The Truth About Supplements

Speaker 1 0:01

We've all been there . We spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on them , all looking for a magic solution to weight loss , to more energy , to all sorts of things . The supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry . In today's episode , I'm going to cover off on a few of the supplements that I think that we should be taking and the ones that are absolute rubbish . Shiftwork can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified Nutritionist , veteran Law Enforcement Officer and 24-7 Shiftworker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shiftworkers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigours of shiftwork but thrive . My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show . Welcome back to a healthy shift podcast , where I uncover evidence-based strategies to help you shiftworkers thrive and not just survive . I'm your host , roger Sutherland . I'm a veteran shiftworker of almost four decades and an evidence-based nutritionist , and I'm absolutely thrilled to be personally welcoming you to this episode of the show , and thank you so much for listening .

Speaker 1 1:32

Today I'm going to talk about the supplements . Look , I've done this before , but people keep on coming back asking me about particular medications and supplements , etc . Etc . Look , shiftworkers and well , just the general public pop some lollies these days and it's really , really bad . So what's good and what's not ? One thing that we do have to be extremely careful of , and what I am going to say from the very , very outset here today , is this Taking numerous doses of or mixing all different supplements together and just taking them is dangerous and can cause all sorts of problems . Before you take any supplements , you really should be discussing them with your physician because of the impact that they may have on other medications that you're on or on other supplements that you're actually taking . So lay them on the table and show you doctor what you're actually taking and let him guide you in the best way of going about it . So I just wanted to say that from the absolute outset .

Speaker 1 2:39

Now , one thing that I do laugh at and I really do laugh at , is going into the winter , where people are smashing vitamin C and horse radish and garlic , etc . To keep their colds at bay or to get rid of colds . Folks , you're wasting your time , I can tell you now . All you're doing is making expensive urine for yourself . You can get sufficient vitamin C in your diet with half a cup of red capsicum or red pepper , to my American friends . So you don't need to be taking thousands of milligrams of vitamin C , because once it's of what we call a water-soluble vitamin , it just flushes straight through you and goes out as your own . So you really are totally and utterly wasting your time by taking vitamin C supplements . So walk straight past those in the aisle and your horse radish and your garlic All right , put your garlic in your food . If you've got to do anything , all you've got to do is walk down the supplement aisle at your local pharmacy .

Speaker 1 3:40

These days it's absolutely crazy there's more and more and more aisles , all different brands , hair , skin and nails . What about if we just increased our protein ? Do you know ? Protein is the building blocks of our hair , skin and nails . You could get the most amazing hair , skin and nails by just increasing your protein intake every day , and just getting that protein in is what will do it . So , out of all that and out of all those beautifully bright colored bottles and everything else , what's good and what's not ? Do you know ? Have you actually asked your doctor Remember the last time you had your bloods done to know whether you need to address them , or are you actually just taking them because Jenny takes it and it works for Jenny ? Have you heard of the placebo effect ? A lot of people are taking a lot of supplements without having the faintest idea of what they're actually taking or what dose , and our body is just flushing majority of it through , not even needing it , and it's important for people to actually understand that . So what I want to do is I just want to go through some of the main ones and we can see what's what in relation to all of that and I'm going to start with the one that I laugh at the absolute most that more money is spent on than anything else , without any doubt , and that is the pre-workout .

Speaker 1 5:06

Pre-workout people are absolute rubbish . It's absolutely hilarious to see people using them . It really is , and the reality is all they are is just caffeine powder with filler , that's all it is . The only ingredient that's researched in a pre-workout that actually works on a one-off hit is the caffeine , and it should be taken an hour before the caffeine should be taken an hour to half an hour before exercise . That's it .

Speaker 1 5:37

That feeling that you get , that paristhesia that gets you up and going , that tingling in the face . That's the beta-alanine . Beta-alanine to be effective , needs to be pre-loaded and loaded like creatine does every single day . So getting that paristhesia and saying , yeah , that's it , I'm ready to go , I'm ready to go yeah , you're kidding yourself . It's a placebo and the paristhesia is literally just something that is occurring as a reaction to that beta-alanine . It just makes you feel like it's doing something .

