Do you take supplements and do they really help?

[rinsider]

Hi all, I’m in my late 40s and for the past year I’ve been taking 4 different one-a-day supplements daily:
One for uric acid (in case of gout flareups) - - luteolin and isoquercitin
One for heart health - - ubiquinol, olive fruit extract and krill oil
One for liver - - milk thistle
One for mood - - saffron and ashwagandha

All these come at an expense of course, but I do wonder if they really are effective or are no better than placebo or sugar pills.

What are the long-term supplements that members here take for specific health or preventative issues, and have you noticed any real, tangible benefits since?

For myself, the uric supplement for gout seems to have worked as it has been months since a flare-up. The others are a bit more ambiguous. For mood, I’d rather buy the saffron threads to brew into a tea. I’d like to think my heart and liver functions have improved, but I would need my hospital checkups for that.

If you don’t notice effects over time, would you just stop or continue out of habit if you’re not feeling worse or better? It’s like a reassuring blanket though, to think you’re trying to upkeep your health.

Any thoughts on this and which over-the-counter supplements have really worked for you? Thanks!

[thebottomsupblog]

@rinsider I’m trying this:

https://moom.health/products/the-peri-meno-pack

I’m quite skeptical about supplements, so I ran the ingredients through chatgpt and the advice was to try it 2x a week, rather than daily. But that also means any effects are less obvious.

I’ve been taking Moom’s vegan omega since around 2023/24 — this I think is good for hair growth, as i can see some regrowth along my hairline.

I also take their probiotic product: https://moom.health/products/synbiotic — for this, I can’t say for sure if I’m better off with it. But I feel like my gut health is poor and like you say, maybe it offers reassurance.

I used to be quite particular about checking products on Labdoor to make sure they contain what they’re supposed to:
https://labdoor.com/

There used to be many more brands listed on Labdoor, which we could then purchase via Amazon/iHerb, but now it seems a bit limited.

[sharonkhoo]

@rinsider said in Do you take supplements and do they really help?:

If you don’t notice effects over time, would you just stop or continue out of habit if you’re not feeling worse or better? It’s like a reassuring blanket though, to think you’re trying to upkeep your health.

Any thoughts on this and which over-the-counter supplements have really worked for you? Thanks!

I am one of those people who like a simple life, which includes fewer “overheads”, especially in terms of time, memory and attention (also cost, though I am willing to pay if I feel it’s necessary). I just find it a bother to have more items to keep in stock and remember to take! I’ve also been blessed to be generally healthy with no chronic ailments - I know that I am fortunate and I know many people don’t have that privilege. But that’s the perspective I’m speaking from.

Up till my 40s, I pretty much didn’t take any supplements. I’ve always preferred to just watch my diet and lifestyle instead. During pregnancies, I did take calcium and vitamins, but that was pretty much all. When feeling a cold/flu coming on, I take Vit C and a Chinese herbal drink that I find helpful to stave off colds. My husband feels like I do, but does take a couple of supplements which he finds helps, so those have become part of our regular “stock”.

In my 40s and 50s, I did try glucosamine/chondroitin for joints and calcium (though I often forgot to take them anyway). I took them for over a year but didn’t notice any appreciable difference. I found that stretching and exercise did more for joints than supplements, and stopping the supplements hasn’t brought the aches back as long as I keep up the movement. I haven’t had a bone density test for years, so maybe I might regret stopping the calcium, but I think my diet is fairly OK in that respect.

That’s my experience. Now that I’m in my 60s and I’m supposed to see my Healthier SG clinic for a checkup (if they ever get round to returning my call), I don’t know if things may change. In terms of general life, I can still get up off the floor, carry my groceries, do my housework, walk for a couple of hours when travelling etc, so I’m not too worried (yet).