Has a natural lemon flavor.
Nordic Naturals offers a guarantee behind this product.
Made in GMP-compliant facility with rigid standards.
Thіrd-раrtу tested fоr environmental toxins such as hеаvу metals, dіоxіnѕ, and PCBs.
CONS
May lead to indigestion.
In the higher price range.
Not appropriate for people who are allergic to soy.
Nature’s Bounty Fish Oil is high quality fish oil, laboratory tested and quality guaranteed. Nature’s Bounty gets their fish directly from Peru, where the government has high standards that protect their waterways and ensure sustainable fishing.
The Peruvian government also works closely with the Marine Research Institute to manage fish stocks, and fisheries must meet rigorous quality checks, so this fish oil is high in quality, and harvested in a sustainable and ecologically friendly way.
Nature’s Bounty brings you this powerful Omega 3 supplement at a surprisingly affordable price, making it a great value for the money.
Nature’s Bounty Fish Oil contains EPA and DHA, two powerful Omega-3 fatty acids.
This supplement has no GMOs, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, no preservatives, no sugar, no starch, no milk, no lactose, no gluten, no wheat, no yeast, no shellfish, and no sodium, so it’s safe for people with dietary restrictions.
The softgels are easy to swallow and have no fishy taste. Each tablet contains 1,200 mg of fish oil, with 360 mg total of Omega-3 fatty acids.
PROS
High-quality fish oil
Purified to eliminate mercury
Sustainably sourced to preserve waterways and fish stocks
Easy to swallow softgels
No fishy taste
CONS
Capsules are large
Low ratio of Omega-3s to total fish oil content
5. Best Multivitamin with Omega 3 for Women: Ritual’s Essential Multivitamin for Women
Ritual believes in multivitamins that are based on science and has set out to make the perfect vitamin. Their multivitamin formulas aren’t full of vitamins that you already get in food but are focused on providing the essential nutrients most diets lack, with no unnecessary ingredients or fillers.
They are a company that values transparency and give you insight into all their global partners and supply chain, so you understand the impact of your vitamin choices.
They take science and transparency so seriously that they invested in a university-led clinical trial, which proved that Ritual Essential for Women increased Vitamin D and Omega-3 DHA levels in 12 weeks, by more than 40%.
Ritual’s Essential Multivitamin for Women has 9 essential nutrients, filling in the gaps women really need. This vitamin has folate, Omega-3, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, iron, Vitamin K2, boron, Vitamin E, and magnesium.
This multivitamin is certified vegan, with omega-3s and vitamin D from plant sources. It’s also non-GMO, and gluten and allergy free, with no colorants or synthetic fillers.
The innovative Ritual capsule has a beadlet-in-oil design that separates oily and dry ingredients so you can get all your nutrients in a single capsule. This unique capsule delivers nutrients slowly, to be gentle on the stomach and encourage better bio-absorption.
The pills are small, and have no shellac, fillers, or additives. Mint essence in each bottle gives the vitamins a fresh smell.
PROS
Certified vegan, non-GMO, free of fillers and additives
Essential nutrients balanced for women, with nothing you don’t need
Clinically proven to raise vitamin D and Omega-3 levels
Transparent sourcing and manufacturing
Bottle is minty and fresh
Gentle on the stomach and easier to absorb
CONS
You can’t cancel the subscription online, only over the phone
6. Best Omega 3 for Vegans: Zenwise Health Vegan Omega 3 Supplement
All too often we think of fish oil as the best source of Omega-3 fatty acids, and it can be hard to find vegan sources of Omega-3s. But marine algae is also an excellent source of Omega-3s, and not only is it vegan, but it gives all the benefits of Omega-3s without a fishy smell, taste, or aftertaste.
Fish oil may also be harmful to aquatic species, and contain mercury, so marine algae Omega-3s are a good choice even for non-vegans. Other plant-based sources of Omega-3s are high in ALA, but this supplement is high in EPA and DHA, for a great source of vegan Omega-3s.
Zenwise Health Vegan Omega 3 Supplement derived from marine algae. It is sustainably sourced, grown in controlled conditions free of ocean toxins. It contains no impurities, PCBs, or other contaminants. Each softgel tablet contains 225mg of Omega-3s, with 75mg of EPA and 150mg of DHA.
PROS
Vegan
Sustainably sourced without toxins or impurities
No fishy smell, taste, or aftertaste
Rich in DHA and EPA
CONS
Not certified vegan
No information regarding ingredient sourcing
7. Best Omega 3 for Children: Nordic Naturals Children’s DHA Gummies
Recent studies seem to indicate that people in all age groups, including children as young as 0 months old, can benefit from omega 3.
