What To Do Before You Start An Anti Aging Supplement Program
February 4, 2008 by GiGi · 4 Comments
Welcome back!
My next article will be on specific anti aging supplements, but before you consider taking supplements, a few basic tests are necessary.
Why Should You Test First?
Everyone ages differently. Some people may be more deficient in certain areas than others. Others may be getting enough and extra supplementation may interfere with certain processes.
Taking inappropriate or the wrong amounts of supplements can be the difference between feeling okay or feeling great (or maybe even feeling not-so-good). This also applies to herbal supplements.
What Tests Should You Take?
Although consulting a physician is always recommended, many tests nowadays can be ordered online, done at home, mailed back to the lab and results are viewed online. Many insurance companies may not cover preventative testing and there are less expensive options online.
Organic Acid Testing – will determine what vitamins and minerals you need. You can use it when you are first starting a supplement regime or to “fine tune” what you are already doing. It can reveal a variety of needed nutrients, such as coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, carnitine and others. (If you don’t know what these are, I’ll be covering them in my next article.) This test is done with a morning urine sample.
Salivary Hormone Testing -Although there are other methods for testing hormones, using saliva has proven to be very effective. The five hormones generally tested for are testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, cortisol and DHEA.
These hormones generally become imbalanced as we age. Getting these hormone levels in the correct balance can result in:
- increased energy
- memory improvement
- better sleep
- enhanced sexuality
- better weight control
Again, these tests can be performed at home, although some states may require a physician referral.
Food Allergy Testing
Food allergies are more common than you think and can interfere with a nutritional program. Even some of the healthiest foods can be a problem if you have an allergy. A simple finger stick done at home is sent to a lab with the results back in a couple of weeks.
Iodine Sufficiency Test
This is a test for thyroid disorders which are becoming increasingly more common today. If you have symptoms of weight gain, moodiness, or thinning hair, you may have a thyroid disorder and not even know about it. This is a urine test.
Although many tests can be done at home and via the internet, it is always wise to consult a physician, especially if you get any abnormal test results.
There are doctors specializing in anti aging now and can answer the questions you may have about anti aging therapy and supplementation.
ZRT Labs – they have quite an extensive educational program. Check out their audio files on the various testing.
The Case For Using Dietary Supplements Just Got Stronger
More news from our friends at VRP (Vitamin Research Products) : Apparently a new study has been released that shows people that take multiple dietary supplements (not just a multivitamin) have better biomarkers of health.
What the heck is a Biomarker?
From the Dictionary: A specific physical trait used to measure or indicate the effects or progress of a disease or condition. For example, individuals were found to have lower levels of triglycerides and higher levels of HDL cholesterol (the good kind).
Who Participated in the Study?
Both men and women. 278 long-term users of multiple dietary supplements, 176 users of a multivitamin/mineral supplements and 602 non-users of supplements were used to perform this study. In the multiple supplement group, they each took a multivitamin, B complex, vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin E, calcium with vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, flavoniods, lecithin alfalfa, coenzyme Q10 with resveratrol, glucosamine, and an herbal immune supplement.
Most of the women in this group also took gamma, linolenic acid and a probiotic supplement. Most of the men took zinc, garlic, saw palmetto, and a soy protein supplement.
After adjusting a few things, researchers still found that the group who took multiple nutritional supplements had better biomarkers of health than the other two groups. There were more healthy outcomes for the first group. They reportedly also had “good or excellent” health status – 74% more often than the non-supplement group.
Researchers also noted that the non-user group and the multivitamin users had numerous nutritional deficiencies. These included low vitamin C levels.
The researchers agree that the findings should be confirmed by studying supplement usage patterns, heath, and nutritional statuses of various people.
Hey, I've been saying it all along (The Case For Nutritional Supplements). It's good to see more studies done in that area.
GiGi
