Dietary supplements

Question

This piglix contains articles or sub-piglix about Dietary supplements

Answer 1

Active hexose correlated compound

Active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) is an alpha-glucan (=starch) rich nutritional supplement produced from the mycelia of shiitake (Lentinula edodes) of the basidiomycete family of mushrooms. The compound is a subject of research as a potential anti-cancer agent, but has not been conclusively found to treat cancer or any other disease, and there are conflict of interest concerns about the published research. AHCC is an alternative medicine in Japan.

AHCC is a group of chemicals taken from fungus. These include beta-glucan (β-glucan) and acetylated α-glucan.

AHCC is used in Japan as a supplement. It is available to the general public in Japan and China without a prescription and many people use it for general health maintenance and treatment of acute infections. Its legal status is that of a "functional food".

All of the research into AHCC has been funded by the manufacturer or includes employees of the manufacturer, which complicates the discussion of currently available results – independent research is needed to verify them. The mechanism of action of AHCC is poorly understood and there is little known about its safety. As of 2011^[update]clinical research into AHCC has been of poor quality: there are no large-scale studies or randomized controlled trials.

Laboratory research suggests AHCC may have immunostimulatory effects.

AHCC has been proposed as a treatment for cancer, but research into its effectiveness has produced only uncertain and inconclusive evidence. Detailed research is needed into the pharmacology of AHCC before any recommendation of its use as an adjuvant therapy can be made.

Early research suggests that taking AHCC daily for 6 months does not benefit people with hepatitis C.

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Wikipedia

Answer 2

S-Adenosyl methionine

S-Adenosyl methionine

S-Adenosyl methionine is a common cosubstrate involved in methyl group transfers, transsulfuration, and aminopropylation. Although these anabolic reactions occur throughout the body, most SAM-e is produced and consumed in the liver. More than 40 methyl transfers from SAM-e are known, to various substrates such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and secondary metabolites. It is made from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and methionine by methionine adenosyltransferase (EC 2.5.1.6). SAM was first discovered by Giulio Cantoni in 1952.

In bacteria, SAM-e is bound by the SAM riboswitch, which regulates genes involved in methionine or cysteine biosynthesis. In eukaryotic cells, SAM-e serves as a regulator of a variety of processes including DNA, tRNA, and rRNA methylation; immune response; amino acid metabolism; transsulfuration; and more. In plants, SAM-e is crucial to the biosynthesis of ethylene, an important plant hormone and signaling molecule.

The reactions that produce, consume, and regenerate SAM-e are called the SAM-e cycle. In the first step of this cycle, the SAM-dependent methylases (EC 2.1.1) that use SAM-e as a substrate produce S-adenosyl homocysteine as a product. S-adenosyl homocysteine is a strong negative regulator of nearly all SAM-dependent methylases despite their biological diversity. This is hydrolysed to homocysteine and adenosine by S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase EC 3.3.1.1 and the homocysteine recycled back to methionine through transfer of a methyl group from 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, by one of the two classes of methionine synthases (i.e. cobalamin-dependent (EC 2.1.1.13) or cobalamin-independent (EC 2.1.1.14)). This methionine can then be converted back to SAM-e, completing the cycle. In the rate-limiting step of the SAM cycle, MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) irreversibly reduces 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate.

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Wikipedia

Answer 3

Airborne (dietary supplement)

Airborne

Dietary supplements

Airborne is a dietary supplement containing herbal extracts, amino acids, antioxidants, electrolytes, vitamins, and other ingredients marketed to prevent the common cold and improve immune function.

The benefits of its use are uncertain. There are no studies supporting Airborne's effectiveness that meet scientific standards. The former owners were fined by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive advertising and were the subject of successful class actions.

It was created by schoolteacher Victoria Knight-McDowell in the early 1990s. The website does not list any side effects that one might experience after taking Airborne, aside from "some sensitivity to any of the vitamins or herbal extracts". It is offered for sale over-the-counter in many U.S. retail stores in multiple forms: effervescent tablet, gummy, chewable tablet, lozenge, tablet, or powder.

The formula for Airborne was developed by Victoria Knight-McDowell, a former school teacher from Carmel, California. She began brewing herbal and vitamin cocktails in the early 1990s and selling them in tablet form to local drug stores. Later on, Knight-McDowell contracted cartoonist Lloyd Dangle to create Airborne's brand and packaging. In 1997, specialty grocery chain Trader Joe's ordered 300 cases of Airborne tablets to sell, and by 1999 other larger chains, such as Wal-Mart and Rite Aid, began stocking Airborne.

Airborne supplements are available in various flavors like "Zesty Orange", "Very Berry", "Lemon Lime", and "Pink Grapefruit", and in the following forms: effervescent tablets, powder packets, chewable tablets, lozenges, drink mixes, and gummies. The original product was a tablet that was put into water to create a fizzy, effervescent drink.