However, medical experts encourage natural food sources of omega 3 for younger children. Omega 3 supplements are recommended for children 2 years old and above.
There are results from small research studies that seem to indicate that omega 3 supplementation has some benefits for children diagnosed with ADHD.
Nevertheless, there aren’t any published results yet from large-scale studies to validate these findings. Considering the potentially adverse effects of taking any food supplement, it’s best to consult a pediatrician before administering omega 3 to your child.
Nordic Naturals is committed to providing safe and effective nutritional supplements for people of all ages.
The formulation for their Children’s DHA Gummies is backed by research and created by nutritional experts. The gummies go through rigorous testing to ensure that the product is safe and effective for children.
Kids will love its tropical punch flavor. Also, since it’s in gummy form, it is chewable and easier to swallow than capsules and tablets. You will no longer have to struggle to convince your children to take their supplements.
Nordic Naturals Children’s DHA Gummies are non-GMO, dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free. They do not contain artificial colors or flavors. For added convenience, the gummies are individually sealed in foil packs.
PROS
Formulation is backed by research.
Sugar-free and dairy-free.
Great for kids who don’t want to take supplements in tablet or capsule form.
CONS
Foil packs can easily tear and expose the gummies.
Contains xylitol, which can be toxic to pets
8. Most Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Omega 3 Supplement: Sports Research Omega-3 Wild Alaskan Fish Oil
They provide you with essential fatty acids that can help support and improve joint, skin, and cardiovascular health. This supplement is at the top of the market when it comes to oil freshness, with a maximum total oxidation of five.
The omega 3 concentrate on these supplements is the first to achieve certification as being sustainable and traceable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The supplement is encapsulated in pescatarian-friendly fish gelatin capsules.
PROS
Comes with a full 90-day money-back guarantee.
Free from PCBs, mercury, and heavy metals.
IFOS five-star certified.
CONS
Some find the capsules to be difficult to swallow.
Has a short expiration date.
May be hard on the stomach.
9. Best Fish Oil for Pescetarians: Wiley’s Finest Wild Alaskan Fish Oil Peak Epa
The soft gels are all-natural and concentrated to deliver four times the amount of omega 3s than other supplements.
This supplement is made using a unique patented distillation process that helps to keep the oil fresh to help reduce fishy burps, bad aftertaste, or fishy smell.
All of the ingredients in this product are high-quality, non-GMO, free from gluten, grain, and dairy, and have no artificial flavors or colors. The supplement is tested by a third-party company and is also free from heavy metals such as mercury, PCBs, lead, cadmium, and arsenic.
Wiley’s Finest omega 3 supplements are made from sustainable, Alaskan wild-caught fish.
The supplements are purified and packaged at a family-owned-and-operated facility in America, unlike other fish oil supplements, which are produced from anchovy oil caught in various countries and simply encapsulated in the US.
PROS
The company guarantees long-term sustainability of the primary fish populations.
This supplement has an extremely mild, bland taste of fresh, clean fish oils.
A serving size is only one tab.
CONS
Tablets tend to break open in the container.
Container is hard to open.
Some people find this supplement causes lethargy.
Final Thoughts on Omega 3 Supplements
Like many other supplements, not all fish oil products are created equal. Consider your reason for wanting to take an omega 3 supplement and consult your doctor if you have any of the contraindications mentioned above.
That said, if you’re ready to choose one, consider Viva Naturals Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplement. This product offers the best overall value and is beneficial for most people. This is also a good supplement to start if you have never taken an omega 3 supplement before.
And if you want more resources about healthy supplements, be sure to check out these blog posts:
Why should fasts lasting longer than 24 hours and particularly for three or more days only be done under the supervision of a health professional and preferably in a live-in clinic?
Fasting for a week or two can actually interfere with the loss of body fat, as shown at the start of my video Is Fasting for Weight Loss Safe?. But, eventually, after the third week of fasting, fat loss starts to overtake the loss of lean body mass in obese individuals, as seen in the graph below and at 0:14 in my video. Is it safe to go that long without food?
Proponents speak of fasting as a cleansing process, but some of what is being purged from our bodies are essential vitamins and minerals. People who are heavy enough can fast up to 382 days without calories, but no one can go even a fraction of that long without vitamins. Scurvy, for example, can be diagnosed within as few as four weeks without any vitamin C. Beriberi, deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), may start even earlier in fasting patients. And, once it manifests, it can result in brain damage within days, which can eventually become irreversible.
