Group items tagged

"In recent years, melatonin has been heralded as everything from snake-oil to miracle cure-all. As is often the case, the truth seems to lie somewhere in between. But make no mistake about it, melatonin is not a vitamin or supplement; despite it's over-the-counter accessibility, it is a hormone in the same category as estrogen, testosterone and thyroid hormone. Hormones, as a whole, are some of the most powerful regulatory chemicals functioning within the body. Therefore, hormone-containing supplements and medications should always be used judiciously, never indiscriminately or haphazardly. "

"New research study published in a peer-reviewed publication Nutrition indicates that selenium may be linked to higher cholesterol readings in those who supplement. This one may push it over the edge for me on taking selenium supplements . . . Scientists at the University of Warwick Medical School said consuming too much selenium can have adverse effects. While it has strong antioxidant properties, and the above-mentioned perception that it can reduce cancer risks, there is now an apparently legitimate concern that higher quantities of selenium found in some supplements may be a bad thing. The scientists reached this conclusion after examining the relationship between plasma selenium concentrations (levels of selenium in the blood) with blood lipids (fats in the blood). A cross-sectional study of the1042 participants in the 2000-2001 National Diet and Nutrition Survey (United Kingdom) revealed that among those with higher plasma selenium (more than 1.20 µmol/L) there was an increase in the average total cholesterol level of 8 per cent (0.39 mmol/L (i.e. 15.1 mg/dL). Researchers also found a 10 per cent increase in non-HDL cholesterol levels, which is the bad cholesterol most closely linked to heart disease."