Are supplements beneficial?

As a traditional allopathic physician, Dr. Backs was trained to be skeptical of supplements. That has changed. He is now a more “open minded allopath.” There is evidence to support the use of supplements for specific purposes. While it is ideal to get our nutrients from real nutrient dense food, who can afford or access trustworthy and consistent sources of such food. Some deficiencies are influenced by genetic factors like the MTHFR gene variant or Haptoglobin genotype. Vitamin D from the sun would imply daily indecent skin exposure to sunlight that isn’t sufficient in most locations. So supplements are the most practical solution to deficiencies in many if not most circumstances.

Click here to provide a list of your current supplements.

How do I know what supplements I should take?

The supplement industry is largely unregulated. Be careful about the source of supplements you buy. Here are some tips to avoid supplements that can damage your budget without helping your health outcomes:

• Choose products from companies that validate the content of their products by submitting to FDA monitoring for content. 

• Look for evidence from clinical trials when they are available. 

• Don’t rely solely on the recommendation of a friend who sells you a product and then engages you as a promoter of the product. These multilevel marketing schemes generally benefit only the founders at the expense of later entrants.

• Don’t hide the use of supplements from your physicians. They can interact with other drugs and influence your treatment.

• We use Fullscript to provide easy online access to plans and recommend specific supplements that are high value at a fair price.

Here is a list of some of the common supplements we recommend at the CureCenter and their benefits:

• Bergamot BPF: Extracted from the Bergamot lime/orange through a special process, this food extract has been shown to have many of the beneficial effects of statins (reduce LDL and inflammation) while also improving insulin sensitivity, the underlying cause of Type 2 Diabetes. We have found it to be correlated with reduced lipoprotein(a) in some cases. We recommend it commonly for those who don’t tolerate statins, who need its help for insulin resistance or prefer non pharmacologic treatments for arterial disease and hyperlipidemia. We often recommend it to synergize with statins for even more improvement in lipids and insulin resistance.
  
  Click here for further reading about Bergamot
  

• Niacin (Vitamin B3): At the CureCenter, we recommend Niacin for those with elevated Lipoprotein(a) and small dense LDL dyslipidemia. For those who can’t or won’t take statins, it has favorable effects on lipids and inflammation. There are benefits to taking Niacin that make it worthwhile despite dealing with some annoying effects, including flushing.  Taking it at bedtime makes it more tolerable by sleeping through the flush. Diphenhydramine can help minimize the flushing experience.
  

• Vitamin D3: This supplement addresses our all-too-common deficiency of vitamin D. “Normal” levels of vitamin D3 (>30) are not optimal. Our target is a level of 60-90. Toxicity is not a problem until well above a level of 100. 

  At the CureCenter, we recommend vitamin D3 with vitamin K2. K2 serves as a transport/binding agent for vitamin D that enhances its effectiveness. Vitamin K2 also has potential arterial elasticity promoting properties, and improves insulin sensitivity. Click here for more information about vitamin K2.
  

• Diaxinol: This supplement combines a number of agents that enhance insulin sensitivity (reduce insulin resistance). Cinnamon can be a lower-cost alternative, but with the concentrated cinnamon extract and other agents in Diaxinol, we see more consistent improvement in measures that reflect insulin resistance.
  

• Fish Oil (Omega 3 fatty acids): These supplements act to lower inflammation, reduce platelet adhesion, and have several favorable effects on lipids. Our goal is to get about 200mg of combined DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) daily.
  

• Turmeric (curcumin): This is a spice with anti-inflammatory benefits that can also be taken in supplement form. Since atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease, the potential benefits are worth considering.
  

• Vitamin E: This vitamin improves arterial event (heart attack, stroke, etc.) risk in patients with Haptoglobin genotype 2-2 while increasing the risk for those whose genotype is 1-1 or 1-2. We recommend natural alpha-tocopherol vitamin E (400 IU daily) but only after knowing your haptoglobin genotype.
  

• Ubiquinol or CoEnzyme Q 10: This supplement may mitigate statin muscle pain side effects and are recommended for anyone on a statin, especially those on higher doses.
  

• Probiotics and a Prebiotic diet improves the gut microbiome, which interacts with the human body in ways that are only in the beginning stages of study and understanding. The gut microbiome can be harmed by antibiotics and environmental agents that act to alter the microbiome. Probiotics can help maintain and restore the good bacteria that we depend upon for good health. A better alternative is a “prebiotic” diet with lots of vegetable fiber and fermented foods like unpasteurized sauerkraut and kimchi.

• Methylated Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 requirements vary depending upon MTHFR gene variant. Elevated homocysteine is inflammatory for arteries, nerve, brain, kidneys and increases blood clotting. Supplementation can measurably improve outcomes.

At the CureCenter, our recommendation of specific products is intended to assure that our patients get reliable benefits at a fair price. We want you to get what you pay for. We connect you with Fullscript to enable convenient home delivery while supporting our efforts to get the correct supplement and a good value.

Interested in learning more about supplements offered at the CureCenter? Start by requesting a complementary Discovery Zoom Call with Dr. Backs today.