Even though fasting patients report problems such as nausea and indigestion after taking supplements, all of the months-long fasting cases I’ve discussed previously were given daily multivitamins and mineral supplementation as necessary. Without supplementation, hunger strikers and those undergoing prolonged fasts for therapeutic or religious purposes (like the Baptist pastor hoping “to enhance his spiritual powers for exorcism”) have ended up paralyzed, become comatose, or worse.
Nutrient deficiencies aren’t the only risk. After reading about all of the successful reports of massive weight loss from prolonged fasting in the medical literature, one doctor decided to give it a try with his patients. Of the first dozen he tried it on, two died. In retrospect, the two patients who died had started out with heart failure and had been on diuretics. Fasting itself produces pronounced diuresis, meaning loss of water and electrolytes through the urine, so it was the combination of fasting on top of the water pills that likely depleted their potassium and triggered their fatal heart rhythms. The doctor went out of his way to point out that both of the people who died started out “in severe heart failure, complicated by gross obesity; but both had improved greatly whilst undergoing starvation therapy.” That seems like a small consolation since they were both dead within a matter of weeks.
Not all therapeutic fasting fatalities were complicated by concurrent medication use, though. One researcher writes: “At first he did very well and experienced the usual euphoria…His pulse, blood pressure, and electrolytes remained satisfactory, but in the middle of the third week of treatment, he suddenly collapsed and died. This line of treatment is certainly tempting because it does produce weight loss and the patient feels so much better, but the report of case-fatalities”—the whole part about killing people—“must make it a very suspect line of management.”
Contrary to the popular notion that the heart muscle is specially spared during fasting, the heart appears to experience similar muscle wasting. This was “described in the victims of the Warsaw ghetto” during World War II in a remarkable series of detailed studies carried out by the ghetto physicians before they themselves succumbed. In a case entitled “Gross Fragmentation of Cardiac Fiber After Therapeutic Starvation for Obesity,” a 20-year-old woman successfully “achieved her ideal weight” after losing 128 pounds by fasting for 30 weeks. “After a breakfast of one egg,” she had a heart attack and died. On autopsy, as you can see below and at 3:44 in my video, the muscle fibers in her heart showed evidence of widespread disintegration. The pathologists suggested that fasting regimens “should no longer be recommended as a safe means of weight reduction.” Breaking the fast appears to be the most dangerous part. After World War II, as many as one out of five starved Japanese prisoners of war tragically died following liberation. Now known as “refeeding syndrome,” multiorgan system failure can result from resuming a regular diet too quickly. This is because there are critical nutrients such as thiamine and phosphorus that are used to metabolize food. Therefore, in the critical refeeding window, if too much food is taken before these nutrients can be replenished, demand may exceed supply. Whatever residual stores you still carry can be driven down even further, with potentially fatal consequences. This is why rescue workers are taught to always give thiamine before food to victims who have been trapped or otherwise unable to eat. Thiamine is responsible for the yellow color of “banana bags,” a term you might have heard used in medical dramas to describe an IV fluid concoction often given to malnourished alcoholics to prevent a similar reaction. (You can see a photo of them below and at 4:53 in my video.) Anyone “with negligible food intake for more than five days” may be at risk of developing refeeding problems. Medically-supervised fasting has gotten much safer now that there are proper refeeding protocols. We now know what warning signs to look for and who shouldn’t be fasting in the first place, such as those who have advanced liver or kidney failure, porphyria, uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. The most comprehensive safety analysis of medically supervised, water-only fasting was recently published by the TrueNorth Health Center in California. Out of 768 visits to its facility for fasts up to 41 days, were there any adverse events? There were 5,961 of them! Most of these were mild, known reactions to fasting, such as fatigue, nausea, insomnia, headache, dizziness, upset stomach, and back pain. Only two serious events were reported, and no fatalities. You can see the chart below and at 5:58 in my video. “Fasting periods lasting longer than 24 hr, and particularly those lasting 3 or more days, should be done under the supervision of a physician and preferably in a [live-in] clinic.” In other words, don’t try this at home! This is not just legalistic mumbo-jumbo. For example, normally, your kidneys dive into sodium conservation mode during fasting, but should that response break down, you could rapidly develop an electrolyte abnormality that may only manifest with non-specific symptoms, like fatigue or dizziness, which could easily be dismissed until it’s too late.
The risks of any therapy must be premised on the severity of the disease. The consequences of obesity are considered so serious that effective therapies could have “considerable acceptable toxicity.” For example, many consider major surgery for obesity to be a justifiable risk, but the keyword is effective.
Therapeutic fasting for obesity has largely been abandoned by the medical community not only because of its uncertain safety profile but its questionable short- and long-term efficacy. Remember, for a fast that only lasts a week or two, you might be able to lose as much body fat or even more on a low-calorie diet than a no-calorie diet.
