6 Health & Aging Supplements (and What I Avoid)

Summary

The video discusses the efficacy of six popular supplements based on scientific research. Creatine shows cognitive benefits for those over 60, while collagen aids skin health. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and NMN have limited utility for younger, healthy individuals. Fish oil slightly improves memory, and curcumin is potent for preventing diabetes in pre-diabetics. The host emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet and exercise over supplements for optimal health.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Creatine has shown benefits for brain health and cognition, particularly in individuals over 60, but also aids in muscle strength for all ages.
• 🌟 Collagen supplementation is beneficial for skin health, with the speaker taking it daily and rating it 2.5 out of 5 based on the evidence.
• 👵 Glacé (Glacial Protein) has been shown to improve health markers in older adults, but its effectiveness in younger, healthy individuals is questionable.
• 🐟 Fish oil has a small but positive effect on cognitive function, particularly memory, with the speaker rating it 3.5 out of 5.
• 🔬 NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) is popular for its potential anti-aging effects, but its benefits are unclear for young, healthy individuals, leading to a low rating of 2 out of 10.
• 🍛 Curcumin is potent for preventing diabetes in pre-diabetic individuals but may not be beneficial for those with normal blood sugar levels.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The speaker avoids curcumin due to its potential to reduce muscle building, despite its other health benefits.
• 💊 Supplements can be beneficial, but the speaker emphasizes that following a healthy lifestyle, including diet and exercise, is more important for overall health.
• 📊 The speaker's ratings for each supplement are based on the quality and quantity of scientific evidence, with creatine receiving the highest rating.
• 👨‍🔬 The speaker's personal supplement choices are influenced by their age, health status, and specific health goals, highlighting the importance of individualized approaches to supplementation.

Q & A

What is the speaker's general stance on supplements?

The speaker is not a huge fan of supplements but has a better understanding of their efficacy after analyzing scientific literature.

What is the speaker's rating system for supplements based on certainty of evidence?

The speaker uses a rating system where one is low certainty and five is the highest certainty based on the evidence.

What is the speaker's opinion on creatine for brain health and cognition?

Creatine seems to provide benefits for individuals over 60 years old, but not for younger individuals. The speaker still takes it for its muscle benefits.

How much creatine does the speaker take daily and what is their rating for it?

The speaker takes 5 grams of creatine daily and rates it 5 out of 5.

What is the speaker's view on collagen supplements for skin health?

The speaker believes collagen is beneficial for skin health, but acknowledges more data is needed. They take it daily in the form of collagen peptides.

What is the speaker's daily dosage and rating for collagen?

The speaker takes 10 to 20 grams of collagen daily and rates it 2.5 out of 5.

Why doesn't the speaker take NMN supplements?

The speaker believes NMN is likely useless for young healthy individuals and has mixed results in studies, leading to a low rating.

What is the speaker's rating for NMN and why is it so low?

The speaker rates NMN a 2 out of 10 because the studies show mixed results and the speaker remains unimpressed for most people's potential benefits.

What is the speaker's stance on fish oil for brain function?

Fish oil has a small but positive effect on brain function, particularly memory, according to the speaker.

How much fish oil does the speaker take and what is their rating for it?

The speaker takes about a gram of fish oil daily and rates it 3.5 out of 5.

What is the speaker's opinion on curcumin for diabetes prevention?

Curcumin is potent for helping pre-diabetic individuals prevent diabetes, but the speaker does not take it due to its potential to reduce muscle building.

What is the speaker's rating for curcumin and why?

The speaker rates curcumin 4 out of 5 due to the good amount of research and relatively consistent results, despite not taking it personally.

What are the 'five rules' the speaker mentions for greater health benefits?

The speaker refers to a video where they outline five foundational rules for health, suggesting these are more beneficial than supplements.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Brain Health Supplements: What Works?

The speaker begins by expressing a cautious stance on supplements but shares insights from a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature on six specific supplements. They discuss creatine, which has been extensively studied and shown to benefit cognitive health, particularly in individuals over 60. Despite not being in that age group, the speaker takes creatine for its muscle-enhancing effects, which are beneficial across all ages. The speaker rates creatine with a high certainty of 5 out of 5. They also touch on collagen's potential benefits for skin health, backed by some good-quality studies, and rate it 2.5 out of 5, acknowledging the need for more data. The speaker humorously dismisses NMN and GLAC due to their unsuitability for younger individuals and the high doses required for GLAC, which they deem impractical and potentially a waste of money for those not in their 70s.

