Here's a quick look at what I'm currently taking for supplements, and why:
- Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard: 1 scoop every morning. This is more of a fail-safe to make sure I get enough complete protein each day. It also contains glutamine and BCAAs. The ON brand is far and away the most superior brand of protein on the market right now.
- 1000mg Fish Oil Softgels: 6 per day; 3 in the morning, 3 in the evening. EVERYONE should be taking fishoil. Here's a good article on why; you could look up 100 others as well. Note: When people talk about taking fish-oil they often say 1000mg, or 500mg when referring to the pill size. This is NOT the actual EPA/DHA content. In the case of those 1000mg fish oil softgels each one contains 180mg EPA & 120mg of DHA. So my grand total for the day is 1800mg of EPA & DHA, which is the stuff that gives fish oil it's potent effects.
- 800mg Curcumin with Bioperine: 1 per day. Seriously, why are you NOT taking curcumin? You can read the research for yourself, but fat metabolizing, anti-catabolic, cancer fighting, cholesterol lowering, Parkinson's fighting, inflammation reducing (THAT'S the big one), tumor-shrinking supplements don't grow on trees. It's basically a natural, legal clenbuterol.
- 1000mg Vitamin D3: 2 per day. This one should be mandatory for anyone in the northern hemisphere. Here's a great article on Vitamin D (may be NSFW banner on side). This and fish oil are probably the two most important supplements someone can take. Almost every human being is deficient in Vitamin-D which is too bad because Vitamin D is great for preventing things like cancer, heart disease, etc. The current USDA recommended dose for Vitamin D is woefully low, and it will be raised during the next round of updates to their recommendations. And since a lot of people won't follow the link I posted to the article, here's some info for you:
- "In one mind-blowing study (Melamed, et al.) using population data, researchers found that total mortality was 26% higher in those with the lowest 25(OH)D levels compared with the highest. And a meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials found that supplemental vitamin D significantly reduced total mortality. That means quite simply this: vitamin D supplementation prolongs life.
- According to the Vitamin D Council, current research has implicated vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer.
- Vitamin D may protect against both Type I and Type II diabetes.
- Low D may contribute to chronic fatigue, depression, and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
- Parkinson's and Alzheimer's sufferers have been found to have lower levels of D.
- Low levels of vitamin D may contribute to "Syndrome X" with associated hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
- Administration of dietary vitamin D has been shown to lower blood pressure and restore insulin sensitivity.