Vitamin B12 is not made by plants or animals, but by microbes blanketing the earth. We presumably used to get B12 when we drank out of a mountain stream or sipped water from a well, based on studies showing vegetarians in developing countries who drink purified water appear to be at higher risk. Now, we typically chlorinate our water supply to kill off any bacteria. So, most of us don’t get a lot of B12 in our water anymore, but we don’t get a lot of cholera, either. That’s a benefit of living in a much more sanitary world. Vegetarians living in slums in lesser developed regions appear to have fewer B12 problems, though. Basically, the more hygienic our meals, the less B12 we get. Our fellow great apes, like gorillas, get all the B12 they need eating their own feces. I prefer supplements. So, how much should we get, which type is best, and how can we tell if we have a B12 deficiency?
Many case reports detail ways B12 can be life-changing. For instance, a 47-year-old woman had a five-year history of psychosis. She had been treated with antipsychotic drugs and was cognitively impaired and reported visual hallucinations. After her mother revealed that the patient had been following a strict vegan diet for seven years, vitamin B12 supplementation was started and her symptoms went away. She had lost years of her life lost in a psychotic haze—apparently just because she didn’t want to take a supplement.
Vitamin B12 supplementation is mandatory for anyone eating plant-based diets and, as I’ll discuss later, for every one of us from age 65.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Symptoms and Treatment
As I discuss in my video The Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency, it can cause everything from abdominal distention and chronic diarrhea to shortness of breath and swollen, red, painful feet. It can also cause Parkinson’s syndrome–like symptoms, skin darkening (that resolved with supplementation), and bilateral useless hand syndrome, a condition I had never heard of before.
Being deficient in B12 may also manifest in a variety of neurological symptoms—for example, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, muscle cramps, dizziness, cognitive disturbances, difficulty walking, and erectile dysfunction—as well as fatigue and such psychiatric symptoms as depression along with psychosis.
How can B12 deficiency be treated? Either with B12 supplements or B12-fortified foods.
Suggested Vitamin B12 Dosage
The official position of associations and governmental agencies is categorical and unequivocal: Supplementation of vitamin B12 is required for anyone on a vegetarian diet—even when consuming eggs and dairy—and I would extend that to include flexitarians eating only a few servings of meat a week.
Who else should ensure they have a regular, reliable source of vitamin B12 by supplementing their diet with B12 supplements or B12-fortified foods? Those who’ve had bariatric surgery (which can sometimes impair absorption), those eating plant-based diets, and everyone from the age of 65.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women can just follow my 50 mcg (µg) a day recommendation for nonpregnant adults or take 2,000 mcg (µg) a week, perhaps split into two doses to boost absorption. After infants are weaned, they can start on 5 mcg (µg) a day. From ages 4 through 10, kids can take half the adult dose of 25 mcg (µg) a day, then they can take 50 mcg (µg) a day or 2,000 mcg (µg) a week from age 11.
Note that these doses are specific to cyanocobalamin, the preferred supplemental form of vitamin B12. (I discuss cyanocobalamin versus methylcobalamin below.)
The Best Food Sources of Vitamin B12
If you need supplemental B12 but don’t want to take supplements, you must rely on B12-fortified foods––eating three separate servings of B12-fortified foods a day, each ideally containing at least 190 percent of the “Daily Value” on the product’s nutrition facts label. As I discuss in my video The Healthiest Food Sources of Vitamin B12, B12-fortified nutritional yeast is a common food source, and there are all sorts of other B12-fortified options on the market, including plant-based meats and milks, breakfast cereals, and even energy drinks.
The Worst Food Sources of Vitamin B12
What about various algae-type products, like spirulina, which are advertised as natural vitamin B12 sources? Not only do they not actually contain B12 that’s useable for humans, they may contain B12 analogues—look-alike molecules that can even block your absorption of real B12!
Can Vitamin B12 Cause Side Effects?
You don’t have to worry about taking too much vitamin B12. It’s water-soluble. So, at worst, you’ll just end up with more expensive pee. Injectable forms, though, can trigger acne.
Methylcobalamin vs. Cyanocobalamin
There are two main types of vitamin B12: methylcobalamin, marketed as methyl B12, and cyanocobalamin, typically marketed as just vitamin B12. Methylcobalamin is more expensive so it must be better, right? Wrong.
The one major exception may be kidney failure, though. Methylcobalamin may be better for those with impaired kidney function. It’s been speculated that oral methylcobalamin or injected hydroxycobalamin may also be preferable in smokers, though it has yet to be confirmed.
Medically-supervised fasting has
“