05:01

🐟 Fish Oil and NMN: A Closer Look

The speaker delves into the effects of fish oil on cognitive function, focusing on its impact on memory. They note that while fish oil has a small but positive effect on brain function, as indicated by the hedges G measure, it's not substantial. The speaker rates fish oil 3.5 out of 5, recognizing its minor benefits. They then discuss NMN, a popular supplement touted for its potential to reverse aging by increasing NAD levels. After reviewing 13 human studies, the speaker concludes that NMN's effects are mixed and likely insignificant for young, healthy individuals. They suggest that NMN might be beneficial for older individuals or those with poor dietary and lifestyle habits, but the speaker remains unimpressed and rates NMN a 2 out of 10 due to the lack of granular data and the need for more comprehensive studies.

10:03

🍛 Curcumin for Diabetes Prevention

The speaker concludes the discussion with curcumin, focusing on its potential to prevent diabetes, especially for those at risk. They highlight a study where curcumin significantly reduced the incidence of diabetes in pre-diabetic individuals. However, for those with well-regulated blood sugar, curcumin offers little benefit. The speaker also mentions curcumin's antioxidant properties, which, while beneficial, could potentially hinder muscle building, conflicting with their personal fitness goals. They rate curcumin 4 out of 5, appreciating its research-backed potential but choosing not to take it personally. The speaker emphasizes that while supplements can offer certain health benefits, adhering to foundational health principles, as outlined in another video, is crucial for overall well-being.

Keywords

💡Creatine

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that is used as a supplement to enhance athletic performance and muscle strength. In the video, it is discussed as a supplement that has been extensively researched, particularly for its effects on brain health and cognition. The speaker mentions that while creatine does not seem to improve memory in individuals under 60, it does show benefits for those over 60. Despite being under the age where memory benefits are evident, the speaker still takes creatine due to its positive impact on muscle tissue, especially with resistance training.

💡Collagen

Collagen is a protein that is a major component of connective tissues in animals, including skin, and is often taken as a supplement for skin health. The video discusses collagen's benefits for the skin, citing several studies that led the speaker to believe in its merit, despite acknowledging the need for more data. The speaker takes collagen peptides daily, indicating a moderate level of certainty in its effectiveness based on the current research.

💡Glutathione (GLAC)

Glutathione, referred to as GLAC in the video, is a peptide that has gained popularity for its potential health benefits, including its role in cellular health and aging. The speaker references studies showing significant improvements in health markers like mitochondrial health and muscle strength. However, the speaker does not take GLAC because the studies were conducted on older individuals, and the speaker is younger and healthy, suggesting that GLAC might not be beneficial for younger, healthy individuals.

💡Fish Oil

Fish oil is a supplement often used for its omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to support brain health and function. The video analyzes studies on fish oil's impact on cognition, with the speaker concluding that while there is a positive effect, it is small, especially in memory enhancement. The speaker still takes fish oil, acknowledging that even a small benefit can be worthwhile. The term 'hedges G' is used to describe the adjusted effect size, indicating the magnitude of impact omega-3s have on brain function.

💡NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide)

NMN is a molecule that has been touted as an anti-aging supplement due to its potential to increase NAD+ levels in cells, which is associated with cellular energy and health. The video discusses mixed results from studies on NMN, with some showing effects and others showing minimal impact. The speaker suggests that NMN might be beneficial for older individuals or those with poor diet and lifestyle, but is unlikely to have a noticeable effect on young, healthy individuals. The speaker does not take NMN and rates it low due to the lack of consistent evidence and the need for more granular studies.

💡Curcumin

Curcumin is the active compound found in turmeric, often taken as a supplement for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In the video, curcumin is discussed in the context of its potential to help prevent diabetes, particularly in pre-diabetic individuals. The speaker highlights a study where curcumin seemed to prevent the development of diabetes in a group of people over a 12-month period. However, the speaker personally does not take curcumin due to its potential to reduce muscle-building potential, which conflicts with their fitness goals.

💡Supplements

Supplements are products taken orally to provide nutrients that may be missing or insufficient in a person's diet. The video discusses various supplements, their purported benefits, and the scientific evidence behind them. The speaker evaluates each supplement based on research and personal health considerations, providing a rating for their certainty in the supplement's effectiveness.

💡Cognition

Cognition refers to the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. The video frequently references cognition, particularly in the context of how supplements like creatine and fish oil may affect memory and brain function. The speaker analyzes the scientific literature to determine the extent to which these supplements can enhance cognitive abilities.

💡Health Markers

Health markers are measurable indicators of an individual's health status, such as blood pressure, muscle strength, and mitochondrial health. The video discusses how certain supplements, like GLAC, can significantly improve various health markers. These markers are used to assess the effectiveness of supplements and their impact on overall health.

