The biggest issue I have with supplement claims is simple: If you only have a single study in a specific condition, YOU CAN'T CLAIM IT WORKS FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE OR ANY OTHER CONDITIONS
For example: there is some evidence that CINNAMALDEHYDE, a chemical found in relatively small amounts, can improve blood sugars in high concentrations THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS SAYING THAT CINNAMON CAN IMPROVE BLOOD SUGARpic.twitter.com/hPm7s9sLyU
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If you're willing to chow down on 6 grams of cinnamon a day to see a clinically insignificant benefit to your blood sugars, go for it. That's not what the supplements sell at allpic.twitter.com/Mq6e1mv9pr
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Another example: curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric, may be helpful in reducing inflammation in a wide variety of ways That is entirely different to saying that turmeric supplements can do ANYTHING AT ALL for your healthpic.twitter.com/zzPleRv1nh
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Here's another one: pomegranate extract was a plausible in vivo (cells in a dish) treatment for some issues That is so far from an actual health claim that it makes this statement almost comical in its inaccuracypic.twitter.com/eoIEQWUbCT
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Pomegranate is even worse because further clinical trials have not found actual benefits associated with taking the supplements, so it's probably useless anyway! Doesn't stop people making ~millions~ selling it as a panacea for "DNA protection"pic.twitter.com/P7El4QRYAa
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And then you've got products like these. The idea is that healthy people having trouble sleeping might want to take them The ingredients have never been tested in healthy people. Only people with insomnia AND THEY WERE FOUND INEFFECTIVEpic.twitter.com/IZgJ08cjyv
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End of conversation
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