Shilajit: The Mountain Resin Trend, Held to Evidence
Shilajit is a mineral-rich resin used for centuries in Ayurvedic practice. A handful of small human studies hint at effects on testosterone, fatigue, and…
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Blog Category
Vitamins & Supplements
Articles on vitamins and supplements: what the evidence supports, who actually needs them, safe doses and interactions with medicines. Tell your doctor about every supplement you take, especially before surgery.
Biotin Side Effects: The Lab-Test Interference Every Patient Should Know About
Biotin side effects on the body are rare, because it is a water-soluble vitamin and excess is passed in urine. The main documented risk…
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IV Vitamin Therapy and the Myers’ Cocktail: What Drips Deliver and What Evidence Exists
IV vitamin therapy delivers vitamins, minerals and fluid directly into a vein, bypassing digestion. The best-known formula, the Myers' cocktail, mixes magnesium, calcium, B…
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Vitamin D Toxicity: How Overdose Happens, the Symptoms and the Blood Test That Shows It
Vitamin D toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis D, is a rare but serious condition caused almost always by taking far too much supplemental vitamin D…
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Resveratrol: Why the Red Wine Molecule Disappointed in Human Trials
Resveratrol is a plant polyphenol found in grape skins, red wine, peanuts and berries. In yeast and mice it switched on longevity-linked enzymes, but…
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Types of Magnesium: A Buyer’s Map of Forms and Purposes
Magnesium supplements differ mainly in the compound attached to the mineral. Citrate, chloride, lactate, and glycinate are generally better absorbed and gentler than oxide…
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Vitamin A: Vision, Skin, Immunity, and the Overdose Line
Vitamin A helps cells in the retina, skin, and mucous membranes develop and work normally, which is why it matters for night vision, skin…
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Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies and ACV Before Meals: What Blood Sugar Studies Show
Small, short randomized trials suggest that vinegar taken with a carbohydrate-rich meal can modestly blunt the after-meal rise in blood sugar, mainly in people…
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Alpha Lipoic Acid: Nerve Pain, Blood Sugar and the Evidence Behind the Supplement
Alpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant the body makes in small amounts and that is also sold as a dietary supplement. The strongest evidence…
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Krill Oil vs Fish Oil vs Algae Omega-3: Absorption, Side Effects and Sustainability
Krill oil, fish oil and algae oil all supply the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. Krill oil carries part of its omega-3 bound to…
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Castor Oil Packs and the Belly Button Trend: What Is Claimed and What Is Known
A castor oil pack is a cloth soaked in castor oil, laid on the skin (often over the abdomen or navel) and usually warmed.…
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Quercetin and Fisetin: The Senolytic Flavonoids: What Trials Show
Quercetin and fisetin are plant flavonoids that kill or quiet aging "senescent" cells in laboratory and animal studies, which is why they are called…
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L-Theanine: What It Does With Caffeine, for Focus and for Sleep
L-theanine is an amino acid found naturally in tea leaves that appears to promote a calm, alert state. Small randomized trials suggest that pairing…
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Spermidine: The Autophagy Supplement: Evidence From Cells, Mice and (Few) Humans
Spermidine is a natural polyamine found in wheat germ, aged cheese, soybeans and mushrooms, and the body also makes it. In yeast, worms, flies…
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Vitamin D3 and K2 Together: Why the Pairing Is Popular and What the Evidence Says
Vitamin D3 and K2 are sold together on the theory that D3 raises calcium absorption while K2 activates proteins that help deposit calcium in…
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Reishi and Cordyceps: Functional Mushrooms Under the Evidence Lens
Reishi and cordyceps are edible fungi sold as supplements for immunity, sleep, stress and stamina. The research behind those claims is mostly small, short…
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Reishi and Cordyceps: Functional Mushrooms Under the Evidence Lens
Reishi mushroom benefits are mostly supported by laboratory and small human studies, not by large randomized trials. Modest, uncertain effects have been reported on…
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Lion’s Mane: What Human Trials Show for Memory and Focus, and the Side Effects Reported
Lion's mane benefits for memory and focus rest on a handful of small, short randomized trials: older adults with mild cognitive impairment scored better…
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