{"id":7490,"date":"2018-07-23T02:03:52","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T02:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=7490"},"modified":"2021-03-20T00:40:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T00:40:32","slug":"an-old-geezers-guide-to-supplements-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=7490","title":{"rendered":"A Geezer’s guide to supplements – Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Like I said, I don\u2019t want a\u00a0Schwarzenegger<\/a>\u00a0body.\u00a0 At 67, I just want to stick around a while\u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

We left Part I<\/a>\u00a0at the point where I chose not<\/em><\/strong> to take the\u00a0supplement<\/a>\u00a0Creatine<\/a><\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0 That’s\u00a0\u00a0Number 5 on the Menshealth<\/a>\u00a0Top 10 List of Supplements for Men<\/a>.\u00a0 (“I put the kibosh on this one.”)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"TheIt was “too body-builderish,” and I’m no longer interested in “high-intensity anaerobic repetitive work.”\u00a0\u00a0And<\/strong><\/em> because – in light of a recent shoulder injury – \u201cDiscretion is the better part of valor<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 So, moving to Number 6 on the Menshealth<\/a>\u00a0list:<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 FOLIC ACID<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>TO CUT ALZHEIMER\u2019S RISK<\/p>\n

Menshealth<\/a>\u00a0said Folic Acid<\/a>\u00a0helps prevent clogged arteries and improves blood flow to the brain.\u00a0 It also helps keep down Homocysteine<\/a>, an amino acid that increases your risk of blood clots.\u00a0 Then too, “Researchers in Sweden found that Alzheimer\u2019s patients are more likely to have folic acid deficiencies.”\u00a0 So\u00a0how much?<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/em>The site recommends\u00a0500 mcg a day, “which could help lower homocysteine levels by 18 percent or more.”\u00a0 At GNC, I got 100 tablets (400 mcg) for $3.99.\u00a0 That works out to 4 cents a day for a three month supply.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 GLUCOSAMINE\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/em>TO “GREASE YOUR JOINTS”<\/p>\n

As noted, I started taking\u00a0Glucosamine Chondroitin “soft chews<\/a>” some time ago.\u00a0 Anecdotally, it made a difference \u2013 to me \u2013 when I stopped<\/em><\/strong> taking them for awhile.\u00a0 (Like on the\u00a0Camino trip<\/a><\/em>.)<\/em>\u00a0 The manufacturer said to take three a day, but I\u2019ve been taking two.\u00a0 The cost?\u00a0 $11.48 for 50, a 25 week supply, about 45 cents a week.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what\u00a0Menshealth<\/a>\u00a0said:<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

You don\u2019t have the same amount of cartilage in your joints that you had at 19.\u00a0 To reverse the damage and actually rebuild cartilage, take glucosamine, made from the shells of crabs and lobsters.\u00a0\u00a0How much?<\/strong>\u00a0 1,500 mg a day.\u00a0 Brands that combine glucosamine with chondroitin are fine.\u00a0 [As noted, I take two instead of three, and so get 1,000 mg a day.]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

8.\u00a0 <\/em>OMEGA-3s<\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/b><\/strong><\/strong>TO PROTECT YOUR HEART<\/p>\n

As noted, this one got covered by the\u00a0Triple Strength Fish Oil Plus CoQ-10<\/a>.\u00a0 44 cents a day for a three month supply of\u00a0both<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0CoQ-10 and Omega-3s, which has already been calculated in.<\/p>\n

Omega-3 fatty acids keep blood pressure and triglyceride levels low and the heart beating regularly.\u00a0 They make blood slicker, reducing the risk of clots and blocked arteries.\u00a0\u00a0Studies show that men with the highest omega-3 levels have the lowest risk of dying of heart disease<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0How much?<\/strong>\u00a0 For healthy guys, 1,000 mg a day.\u00a0 Those with heart problems may need 2,000 to 4,000 mg.\u00a0 But too much can increase your risk of catching a cold.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another tip from Menshealth<\/a>:\u00a0 \u201cTake\u00a0Omega-3s<\/a>\u00a0with meals so you don\u2019t burp up a fish scent.\u201d<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0 SELENIUM<\/em> TO FIGHT OFF CANCER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Menshealth<\/a>\u00a0said \u201cNo other single nutrient appears to prevent cancer more effectively than Selenium<\/a>…\u00a0 It basically forces cancer cells to self-destruct.”\u00a0 Studies link increased selenium intake with a “decreased risk of cancers of the prostate, colon, and lungs.”<\/p>\n

How much?<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/em>The site said\u00a0200 mcg a day, and “more when you\u2019re sick.”\u00a0 And here’s the good news:\u00a0 “Nature\u2019s selenium supplement is the Brazil<\/b>\u00a0Nut<\/b><\/a>, which measures 100 mcg per nut.”\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>So you get your daily dose by eating two Brazil nuts.\u00a0 I bought a 9.5 ounce container at the local\u00a0Fresh Market<\/a>\u00a0for $12.95 on July 15.\u00a0 I’ll update this post when they’re gone – at the rate of two or three a day – but based on what I’ve used so far, it’ll be awhile.\u00a0 [It worked out to 19 cents a day, as detailed in the footnotes.*]<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>10.\u00a0 VITAMIN E\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>TO SLOW THE EFFECTS OF AGING<\/em><\/p>\n