Speaker 1 6:08

You've been completely sucked in and no matter what you go through in relation to those pre-workouts , unless you're working out every single day , taking these doses every single day , majority of the product in it is just rubbish and urinated out Caffeine guys , all you really need to do is have yourself a long blank and go and lift heavy shit . It's that simple . That's pre-workout . Leave your money and find yourself an evidence-based coach . Hello , bcao's Branched Chlorine Amino Acids Guys , would you wash your car in the rain ? You would not stand there and wash your car in the rain , so why would you take BCAAs ? They are a complete waste of money as well . If you have an adequate protein intake in your diet every day and majority of people are putting protein into their diet every day you don't need BCAAs in capsule form , in powder form , walking around sipping them in your shaker as you are actually moving around the gym . It's just hilarious to anybody that knows You're wasting your money . So your pre-workouts and your BCAAs there's some dollars I can save you there to start off with .

Speaker 1 7:27

The next one I'm going to move on to is magnesium . Now I just want to be quite clear with people , because I know a lot of people do take magnesium , magnesium there is no conclusive evidence that magnesium supports sleep . I want to be clear on that . Magnesium everyone goes , oh , I need sleep , magnesium is good for it , so take it . There's actually no current conclusive evidence that magnesium supports sleep . All right , it's good for relaxation , which may lead to a restful sleep , but there is no link that links magnesium to sleep , all right . So keep that in mind when you rush out to go and get your magnesium because you're having trouble sleeping . Don't waste your money . Now there is evidence that most of us will be deficient in magnesium and that is quite common in the population , but that doesn't mean you rush out and you take any old magnesium .

Speaker 1 8:25

There are different types and different absorption rates and for different symptoms . So let's just go through just a few of them just to help you so that you understand . Magnesium citrate is one of the most bioavailable and can be used to treat things like constipation . If you overdose on magnesium citrate , you will end up with diarrhea . It's that simple . All right , so that's what it's used to treat . Magnesium oxide is very poorly absorbed and you should not take magnesium oxide unless it is advised by a doctor . Magnesium chloride it's well absorbed in your digestive tract and it makes a great multi-purpose supplement . But if you are deficient in magnesium , magnesium chloride would be a good magnesium for you to be taking . Magnesium sulfate very common , very little research , very poorly absorbed . So when you see the magnesium sulfate , bypass that with you .

Speaker 1 9:28

And the last one that I just want to cover off on is magnesium glycinate . Now , magnesium glycinate is often used for its calming effects and treats anxiety , depression and insomnia . However , the research supporting its efficacy for these conditions is also extremely limited . All right , so if you're taking it and you think , oh no , my sleep is a lot better , most likely it's a placebo . So should you take a magnesium supplement ? Well , there's absolutely no benefit , no measurable benefit in taking a magnesium supplement unless you have a low magnesium level . How do you get that checked ? Through a blood test ? All right .

Speaker 1 10:12

However , if you are deficient , you can obtain this mineral from whole foods , and it's always should be your first stop . Magnesium is present in a whole variety of foods . I'll just go through a few just to help you , because if you include these in your diet , you will find that you're actually covering off on your magnesium full stop . One of them legumes black beans and a marmite . Vegetables . The darker , greener ones spinach , kale , avocado , nuts , almonds , peanuts and cashews , whole grains , oatmeal , whole wheat and guess what ? Dark chocolate . You can get magnesium from dark chocolate as well .

Speaker 1 10:57

Now , a supplement may be worth considering if you cannot get enough magnesium from your diet . So you need to have those things in your diet in sufficient quantities . Now , some people may be at a greater risk of deficiency , which may include people like older adults and people with type 2 diabetes , digestive disorders and also maybe alcohol dependence as well . So if we are supplementing , how much should we be supplementing with ? Females 320 milligrams , males 420 milligrams . That's all and it's not a lot . Just to be clear .

