Are popular supplements good for brain health? Maybe it's all harm but no profit!

August 13, 2019 / BIOON / - in order to maintain or maintain their brain health, Americans and people around the world are increasingly using dietary supplements A recent study found that a quarter of adults over 50 take brain related health products But the same study, conducted by experts convened by the AARP, suggests that older people should spend their money elsewhere Supplements don't work This is not a small problem Billions of dollars have been spent on non vitamin brain health products such as minerals, herbal mixtures, nutritional health products or amino acids For the elderly, this is equivalent to between $20 and $60 per month, which is a considerable expenditure and can be used for other expenses, including fresh vegetables and fruits As a neuroscientist who studies brain health and dementia prevention, Steven dekosky has spent his entire career working on memory and Alzheimer's disease He can help explain our understanding and ignorance of supplements, nutrition and brain health Free access to the market so, what's the problem? Aren't all these "drugs" approved by the FDA? No, they are not Photo source: http://cn.bing.com FDA doesn't treat supplements like prescription drugs Supplements have not been tested for the accuracy of their ingredients in an independent laboratory, and most of them do not have legal scientific evidence to prove their effectiveness The FDA relies on manufacturers to test supplements for safety, not effectiveness They do not need to go through rigorous clinical trials, which are suitable for prescription drugs The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned health product manufacturers from making specific health statements, but companies have found a way to sell their magical benefits They use phrases such as "research proof" or "laboratory test," and other scientific sounding statements Some of them claim the product "maintains good brain health." For example, the label on a bottle of Ginkgo leaves says: "support healthy brain function and mental alertness "Ginkgo biloba is a kind of brain tonic popular with the elderly But here's an asterisk Turn the bottle around and you'll see a warning after the asterisk: "the FDA didn't evaluate this statement This product is not used to diagnose, prevent or treat any disease "Some companies that sell other types of dietary supplements have recently received letters from the FDA asking them to revise their ads so as not to exaggerate the benefits of their products Eager to help baby boomers as they get older, they are trying to find ways to stay healthy, especially in their brains According to a 2012 Marist poll for home instead senior care, Americans fear Alzheimer's more than any other disease The survey also showed that the elderly are most worried about cognitive loss, either normal memory loss or worse dementia Photo source: https://cn.bing.com researchers believe that dissatisfaction or worry about the ability of modern medicine to solve brain health problems in a meaningful way has led people to find other ways to protect their brains However, there is no scientifically proven way to prevent Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia In addition, some clinical trials to slow down or prevent Alzheimer's disease also failed Supplements bring money, not health, so they have become a profitable area for companies, as can be seen from the majority of people taking them and the billions of dollars spent each year Of course, some of them must work? Yes, vitamins do, although most people don't need to take vitamin supplements Overwhelming evidence suggests that if you eat a normal diet, you don't need vitamins or minerals There are some exceptions If people don't have enough food to provide vitamin B12 or vitamin B6, they may need to take supplements As far as B12 is concerned, it is difficult for some old people to absorb this vitamin in the digestive system In these cases, doctors will detect lower B12 levels and treat them Sometimes, a person needs to be injected because B12 in the capsule will not be absorbed The reason some people take vitamins and supplements is "the more the better." This is not the case with supplements, even vitamins Why? Because the body can only digest a certain amount of vitamins, any excess vitamins can not be absorbed; in terms of water-soluble vitamins, it will make your urine expensive And sometimes "more" is dangerous Some vitamins can lead to poisoning and disease if taken in excess This is particularly the case with excessive intake of vitamins A, D, e and K Do these supplements meet the safety and effectiveness standards required by our prescription drugs? Some have Ginkgo biloba, such as Ginkgo biloba can not only prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease, but also improve normal memory These studies show that these methods have no effect on any of them What's more worrying about the hidden danger is that many of these supplements don't always contain the kind of compounds advertised Some mixtures contain small amounts of toxic or harmful ingredients that enter a certain part of the product during the collection and manufacturing process When these drugs cause disease, they get FDA's attention, they will investigate, and they may ban a product Photo source: https://cn.bing.com has a lot of news about the importance of antioxidants in diet Antioxidants are important for the continued health of many organs of the body, including the brain However, many scientific studies fail to prove that taking antioxidants in the form of tablets can improve or protect memory, so that it will not decline with age or brain disease The interaction of chemicals in the food on your plate may help your health The researchers measured the amount of antioxidants in the diet using people's "food diaries" in the study Studies have shown that high levels of antioxidants in food do help in the long run, although pills with more antioxidants are not unhelpful Scientists don't know why This may be because we humans have evolved to be able to obtain beneficial substances from food, rather than in isolation, and their ways of action may be complex It may be difficult to use or metabolize these pills Our researchers don't know the mechanism yet All in all, although these statements sound good, the small words on these supplements also indicate that they have not been approved by the FDA Therefore, the researchers think that the recent research conclusion is reasonable It's best to pay attention to a healthy diet Maybe you can spend the money on buying green leafy vegetables and other nutritious food ingredients Reference materials: [1] supplies for brain health show no benefit - a neurologist explains a new stud y [2] FDA acts on dietary supplies containing DMHA and Phoenix [3] dietary supplies [4] other promoting Alzheimer's drug trial ends in failure: 'this one humans' [5] study finds no proven intervention in preventing Late-Life Dementia 【6】Elizabeth E Devore et al Dietary Antioxidants and Long-term Risk of Dementia Arch Neurol 2010；67(7)：819-825 doi：10.1001/archneurol.2010.144 【7】 Antioxidants： In Depth 【8】 Many supplements contain unapproved， dangerous ingredients： study