Timing of supplements: empty stomach or food? Combinations?

[Lakota]

I had an awful time with my first supplement- curcumin. I had to try several brands before I could find one that I tolerate. This is definitely N=1 trial and error. Most importantly, get a baseline on your Omega-3 index, homocysteine, Vitamins D, etc. so that you can gauge the effect your supplementation is having over time. Best of luck. Report your progress so we can all learn with you.

Hi Julie G- I have tried curcumin before and wasn't able to tolerate it. Can you send me a private message or something to tell me what brand worked for you? Would much appreciate it, or if others have had the same issue, their solutions, thanks!

[Julie G]

Hi Lakota! The brand that eventually worked for me was Terry Naturally's CuraMed, 750mg. I took it for many years with great results. I've recently switched to Theracurmin, based upon a recent paper. I was delighted to find that I'm tolerating that one as well.

[Indywoman]

Julie, thank you for posting this study. As far as I can tell from reading the study, it involved 40 people, 20 getting Theracurmin and 19 getting the placebo. I am trying to make a decision on whether to even take curcumin as I am on the low end of blood platelets and bleed quite easily. However, I will make that decision with my doctor at my upcoming physical.

I am wondering two things that apply to Theracurmin, but also to switches in general. From what supplier are you now getting the twice daily 90 mg that this study used? Also, how do you make decisions regarding changing supplements when newer information comes out, but still with a small sampling and no replication? As I have begun to take some of the supplements on the Bredesen protocol, and reading studies, I know it is something I am wrestling with. So, just wondering in general about how you and others come to make decisions to switch suppliers or forms of a supplement.

[Indywoman]

So sorry! Should have previewed first. Twenty one got Theracurmin and nineteen got the placebo.

[Julie G]

I don't envy your decision, Indy. As you've probably noticed almost ALL of the common brain supps we take can thin our blood. I became VERY aware of that when I had major surgery a few years ago and had to stop taking almost everything beforehand. If anything, I have the opposite problem; thicker blood due to a Lyme disease co-infection so I'm doubly benefitting. I would definitely consult with your doc and pay close attention to any bruising if you decide to proceed.

Curcumin (by far) has given me the most symptom relief. I actually checked with my FMP before I made the switch to Theracurmin. He was familiar with the latest paper and thought it was a good move. I don't seem to have lost any benefit with the switch so I'm staying the course and just ordered another batch. The dosing is difficult to sort out, but I think I've got the correct one with this product. Each capsule contains 90mg of curcumin; read the product Q & A for details. I'm taking two in the AM as it gives me extra energy rather than spreading it out. Mama needs her sleep

[Indywoman]

Thank you, Julie. I am just heading down the path of supplements, and after ten days on the supplements given to me by my practitioner, who lives 3.5 hours away, -feel worse. I am trying to figure this out with both some plant allergies and low platelets going into the supplements. ReCode report came up as showing most problematic on Type 3 (toxicity) and Type 2 ( trophic loss). My head feels full, I am sleeping fitfully and waking up every couple of hours which is anomalous, and bowels are languishing--horribly which seems strange since many of the supplements deal with the gut, toxicity, and should be helping on that end, no pun intended.

Julie, you and several others have been at the head of the pack since starting this site and working on the protocol. So when you say, "curcumin (by far) has given me the most symptom relief" are you saying, your mental state feels better? I wasn't sure what constituted "symptom relief".

That is something else I am trying to figure out right now. Since I am less regular, sleeping less, and head feels full, do I start at square one and introduce one supplement at a time or call the practitioner for advice? With so many variables, I wonder how you and others move the independent variables of the supplements when there are so many. It seems like if I introduce them one at a time, it will be two years from now, when I get an answer! I guess this is the central problem with the "36 holes" idea. I don't know if this is happening because of when I take them, i.e. on empty or full stomach, the 'shock' to the system of starting them, or the ecology between one or more supplements, or the interaction with the preexisting plant (hayfever) allergies and low platelets is at the root. Is there a thread I need to read? Or post this on?

[SusanJ]

Indy, best to talk to your doctor about the supplement side effects. Some supplements, like those to heal GI problems, can actually make you feel worse for a little while as you kill off the bad bugs. But others, it might be a dosing problem. Seems like a phone call might be your best bet since you live far away.

[Josiah]

When I take my supplements has has been a major problems for me. The major complexity is that I'm following an eight hour eating window Intermittent Fast and it's unclear which supplements can be taken during my fasting window without interfering with the fast. This topic seems to be quite controversial and I've received advice from every extreme of the spectrum.

I'm also looking for a single on-line resource which offers reliable advice on every supplement as to whether it must be taken on an empty stomach or with a meal. I've seen people mention examine.com but every time I've looked it's disappointed.

[apod]

When I take my supplements has has been a major problems for me. The major complexity is that I'm following an eight hour eating window Intermittent Fast and it's unclear which supplements can be taken during my fasting window without interfering with the fast. This topic seems to be quite controversial and I've received advice from every extreme of the spectrum.

I'm also looking for a single on-line resource which offers reliable advice on every supplement as to whether it must be taken on an empty stomach or with a meal. I've seen people mention examine.com but every time I've looked it's disappointed.

I agree, this is often uncharted territory. Just thinking about resveratrol, I've read that it can act as a pro-oxidant during the day or an antioxidant at night... but looking to a researcher like David Sinclair for best practices, it's consumed during the day in yogurt. I've read that it can amplify the signal of caloric restriction, which sounds like it would be best taken away from a meal, but it improves insulin sensitivity and gut health where maybe it would make more sense to take with a meal... on one hand, you might want to take it with something like quercetin or fisetin, but on the other hand, if you take it with other polyphenols and something like fish oil maybe it has too strong of a blood-thinning or hormetic effect... so when do you eat the stuff?

Or thinking about b-vitamins... if they help to metabolize amino acids and macro nutrients, are they best consumed with calorie-rich amino-rich meals? Or, do you already want them metabolized and saturated before you have a meal? Or, does it make sense to take something like b6 at night since it helps to produce melatonin, and maybe b5 with a fat-rich meal, b1 with a carb-rich meal, and something like b3 away from the other active b's since it can lower methyl groups. I tend to have these sorts of questions about most supplements.

I tend to figure that at best, the effect of supplement timing is usually quite low in the grand scheme of things (but that isn't to say that there isn't an ideal timing if we had more information.)

[Berri]

I read all the way through this thread. I am still confused

I'd like to have "a show of hands" for those who have purchased any/all of the guides sold on Examine.com. If so, which ones do you recommend?