Speaker 1 11:35

Protein shakes I don't consider protein shakes and we don't , as evidence based practitioners , certainly don't consider protein shakes as a supplement at all . It is not . It's not a supplement , it is actually a food and it is an excellent way for you to increase protein in your diet . We could all use an increase in protein in our diet without any doubt whatsoever . Now , when we look at whey protein whey , it actually comes from the manufacturing of cheese . All right , we have the curd and we have the whey . So the whey is the liquid that is taken away from the curd . The curd goes off to make the cheese and the whey is then the other part , which is almost a pure protein that goes off to be making those whey protein shakes , the powder putting a powder form . Now we have a WPC , which is a whey protein concentrate , right , so it's the concentrated protein and it's excellent . Then we have a WPI , which is the whey protein isolate . Now whey protein isolate can be excellent for someone who may actually be more lactose intolerant . So if you've tried a whey protein powder and you think , oh no , no , can't do that , it upsets my gut , you may have had a WPC . Try a WPI , because a lot of the lactose is actually taken out of the in the double filtration process , is actually removed from the WPI , and you may find that you will be able to stomach the WPI .

Speaker 1 13:06

There's also plant-based protein powders as well . Make sure you get a quality plant-based protein because , as is with all plant-based diets , it's very important that you make sure that you get a good spectrum of amino acids from all different varieties to make sure that you're getting a complete protein . This is really , really important , so make sure that you are actually getting good brands of a plant-based protein . Two that I will highly recommend as a plant-based protein is blessed from I think it's EHP Labs , but the blessed to protein is excellent , and the other one is Prana On . They're both excellent plant-based proteins with really with sufficient complete amino acid profiles that will serve your needs . Majority of the protein powders are pretty good . They're okay , but just be very mindful of the fillers . You get what you pay for . You buy a cheap protein . You'll get rubbish . But the most important thing that you need to check in all proteins is you need to check the amino acid protein and ensure that the leucine , which is the branched chain amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis , preventing muscle protein breakdown , leucine L-E-U-C-I-N-E needs to be a minimum of 2.4 grams or 2,400 milligrams . It will be on the label or , if it's not on the label , you need to research the manufacturer's website to see what the amino acid profile is of their proteins . All right , so that's that .

Speaker 1 14:50

Now let's get on to some of the most important ones , because , as far as I'm concerned , there's only three that we need to consider . That's it . There is no more ? All right , the first one that we need to consider is vitamin D . Vitamin D is incredibly difficult to get a sufficient quantity through our food . All right , it is synthesized through the skin from sunlight , but the sun has to be higher than 30 degrees in the sky to be able to synthesize vitamin D through the skin , and the reason for this is because the lower the sun is in the sky , then the lower the UV is , which is the UV is what actually is synthesizing the vitamin D through the skin . 15 to 20 minutes of vitamin D of sunlight direct sunlight on your skin is all you need during the day , but it's got to be during the time that the sun is higher than 30 degrees above the horizon . How can you tell that ?

Importance of Nutrients for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 15:54

Use the app D-Minder . It's literally just called D-M-I-N-D-E-R D-Minder . It's relevant to the area that you're in . It will actually show you the window of opportunity for you to get vitamin D through your skin , but , remember , not through sunblock and , ladies , those tinted moisturizers and things that you use . No , no vitamin D there either . So it's only direct sunshine at certain times and in the winter the sun never gets higher than 30 degrees above the horizon . So therefore we don't get vitamin D during the winter . That's why , as we go through the winter , we get more and more depressed , sadder and sadder , hanging out for the summer because of the vitamin D deficiency . Really important that we actually get vitamin D and , as shift workers working overnight , vitamin D is essential for us to get , because we're either working overnight , where you can't get vitamin D , or we're asleep during the day , when the vitamin D window is open .

