All news
High Doses... Too many supplements! Men's Plus or Unisex?
5/3/2005 12:00:00 AM
Please click on the question of interest:
Question: From John. (Subject: High Doses...)q1
I have made a study within my limited knowledge of various supplements and health conditions. Without doubt you have produced in Total Balance (especially the Men's Plus) virtually a complete formula for helping ensure that the body receives the various needs.
In the course of my 'research' various Doctors (U S A ) usually such as Dr Sears , Dr Willix, Dr Sinatra , Dr Weil and others seem to endorse your way of thinking, in respect of many of the ingredients.
However one aspect that might conflict is in the proposed quantity of the ingredients to be the maximum benefit... an example of this whereby your product(T.B.) assists the body to naturally provide Co Enzyme Q10, one of these Doctors suggests a minimum of 500mgs per day. These high doses also apply to other ingredients. I wonder with your Total Balance product which although comprehensive, whether the quantities are the optimum for overall well being.
I must admit that when taking these I do seem to feel overall healthier with a raised energy level (Psycological?), biggest problem is remembering to take full dosage .
However your obvious integrity with your products is to be commended With thanks.
Answer: From Warren.
Although extra supplementation of CoQ10 is unlikely to do any harm, an amount of 500mgs is way over the top and in my opinion not a good use of money.
However, other nutrients, specifically B6, B12, Selenium, Chromium Vit A. Vit D and Boron as well as high doses of Vit C can potentially lead to serious problems over the long term. All of these nutrients however can be taken in high doses over the short term (3 months). However, for periods longer than this you would be ingesting more than your body can use and the excess accumulates in the cells. Ultimately this can lead to mutations of the cells with potential complications which are unclear at this stage.
Vit C is a classic example. If you take a high dose orally of ascorbic acid over a long period (intravenously is OK) it will act against you because over about 400mgs a day, ascorbic acid will actually generate free radicals thus offsetting the benefit that Vit C gives in scavenging free radicals at lower doses. This can be avoided though by using calcium ascorbate as Vit C as a different reaction takes place when it is exposed to stomach acid.
High dose vitamins have been popularized by a number of Doctors over the years and indeed the benefits can usually be felt over the short term, and in cases of specific illnesses it can be a good thing for a controlled period. But, to take high doses continuously over a long period is a dangerous practice.
It is often argued that the lower levels of these vitamins set by governments around the world are as a result of pressure by the pharmaceutical companies. Whereas there is no doubt an element of truth in these claims, some of these limits are not without scientific merit.
Also, dose rates can be quite misleading. The amount of 'actives' from an ingredient, such as a vitamin that ends up getting to your cells can vary considerably depending upon the 'type' of ingredient or vitamin used and how they are combined.
Remember that a good thing does not necessarily get better if you take more of it. In fact it can sometimes turn around and bite you. If more was better we would increase the dose of these common vitamins in our TB. After all they are the cheapest ingredients that we use!
Back to CoQ10... Unless I was taking a statin drug I wouldn't bother supplementing with CoQ10, providing I was taking a supplement such as Total Balance. If not, then I would consider taking 100mgs of CoQ10 a day if in capsule or non enteric tablet form, or 50mg per day if in a sublingual. Reason being that only 5 - 10% is bioavailable in a non enteric coated tablet or capsule, whereas the sublingual will give around 40 - 50% bio-availability.
back to top
Question: From Rose. (Subject: Too many supplements!)q2
In addition to your Cholesterol formula and Omega 3 I am taking Garlic, Vitamin-e, Niacin, one a day vitamin, one aspirin a day, co-q10, L-carnitine, Chromium Picolinate, and am really tired of taking so much. Is there a need to do this?
Answer: From Nicolien.
You could eliminate the niacin while you are taking our Cholesterol Formula, because your cholesterol levels are not that high, as we discussed in previous emails. Regarding the garlic, this is very good for the immune system and cardiovascular health, but because some of the actives are lost in tablet or capsules I would suggest that you add the raw version into your diet.
Regarding the vitamin E, multi-vitamin, chromium and CoQ10, you could replace all this with our Total Balance (TB) as this multi-nutrient contains all of these nutrients and many more. It also contains Tocotrienols which complement the natural Vit E that we use. TB also contains precursors for COQ10. To view Total Balance click here.
Warren Matthews has just written 2 newsletters about CoQ10, to read part 1 click on Xtend-Your-Life Newsletter archives, 15th April 2005. To read part 2 click on 29th April 2005.
Regarding aspirin, if this has been prescribed by your doctor it would be best to consult her/him about this. If it is self-prescribed, fish oil has indeed similar effects to aspirin, and many more health benefits, and no side effects. View details on the fish oil by clicking here.
In the archives of our newsletters, there are a few articles Warren has written about the subject of aspirin. You may be interested to read these. To view them go to link Xtend-15sec-News archives and click on 26th November 2003 and 5th May 2004.
back to top
Question: From Jack. (Subject: Men's Plus or Unisex?)q3
Thanks so much for the prompt email reply. I am very impressed after reviewing many of the customer comments as well as a few of the archived newsletters.
I have been reviewing the Total Balance Men's Plus against the Total Balance Unisex product. I was curious which of the two you would recommend for someone in my age category & desire to increase my fertility capability (see past email msgs below).
It seems the Men's Plus is more geared toward older men with potential prostate problems, while I am 45 yrs old with no apparent problem with the prostate. In your opinion, should I look at the Unisex version instead of the Men's Plus?
Answer: From Nicolien.
The specific fertility nutrients as listed in one of my former emails are also present in TB Unisex. It would be fine, though to take TB Men's Plus.
All the 'extra' male health ingredients are beneficial and aimed not only at ensuring prostate health, but also at addressing other male issues, such as the inclusion of Chrysin (which is not in the other 2 TB formulas) Chrysin helps prevent testosterone from being converted to estrogen...
Nonetheless, we have a lot of happy male customers using the Unisex versions. So at the end of the day Jack it has to be a personal decision.
back to top