How to Choose Supplements, part III

In the first two articles in this series, we reviewed what a clinical trial is, and why clinical trial evidence showing that a supplement does what you want it to do in humans is the most important reason to choose a supplement.

Now, we’ll take you through a couple of examples to illustrate the best way to use this knowledge to choose the right supplements, and to avoid useless ones.

Example: Resveratrol: Not ready for prime time

Observational (but not interventional) clinical trials suggest that drinking red wine is associated with longer life. Several years ago, scientists found that resveratrol, a natural substance found in wine, could make mice live longer.

This study hit the worldwide news media, and soon, resveratrol was showing up in supplements everywhere, being touted as a fountain of youth, promising a longer, healthier life. Just about everyone wants to live longer and healthier, right?

What’s wrong with this picture?

• Only a small percentage of things that work in mice also work in humans
• Daily, mice were given the amount of resveratrol found in 20 gallons of wine
• The currently marketed supplements have only a tiny fraction of the resveratrol amounts used in the mouse study

Why would you even think of taking resveratrol?

• No evidence whatever that it extends life in humans
• Even if it did work, the dose is way too low
• As it is...