Speaker 1 16:58

Now , how much do we actually need ? Well , the recommended daily intake of vitamin D is actually five micrograms , which is 200 IU . It's ridiculously low . That's up until the age of 50 , and then it doubles to 10 micrograms , which is 400 IU . After 70 years of age , it's 15 micrograms , which is 600 IU . This is far , far too low and my recommendation is 1000 IU daily as a safeguard . Our body is very clever If you are taking a vitamin D supplement and you go out in the sun , your body won't synthesize any further vitamin D through the skin at all , because it will deem that there's sufficient vitamin D in the system .

Speaker 1 18:41

So don't worry too much about that . The lower amounts that are specified by the recommended daily intakes are the absolute bottom end for health . It's the absolute bottom end . So you are quite safe to take 1000 IU every day , and if you have a look at the containers on the pharmacy shelf , they are generally 1000 IU . Well , they are here in Australia because that's the maximum you can buy . So 1000 IU is sufficient to take and is perfectly safe and in fact you can take up to quite safely . You can take 5000 IU , even 10,000 IU , per day , but I definitely do not recommend you do that at all for any extended period of time .

Speaker 1 19:28

The good thing about vitamin D is it's what we call a fat soluble vitamin , so it's stored in our adipose tissue for while we , until it's needed . So what we can do is , if you skip or you miss or you forget to take vitamin D for two or three days , you can take a bowl as dose all at once quite safely , and there's no problems with doing that in any way whatsoever . Okay , the next one . That's the first one vitamin D Very , very important . I'll give you a fun fact about vitamin D as well If you get a mushroom and turn it upside down and sit it out in the sun , it actually absorbs the vitamin D from the sun . There you go . That's the perfect for you . I know you're shocked , aren't you ? Anyway , right , the next most important thing that we really really need to be looking at and particularly as shift workers , and I want you to listen up to this one is our omega threes , which are our fish oils or , for you , vegans , vegetarians algae oil very , very important . So , just because you're a vegan or a vegetarian , don't think oh no , I can't take fish oil . You still need those omega threes , and you can get them through taking algae oil . You still need omega threes .

Speaker 1 20:37

Your body is no different to an omnivore , so our body cannot produce omega threes , so it needs to get them from food . Now , the way we get omega threes from our food in a sufficient quantity is to have two or three serves of oily fish throughout the week , and we also need one gram of a plant sourced omega three , which is ALA , alpha linoidic acid , each day . Now , marine sources and plant sources are both very , very essential for our body so that it manufactures these omega threes , all right . So it's really , really important for us to be able to get , not manufactured , to be able to get these omega threes from the food Apologies If we're not too correct there . We don't manufacture them . Our body needs to get them from the foods . Now , fish with the highest levels of omega threes are salmon , blue eye trevala , blue mackerel , herring , canned sardines at an excellent source and canned salmon . Now other good sources of barramundi , brim , flathead squid , scallops and mussels . So you can get your omega threes from that . So you could have three serves of those over the course of the week and you would be getting sufficient omega threes . Now , when it comes to plant base , which is the ALA that we need , remember we need one gram of ALA daily . Now , the sources of ALA omega three includes walnuts , linseed , flaxseed , chia seeds and oils such as canola and soybean oil . All right , so that's where you're going to get your plant based ALA from . So really important .

Speaker 1 22:18

Now , shift workers we have naturally very high triglycerides in our bloodstream due to working overnight . Now , I've discussed this at length in relation to why we need to be doing list training coming out of night shift to burn those elevated triglycerides out of our bloodstream . It is really important . Now , shift workers also have a poor diet generally , so they're not going to be getting three serves of fish in and going to the fish and chip shop doesn't count . I'll apologize , but it doesn't , all right . So Omega-3s play an extremely beneficial role in reducing high triglycerides . That's what makes them so important .

