Watch out for unregulated supplements
There are a lot of badfor-you, bad-for-sports supplements out there.
You can’t take shortcuts to good health and a younger Realage.
Unfortunately, supplements are not subject to premarket safety and effectiveness testing like pharmaceuticals are, and they can be dangerous. That’s clear from a recent report published in JAMA Open. Researchers analyzed Food and Drug Administration warnings from 2007 to 2016 and found unapproved pharmaceutical ingredients in 776 dietary supplements! The most common ones were the weight-loss drug sibutramine (originally marketed as Meridia and now banned), sildenafil (Viagra) for sexual enhancement and synthetic steroids or steroid-like ingredients for muscle building. And 20 percent of those products contained more than one unapproved ingredient.
It’s risky business. The additives are not on the label, so you might misuse or overuse them or experience a harmful interaction with a medication you take. So ditch the shortcuts. Try our smart-cuts:
Smart-cut for weight loss: Eat 80 percent of your calories before 2 p.m. Put 12-18 hours between dinner and breakfast. No sat fats, processed foods or added sugars. Bingo!
Smart-cut for sexual enhancement: Love and affection; healthy cholesterol levels; regular exercise; and fun!
Tamp down inflammation
Inflammation is a result of your body’s immune response when it’s called on to heal a wound or defeat a virus. It’s why your sprained ankle swells or you form a scab. And after your immune warrior cells win their war, inflammation fades away.
But what if the immune system can’t win the war because your body is under attack from chronically elevated blood sugar, a constant flow of stress hormones or going-nowhere belly fat? Then inflammation persists and damages your organs, cells and sex life.
In Dr. Mike’s upcoming book, “What to Eat When,” you can discover effective ways to tame the flame.
Here are a few:
1. Don’t eat flame-throwing, sugar-added or processed foods, especially at night. Inflammation increases while you’re at rest.
2. Eat a plant-centered diet with lean animal proteins (no red meat). Get prebiotic fiber from 100 percent whole grains and produce.
3. Aim for 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Walking counts, but getting hot and sweaty cools off inflammation more quickly.
Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.