💡Diabetes Prevention

Diabetes prevention is the focus of the discussion on curcumin, where the speaker explains its potential to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes, especially in pre-diabetic individuals. The video presents data suggesting that curcumin can serve as a potent protector against diabetes development, highlighting its significance in managing blood glucose and insulin resistance.

💡Muscle Building

Muscle building refers to the process of increasing muscle mass and strength, often through resistance training and supplementation. The video touches on the impact of certain supplements, like creatine, on muscle building. The speaker mentions that while creatine benefits muscle tissue, other supplements like curcumin might have the opposite effect due to their antioxidant properties, which can be counterproductive for those aiming to build muscle.

Highlights

Creatine has been extensively researched and shows benefits for brain health and cognition, especially in individuals over 60.

Creatine does not seem to improve memory in people younger than 60 but does show benefits for those 60 and older.

The speaker has been taking creatine for over a decade and rates it 5 out of 5 for certainty.

Collagen has been investigated for skin health, with mixed but overall positive results from 11 studies.

The speaker takes collagen peptides daily and rates collagen 2.5 out of 5 for certainty.

Glacialuconate (GLAC) has shown impressive health improvements in studies, particularly in older populations.

The speaker does not take GLAC due to the studies being conducted on older individuals and the high doses required.

Fish oil has been studied for cognitive benefits, with small but positive effects on brain function.

The speaker rates fish oil 3.5 out of 5 for certainty, acknowledging the need for more data.

NMN is popular as an 'age-reversing' molecule, but studies show mixed results with small effects.

The speaker believes NMN is likely useless for young healthy individuals and rates it 2 out of 5 for certainty.

Curcumin has been found to be potent for preventing diabetes, especially in pre-diabetic individuals.

Curcumin may not be beneficial for those with well-regulated blood sugar, but it has other health benefits.

The speaker does not take curcumin due to its potential to reduce muscle building and rates it 4 out of 5 for certainty.

Supplements can be beneficial, but following the five health rules outlined in the Cornerstone video is of greater importance.

