It looks like we will soon be changing the name of the grocery store to a supplement store because the supplement pandemic is taking over grocery stores. If you think you have seen so many supplements, think again because we haven't seen half of them. We see these bright-eyed salespeople come to sell us everything supplements, but do these supplements work?
Have you heard of the exercise supplements made of colostrum powder? It will be the first supplement that we should take a look at. Colostrum is the milk produced by mammals including humans in the first few days after birth. It is loaded with many nutrients, antibodies, and antimicrobial properties which are important for a baby's growth. It is usually for infants but then supplement companies found a way to get it into supplements to help grow muscles.
Since it is not an easy task to get colostrum from humans, bovine colostrum became the way out. Studies that checked the claim used whey milk and they discovered that people on whey gained regular body weight after exercising for 8 weeks while people who took bovine colostrum gained bone-free lean body mass. Which meant they gained non-bone leading them to have increased organ weight and muscle weight.
The problem with these studies is that their findings aren't consistent. Some of the studies that found lean weight gain also realized that extra muscle didn't mean more strength. Some studies even found that colostrum could make the skin thicker. These differences and what results are being seen could arise from dosage, study population, and concentration of the bovine colostrum. So for now, there is not enough evidence to support the claim.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Health_Supplements_-Nutraceuticals-_50191152323.jpg
Image; Flickr
You must have been talked into buying a collagen supplement to help slow the aging process you are undergoing with the word “miracle anti-aging supplement”. Well, studies have shown that using it both orally and topically increases skin hydration and reduces wrinkles. Some even come with results that lead to smoother skin but the problem with these studies is that they do not have a large number of people as their sample size for the large claim so it is still do not have enough data to support their claim.
I have worked into a grocery store were I was asked to buy a supplement that had biotin as its major ingredient for increased hair growth. Biotin also known as vitamin B7 is popular in supplements for nails and hair growth but I can tell you for free that it didn't work for me.
A 2017 meta-analysis looked at 18 studies and concluded that it worked but then another review warned that there are actually no clinical trials to confirm its efficacy for people who do not have the medical conditions. Another study showed that taking biotin supplements can interfere with test results for some conditions like in the case of Thyroid condition. So coming from my experience and the study warning, I will pass.
Vitamin D is the last supplement that I want to look into. Studies suggest that more than 40% of people are vitamin D deficient. We make vitamin D in our skin and it comes from sunlight. It helps to increase calcium in the body and strengthen bones. This is one of the most popular supplements in the world but a lot of people take it with believes that it will help prevent fractures since it strengthens bones but this isn't true. It also doesn't prevent cancer or heart problems. But if you are deficient in vitamin D, then you should take the supplements because you need them.
YOU CAN FURTHER STUDY
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00593-z