Posted by Randal on August 24, 2002, at 14:11:10
In reply to Re: Supplements as we age » Randal, posted by IsoM on August 24, 2002, at 1:24:46
Hi,
Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that all supplements are bad--I tried to make that clear when in my previous post I said:
"I suppose I should make the disclaimer that I do take some supplements (a multivitamin and omega-3 fatty acids), and clearly not everything out there is bad."
Of course I could throw out the usual statistics that 25% of all prescription drugs and 50% of all over-the-counter medications (or whatever numbers people use these days) are in fact derived from plant sources. And non-plant "natural" medications brings to mind Lithium, for example.
However, there are a lot of things out there that are bogus, for example the SOD that you mentioned earlier. As you also point out, based on your background and experience, you are well aware that the people selling these things are not necessarily knowledgeable. A health food or vitamin store is not a pharmacy, and people shouldn't approach it as such. I really think we are in complete agreement here.
I don't want to get *too* specific on my background here, as I want to maintain some anonymity. I'm not actually a professor, but a postdoc, the stage between graduate school and a professorship (which means I am still actually working in the lab, as opposed to most professors!). My work involves the function of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and proteins, many of which are enzymes. My particular work right now is basic science and not (directly) medically relevant, but some people in my field work in areas that are directly involved with medicine and drug development. People I work with sometimes say we do cancer research, and this is not entirely untrue, since we study basic cellular functions that can go awry in cancer and other diseases. We are funded in part by cancer research foundations. My field straddles Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and people work in departments named with various combinations of the above fields (Biochemistry, etc...). Hopefully this is informative while still being ambiguous!
Randal
> I certainly take my share of supplements, but I have a small appetite now. My food intake isn't great enough to provide all the nutrients I need. When I was young, I ate like a lumberjack, the envy of my friends. I could shovel the food in & would often go back for seconds & sometimes thirds. Yet I stayed rail thin at 5'6" & 115 lb. (No, not hyperthyroidic either.)
>
> My metabolism is still great for my age but I only eat twice a day now, plus a bit of nibbling here & there through the day. I'm a firm believer of keeping mineral & vitamin intake fairly high as we age since assimilation tends to suffer as with age. I have no wish to develop osteoporosis or any other problems associated with age-related deficiencies.
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> I must do something right as I simply don't get ill. My immune system is iron-clad, no allergies whatsoever either. Any problems I have are all related to neurological problems that have been there throughout my life. So you better be careful about what sort of supplements you're going to trash. ^_^
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> Just an extra - what area in biochemistry is your expertise in? Probably as a professor, you might teach outside your forte too, but I'm curious nonetheless. There's just so much to know now (& to continue learning) in biochemistry compared to when I was young. I still love organic chemistry coupled with biology. It's fascinating.
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> I so wish I could start over again from youth, but I'd still be faced with the same impossible decision - what to end up specializing in. It's all equally interesting to me, the choice is incredibly difficult to make.
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> P.S. I managed a health food store for a while years ago, but gave people the straight goods on what was real & what wasn't. I'm not sure the owner would've appreciated it all. I still have fun arguing with some brash young uninformed salepersons trying to flog dubious products on customers. (Take note of the word 'flog'. Sound info, I have no problems with.)
poster:Randal
thread:111261
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020821/msgs/117656.html