Last but not least,\u00a0Menshealth<\/a>\u00a0said\u00a0Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant<\/a>\u00a0and “may help reduce the risk of certain eye diseases, heart disease, cancer, even Alzheimer\u2019s disease.”\u00a0 And some studies show that Vitamin E “also reduces muscle damage after exercise.”\u00a0 The\u00a0Beyond the Hype<\/a>\u00a0link said most tests on the health benefits of\u00a0antioxidants<\/a>\u00a0have been inconclusive.\u00a0\u00a0However<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

At the same time, abundant evidence suggests that eating whole fruits, vegetables, and whole grains – all rich in networks of antioxidants and their helper molecules – provides protection against many of these scourges of aging.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And by the way, I’ve also been eating a lot more whole fruits and vegetables.\u00a0 (“Whole grains,” not so much.\u00a0 Though I do eat my fair share of\u00a0corn<\/a>,\u00a0wheat\u00a0germ<\/a>, and\u00a0flaxseed<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

How much?<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Menshealth<\/a>\u00a0said up to 400 international units (IU) a day, “since most people get just a fraction of that from their diets.\u00a0 You can also increase your intake by eating more nuts and oils.”\u00a0 I got a bottle of 100 for $5.99 at GNC.\u00a0 That’s 6 cents a day for a three month supply.<\/p>\n

So the total verifiable cost of these add-on supplements is $1.30 a day.\u00a0 That doesn’t count the\u00a0Glucosamine Chondroitin<\/a>\u00a0I was already taking, so if you add that extra 45 cents, the cost goes to $1.56 a day. So why bother with all these supplements?\u00a0 Simply put,\u00a0I want to live long enough – and if only metaphorically – to “dance\u00a0on my enemy\u2019s grave<\/a>.” As to which<\/em> <\/strong>enemy:<\/p>\n

\u201cLet the reader understand<\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/h1>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 *\u00a0 \u00a0*<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nymphets<\/a>\u00a0“dancing on an enemy’s grave<\/a>,” if only metaphorically…<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Bodybuilding\u00a0\u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>.\u00a0 Caption, \u201cArnold Schwarzenegger<\/a>, one of the most notable figures in bodybuilding, in 1974.\u201d\u00a0 See also\u00a0Arnold Schwarzenegger\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The “valor” image is courtesy of\u00a0Discretion … Better Part Valor\u00a0–\u00a0Image\u00a0Results<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0 The cited blog credits the idiom to “<\/b>KHIV part 1 act 5, sc. 4,” and more accurately:\u00a0\u201cThe better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life.\u201d\u00a0 The blogger said the saying was a “masterpiece of what today would be called \u2018political correctness.”\u00a0 See also\u00a0Better part of valor is discretion\u00a0– eNotes<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 Sources of whole grains.\u00a0 See e.g.\u00a0The 11 Healthiest\u00a0Whole\u00a0Grains\u00a0You Should Be Eating<\/a>, and\/or\u00a0What are sources of whole grains? | Health Value Of Foods<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 \u201cLet the reader understand.\u201d\u00a0 The allusion is to\u00a0Mark 13:14<\/a>:\u00a0 \u201cWhen you see \u2018the abomination that causes desolation<\/strong>\u2019 standing where it does not belong \u2013 let the reader understand \u2013 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.\u201d\u00a0 See also\u00a0Matthew 24:15<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 The daily cost of two Brazil nuts a day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>For the record, I had my last two Brazil nuts from the $12.95 batch on September 7, 2018.\u00a0 I took the supplement from July 15 to August 17, for a total of 63 days, but didn\u2019t take it while on the Rideau Canal, from the 18th to August 30, when I left for home.\u00a0 I then took it from August 31 to September 7, eight more days, or 71 total.\u00a0 Thus the cost of this “Brazil nut” supplement rounds up to about 19 cents a day.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0Dancing Enemy Grave\u00a0– Image Results<\/a>. I originally used a photo showing “General Patton<\/a>\u00a0micturating<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0Rhine\u00a0River<\/a>.” But after review I decided that was “untoward,” so I substituted the “dancing enemy grave image.” For those interested in this less-than-subtle metaphor, see<\/em>\u00a0George Patton at the Rhine River: Yes,\u00a0Hillary,\u00a0Peeing On The Enemy IS An American Tradition<\/a>. (Or you could Google the phrase \u201camerican pissing on enemy.\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like I said, I don\u2019t want a\u00a0Schwarzenegger\u00a0body.\u00a0 At 67, I just want to stick around a while\u2026\u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * We left Part I\u00a0at the point where I chose not to take the\u00a0supplement\u00a0Creatine.\u00a0 That’s\u00a0\u00a0Number 5 on the Menshealth\u00a0Top 10 List of Supplements for Men.\u00a0 (“I put the kibosh on this one.”)\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7490"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7490"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10460,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7490\/revisions\/10460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}