Speaker 1 23:00

Now , elevated triglycerides in our bloodstream triglycerides , to be clear , are fat in our bloodstream Really really important that we actually reduce it . So if you're supplementing , the recommended amount is 250 to 500mg per day of combined DHA and EPA . If you have a look at the label and you look at the quantity of DHA and EPA , just make sure that it equals a minimum of 500mg . Now , because we are shift workers and we suffer from higher than normal triglycerides , it's known as , or we could be suffering from , what is known as hyper-triglyceridemia . Try saying that with a mouthful of marbles , but anyway , that's elevated triglycerides or higher than normal triglycerides in our blood , and it's very , very easy for us to be diagnosed with this . So consider up to 4,000 to 5,000mg of combined EPA-DHA per day . So consider the higher the better , because it will help to reduce the triglycerides . Or you can do 30 minutes of list training to burn them out . Really important . Now . The current recommendations are to source omega-3s via 3-cercer fish and 1g of plant-based DLA . But if that's not possible and it's really difficult for us to do that as shift workers then I would suggest that you supplement , and supplement at the dose somewhere halfway between , probably that 5,000mg and 500mg per day . That would be important . Okay , that's the fish oils or omega-3s that I've covered . And to you , plant-based and vegans , you can use algae oil no problems at all , and that's where you will get your omega-3s from . Very important Now .

Speaker 1 24:58

The last one that I want to talk about is creatine . Now , creatine is among the most researched and effective supplements you can get . It can help with exercise performance by rapidly producing energy during intense activity . Creatine may also provide cognitive benefits , but to date there's more research that's going to be needed in that area to actually show whether there's a benefit to that , but there is more and more evidence emerging of the cognitive benefits of it . But if you're going to the gym , you're lifting or you're exercising , creatine will be very , very essential for you and it would almost be negligence and not take it Now .

Speaker 1 25:38

The most important thing with creatine for you to understand is you don't need to cycle on and off it . You start and you

Understanding Creatine, Multivitamins, and Ashwagandha

Speaker 1 25:44

just keep going . You can stay on it the entire time by just taking 3 to 5g per day . Now the slight benefit of having it . There is sorry correction there is a very slight benefit of taking creatine with 80g of carbohydrate post-training . But taking it regularly at a time that suits you doesn't really matter . You can pop it in your coffee , you can put it on your cornflakes , you can put creatine absolutely anywhere . It doesn't matter as long as you're getting it every day . One of the most important things to understand about creatine as well is don't put it in your smoothie and which you take half the morning to drink , because creatine will actually break down in the fluid . So if you've got it in your coffee and you're going to drink your coffee fairly quickly , or kudos to you put it in there and knock yourself out , no problems at all .

Speaker 1 26:39

Now the dosage of creatine . It needs to be loaded or it's not necessary , but it can be important to load it at 0.3g per kilogram of body weight for 7g to actually saturate the muscle . I'll just repeat that . So , whatever you weigh , multiply that by 0.3g and that's what you need to take every day for 7 days to saturate your muscles . Then every day you literally just take approximately 3-5g per day . That's all you've got to take Now . The other thing that you may get , ladies , just so you're aware , you may experience slight weight gain , but it is literally just water , because creatine drags more water into the muscle . It fills the muscle up , makes you look good , but it may add just a little bit of weight to you as well . But it's weight , it's not body fat , alright . So be very , very cautious there as well .

Speaker 1 27:34

Multivitamin I'll just go through a few maybes . Multivitamin can address a poor diet that may lead to micronutrient deficiencies . If you're in a deficit it can be recommended , no problems at all . But , just so you know , there's no evidence to support any added benefit if you are healthy and have an adequate micronutrient intake . So don't just take a multivitamin just for the pure hell of just popping a multivitamin just to make sure you've got it covered . If you're pretty good , then you don't need to take it . But as shift workers , if you know your diet's poor , a multivitamin could be enormously beneficial for you to take as well . And just take it as per the manufacturer's recommendations on the label . That's the most important thing .