Transcripts

ah supplements I tend not to be a huge

fan but after analyzing 49 studies on

these six I have a better grasp on what

has been shown to work in the scientific

literature and what hasn't so I'm going

to show you what works and why I avoid

certain common supplements like glac and

nmn and give you a rating for my

certainty behind each supplement with

one being low certainty based on the

evidence and five being the highest

certainty the first one is one that I've

been fond of for over a decade creatine

creatine is a pretty remarkable molecule

that has had a tremendous amount of

research done on it my investigation was

focused on brain health and cognition

and while the results were not as

evident as I'd thought that they might

be in areas like uh memory aid there

were still some benefits for example

while creatine did not seem to provide

any memory benefit to people who are

younger than 60 it did seem to provide a

benefit for those 60 and older if the

Black Diamond there moves to the right

that means that there is a benefit of

creatine as you can see in the first

group of younger individuals there's no

benefit but in the second group there is

a benefit now that said I'll still take

it although I'm not 60 years old and

I've been taking it now since I was 19

or so so

why because while the memory benefits of

creatine may not apply to me although

side note there is some data it helps in

other brain measures aside from memory

it certainly helps with the musculature

so while one tissue may get minor to no

benefits another tissue reaps

significant benefit especially when

resistance training and that applies to

all ages I Take 5 G of a day my rating

for creatine is 5 out of

five next up is collagen I've only

investigated collagen in respect to the

skin so I'm limiting the scope of my

point to that until I get a chance to

pour over the data on collagen in other

areas so I went over 11 studies on

collagen and while some of them weren't

the greatest quality some were good

ultimately I decided that collagen is a

benefit and although I do still think

that we need more data unlike Crea

it was good enough to convince me of its

Merit I take it daily in collagen

peptide form and I take 10 to 20 G my

rating for collagen is a 2.5 out of

five what about glac well I had an

incredibly popular video that went over

three of the major studies on glac two

of which were in humans and the results

were really astonishing with massive

improvements and a series of Health

markers from mitochondrial Health to

muscle strength to blood pressure and

the list goes on really impressive stuff

so you might be wondering why I don't

take it then well that's because it

causes instant death by brain

melting n I'm just josing you uh it's

because the studies were performed in

people in their 70s and again I don't

know if we've been over this but I'm not

60 and I'm also not 70 I firmly believe

that glac will be of little to no use to

anyone in their 20s 30s and maybe even

in their 40s if you take care of

yourself so it's still useful and still

impressive but probably a waste of your

money if you're on the younger side and

healthy now the doses that they used in

the studies were really high which leads

them to be pretty expensive and a pain

to consume but here they are 100 Mig per

kilogram of body weight of each so if

you weigh 100 kg you'd be consuming 10 g

a day of each that's a ton I was having

a conversation with one of the physionic

Insiders about dosing and I think it's

likely a smaller dose that's going to be

just as effective my rating for glac is

a 1.5 out of five why so low not because

I don't believe the science that I just

presented but because it only came from

one laboratory and while that lab may be

reputable I'd like to see the results

confirmed by independent

teams next up is fish oil fish oil has

been studied in many contexts but I

limited my investigation to cognition

brain function now if we look at this

summary of the data we can see a few

different measures and then a bunch of

numbers I'm not going to burden you with

all these numbers except this column

called the hedges G this signifies I

what is considered an adjusted effect

size so it tells us the magnitude of the

effect or the amount of impact that

Omega-3s have on these indices of brain

function anything 0.2 and under is

minuscule so as you can see while there

is an effect the effect is small even in

the largest measure memory still it

doesn't mean it doesn't work it's just a

small effect better to have a little

than nothing except cyanide I prefer

nothing when it comes to cyanide so the

researchers mentioned the median dose is

around 800 MGR and some studies went a

bit higher I take about a gram my rating

for fish oil is a 3.5 out of 5 I still

think that there's some need for added

data but the data that is there is

relatively consistent at least in

measures of memory the other supplement

that I don't take is nmn nmn has been

really popular lately because it's been

inhaled as this age reversing molecule

that can replenish our Cellular stores

of NAD and give us everlasting

life okay that last part is a bit of an

exaggeration on my part well I read 13

studies on nmn in humans and I think

it's all the studies in humans up to

this point and the results were mixed

some studies showed an effect others

didn't however the studies that showed

an effect only two of them showed a

noticeable effect and the rest of them

indicated tiny effects remember when we

discussed the hedges G they didn't

quantify it like that but it would be

equivalent to a minuscule effect in

those studies so what gives well my

current interpretation is that nmn is

likely useless for young healthy

individuals so if you're in your 40s and

younger and you take care of yourself

defined by a diet that keeps you trim

and you exercise it's unlikely that nmn

will have any noticeable effect

however maybe if you're older or have

a less than desirable diet and lifestyle

like smoking and taking strolls through

radiation Fields then nmn might offer

some benefit the exact strength of that

benefit is up in the air studies used

between 200 migr and 2 g a day now

people will often argue that 200 or 250

Mig is too little yet those same studies

showed increases in NAD the molecule

that MN is converted to and some of

those studies also showed physiological

improvements so clearly that low dose is

enough to elit an effect I remain

unimpressed for most people I'll add an

amendment to this video if that changes

but I won't be using it my rating is a

two out of 10 because there are double

digigit randomized Placebo control

trials on the topic but clearly we need

much more granularity so we need many

any more studies to reach that

granularity what's next curcumin again

this is an area where I focused my

attention in one General Camp diabetes

risk I did run across a few other

ancillary measures like body weight

triglycerides and so on but by and large

I was focused on blood glucose and

insulin resistance what I discovered is

that ultimately it was determined that

cumin is remarkably potent for helping

someone keep diabetes at Bay it acts as

a potent protector to keep a person who

is pre-diabetic from becoming diabetic

of course it'll only hold off for so

long but if you are borderline adding

curcumin into the mix can be a

lifechanging decision as one example

look at this data this is the comparison

of people who went on to develop

diabetes so on the right are the people

who took curcumin and on the left are

the people who didn't By the 12month

Mark 16% of those

that did not take cumin developed

diabetes and not a single person in the

cumin group developed diabetes those are

wonderful results unfortunately on

measures of blood sugar if you have

normal well-regulated blood sugar cumin

is of little use to you that said there

are other benefits of cumin that extend

beyond blood sugar and insulin

resistance so it may be still worth your

while to consume but I choose not to

because it is a potent antioxidant and

antioxidants have been shown to reduce

muscle building potential which is

antithetic to my goals I'm also healthy

enough now the studies used Range in

dose between 200 and 1,500 milligram a

day but I'd opt for anything over 500

milligram I'd rate curcumin a four out

of five there's a good amount of

research on it and it's relatively

consistent too but you know while

supplements can be a benefit clearly

there's much greater health benefit by

following the five rules that I outlined

in this Cornerstone video right here I

think that you'd be doing your health a

disservice by not watching it but if

that's not your cup of nmn I can always

encourage another one of my videos

you'll learn regardless if I can

cheekily say thanks for watching

[Music]

bye