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Wikipedia

Answer 4

Algas Calcareas

Algas Calcareas is a dietary supplement derived from a marine-algae native to South America and is abundant on the sea shores. This algae absorbs minerals from the sea before it breaks it down naturally before settling on the bottom of the ocean. This calcified structure is a source of many trace minerals and bone-supporting factors and is also pre-digested and bioavailable. Algas Calcareas was first found by Dr. Marcos Norman to reduce fusion temperatures in steel manufacturing. However, Dr. Norman became so fascinated with the properties of this mineral source, he left Morris Kwugsem to begin a study on this South American marine algae that has lasted for 29 years.

Since 1977, it has been used by in a calcium and mineral supplement. A very wide range of health benefits have been reported including bone health, joint health, pain reduction, circulatory system benefits, and increased energy.

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Answer 5

Alpha-GPC

Alpha-GPC

L-Alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine (alpha-GPC, choline alfoscerate) is a natural choline compound found in the brain. It is also a parasympathomimetic acetylcholine precursor which may have potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

Alpha-GPC rapidly delivers choline to the brain across the blood–brain barrier and is a biosynthetic precursor of acetylcholine. It is a non-prescription drug in most countries and in the United States it is classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

Studies have investigated the efficacy of alpha-GPC for cognitive disorders including stroke and Alzheimer's disease. An Italian multicentre clinical trial on 2,044 patients suffering from recent stroke were supplied alpha-GPC in doses of 1,000 mg/day for 28 days and 400 mg three times per day for the five ensuing months. The trial confirmed the therapeutic role of alpha-GPC on the cognitive recovery of patients based on four measurement scales, three of which reached statistical significance. Commonly used doses are 300 to 1,200 mg daily.

Industrially, alpha-GPC is produced by the chemical or enzymatic deacylation of phosphatidylcholine enriched soya phospholipids followed by chromatographic purification. Alpha-GPC may also be derived in small amounts from highly purified soy lecithin.

Many users report degradation of alpha-GPC when stored openly or for long periods of time. Alpha-GPC is hygroscopic and will pull moisture in from the surrounding air. This will cause the powder to turn into what appears to be a gel. Alpha-GPC with >99% purity will undergo this process at a visible rate (seconds to minutes) and thus requires minimized exposure to the air. This hygroscopic quality can cause gel capsules not fully packed with alpha-GPC to dissolve. Proper storage methods need to be used with alpha-GPC and include removing all air from the container, double bagging with plastic bags rated for chemicals (less likely to leak air), and storing bulk/excess inside the freezer. Vacuum sealed bags are highly recommended. For people accessing alpha-GPC daily it is advisable to separate a month's supply from excess and storing the excess as best as possible. Vacuum sealing a large supply into many 1 month dividends is a method positively reported by many users. It is important to note that hygroscopy is not degradation and leaves the substance still usable, however, the ability to accurately weigh a dose is no longer possible as the substance being weighed will be a mixture of powder and water. Liquefied or gelled alpha-GPC may also be indicative of poor storage and thus have an increased likelihood of actual degradation.

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Answer 6

Alternative treatments used for the common cold

Alternative treatments used for the common cold include numerous home remedies and alternative medicines. Scientific research regarding the efficacy of each treatment is generally nonexistent or inconclusive. Current best evidence indicates prevention, including hand washing and neatness, and management of symptoms.

Many believe that cold temperature can cause and therefore prevention of exposure to cold temperature can prevent the common cold. Evidence does not support this association.

Vitamin C was identified in the early part of the previous century and there was much interest in its possible effects on various infections including the common cold. A few controlled trials on the effect of vitamin C on the common cold were carried out already in the 1940s, but the topic became particularly popular after 1970, when Linus Pauling, a double Nobel laureate, wrote a best-selling book Vitamin C and the Common Cold. Pauling's book led to great interest in the topic among lay people, but also among academic circles. After Pauling's book, a number of controlled trials were carried out. However, the interest disappeared after the middle of 1970s apparently because of the publication of two reviews and one primary study, which all concluded that vitamin C does not influence the common cold. However, the three papers were later shown to be erroneous.

According to the Cochrane review on vitamin C and the common cold, 1 g/day or more of vitamin C does not influence common cold incidence in the general community. However, in five randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials with participants who were under heavy short-term physical stress (three of the trials were with marathon runners), vitamin C halved the incidence of colds. In the dose of 1 g/day or more, vitamin C shortened the duration of colds in adults by 8% and in children by 18%. Vitamin C also decreased the severity of colds.

A systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration, last updated in 2014, examines twenty-four randomized controlled trials studying various echinacea preparations for prevention and treatment of the common cold. Echinacea showed no benefit over placebo for prevention. Evidence for treatment was inconsistent. Reported side effects were rare.

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