Speaker 1 28:20

The last one that I really want to just go and have a little bit of a cover on that is Ashwagandha , indian Gen-Sing . Now I just want to cover off on this because I do recommend it and I do talk about it quite often through my social media channels purely for our shift workers in frontline health and emergency services that are highly stressed at this point in time or may very well be suffering from anxiety . Now , ashwagandha has been called the king of ayurvedic herbs and it is known to reduce stress and anxiety . The most important part of the plant is the roots , and this is why we need a certified quality Ashwagandha , as majority of the Ashwagandhas that you'll buy in a pharmacy are literally just crushed up , leaves and ineffective , so you might take it and think , no , this is rubbish . Now Ashwagandha is classified as an adaptogen , which means it's purported to enhance the body's resilience to stress . Ashwagandha is best known for its anxio-lottie , which is anti-anxiety and stress relieving effects . It also seems to reduce cortisol levels as well , so if you're stressed or you're suffering from anxiety generally , your cortisol will be elevated . Now again , this is a supplement . This is not going to fix it . This is actually going to just help to relieve , while you manage , the stress as well . So , in addition to this , there's a growing body of evidence that supports the efficacy of ashwagandha for improving total sleep time as well as sleep quality , with people with and also without insomnia . Now the evidence shows that there's moderate improvements in anxiety symptoms .

Speaker 1 30:13

The dose what would you take ? Well , studies on ashwagandha have actually used daily doses which range from everything from 120 to 5000 milligram of root extract and carefully you check your labels for root extract . But the most common dosing protocol that is actually used for ashwagandha is 600 milligrams daily , which is divided into two doses One is taken in the morning and the other one is taken in the evening before bed . Personally , I really recommend taking ashwagandha . I use it and I find it's a natural form of anxiety capsule . It's really really difficult to explain . I just found that since I started taking ashwagandha , I found that it just leveled me out a bit more . So what can I say ? That's where we're at with that . All right , that's what I talk about .

Speaker 1 31:08

So the main ones that you should be taking , or at least looking at , are vitamin D , omega 3s and creatine . All right , look at those . They're important . Consider a multivitamin If you know you've got a poor diet or you are in an energy deficit . That's another thing , and you could also consider the ashwagandha as well . But I do want to say again and say it quite clearly you really do need to consult with your doctor if you're planning on taking any form of supplement , and don't just go into the pharmacy and start taking whatever you see on the shelf because you think it's a benefit . It is actually an advertising campaign and a multi-billion dollar industry which is designed to completely take your money for you to urinate out in majority of it . All right , it is Okay , let's wrap it up .

Speaker 1 32:01

That's gone on far too long today . I apologize . I just want to thank you very much for joining me . I love actually doing this podcast and if you find it helpful , I do sincerely appreciate if you could just take a moment on Spotify to go back to the main page , hit the three dots and just give it five stars . You don't understand , but it really does make a massive difference to the reach of the podcast because it hits the algorithm and promotes the podcast for others and Apple if you go to the main screen .

Speaker 1 32:34

Go back to the main screen . Scroll to the very bottom the last episode . You'll see that there's a place there where you can actually rate it , give it five stars and if you've got a minute there , just write a short review , because it really does enormously help . And I'd love to just continually climb that ladder and get known for this podcast , because I think it is a very , very important aspect that is just not covered , and that's the shift work . So don't forget as well , hit follow so that you're notified . If I happen to drop a sneaky episode , you'll get notified in relation to that and I beg you , also share it on your stories . Tag me , share it so that your fellow shift workers can see it as well .

Speaker 1 33:11

It's really , really important for the reach of the show to bring you and every other shift worker solid , evidence based strategies to thrive and not just survive while you're working shift work . Keep those questions coming and remember you've got the power to be a true shift work champion . And , as always , please remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of shift work and prioritise your mental health and wellbeing . I also would like to thank you for tuning into a healthy shift . Keep moving forward one percent at a time , one step at a time , and make yourself a healthy shift . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .