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The article just talks about antioxidant supplements being harmful, not naturally occurring antioxidants from sources such as coffee. That's good. Don't ruin co

The article just talks about antioxidant supplements being harmful, not naturally occurring antioxidants from sources such as coffee. That's good. Don't ruin coffee for me, please science. I don't really understand the whole supplement craze. To me, it feels like common sense not to megadose any particular thing, especially when you don't understand the effects said thing can have on the body.

tomhoward 11y ago
To me, it feels like common sense not to megadose any particular thing, especially when you don't understand the effects said thing can have on the body. This is a great comment, and hits the nail on the head. I've spent much of the past 10 years trying to understand and overcome a somewhat mysterious fatigue illness that seems most likely to be a general autoimmune condition. One of the approaches I've tried along the way is to consume large amounts of various supplements, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs (basically, whatever was the latest thing I heard some convincing-sounding "expert" recommend). What I ended up realising was that any high-dose supplement intake might initially make me feel better, but after a while it would actually make me feel worse. As I understand it now, having devoted a lot of time to researching and experimenting with this, is that a deficiency in any nutrient is less to do with a lack of it in the diet and more to do with the body's ability/willingness to absorb and utilise it [1]. And so the more of any given nutrient that you try and shove into the body, the more you actually throw it out of balance, as it now has to deal with an excess of something it was already struggling with or resisting, as well the increased presence of that nutrient relative to other important nutrients. More recently I've had much better success at improving my condition by learning how to match my nutrient intake to what my body actually needs and can handle at any given time (via diet and very sparing, selective supplement intake), and that seems to now have me on a steady path to full recovery. [1] Sure there are many people in the world who are ill due to inadequate intake of certain nutrients from their diet, but that's more of an issue in poverty-stricken societies, as opposed to developed-world societies where most people have access to healthy-enough diets yet many still suffer from chronic illness.
- Lofkin 11y ago
  What sort of diet and supplements?
- Mz 11y ago
  I have spent 15 years fixing my health via similar means. I would be thrilled if you would be so kind as to read my latest attempt at a health blog and leave comments or otherwise give me feedback: http://miceats.blogspot.com/ http://miceats.blogspot.com/
- alias240 11y ago
  > a deficiency in any nutrient is less to do with a lack of it in the diet and more to do with the body's ability/willingness to absorb and utilise it I too have come to realise this. Many times when I have been eating well, good quality food with plenty of variety, I catch a heavy cold that puts me out of action for at least a couple of days. Other times I have eaten like crap for weeks at a time, living off of pizza and fast food, skipping meals, and been around sick people and still don't catch anything. I have seen this pattern repeat over and over throughout my life.
Symmetry 11y ago
"Polyphenols in coffee have been shown to affect free radicals in vitro,[132] but there is no evidence that this effect occurs in humans. Polyphenol levels vary depending on how beans are roasted as well as for how long. As interpreted by the Linus Pauling Institute and the European Food Safety Authority, dietary polyphenols, such as those ingested by consuming coffee, have little or no direct antioxidant value following ingestion." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_and_pharmacology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_and_pharmacology It's very hard to trust health information you get from the news.

tomhoward 11y ago

To me, it feels like common sense not to megadose any particular thing, especially when you don't understand the effects said thing can have on the body. This is a great comment, and hits the nail on the head. I've spent much of the past 10 years trying to understand and overcome a somewhat mysterious fatigue illness that seems most likely to be a general autoimmune condition. One of the approaches I've tried along the way is to consume large amounts of various supplements, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs (basically, whatever was the latest thing I heard some convincing-sounding "expert" recommend). What I ended up realising was that any high-dose supplement intake might initially make me feel better, but after a while it would actually make me feel worse. As I understand it now, having devoted a lot of time to researching and experimenting with this, is that a deficiency in any nutrient is less to do with a lack of it in the diet and more to do with the body's ability/willingness to absorb and utilise it [1]. And so the more of any given nutrient that you try and shove into the body, the more you actually throw it out of balance, as it now has to deal with an excess of something it was already struggling with or resisting, as well the increased presence of that nutrient relative to other important nutrients. More recently I've had much better success at improving my condition by learning how to match my nutrient intake to what my body actually needs and can handle at any given time (via diet and very sparing, selective supplement intake), and that seems to now have me on a steady path to full recovery. [1] Sure there are many people in the world who are ill due to inadequate intake of certain nutrients from their diet, but that's more of an issue in poverty-stricken societies, as opposed to developed-world societies where most people have access to healthy-enough diets yet many still suffer from chronic illness.

Lofkin 11y ago
What sort of diet and supplements?
Mz 11y ago
I have spent 15 years fixing my health via similar means. I would be thrilled if you would be so kind as to read my latest attempt at a health blog and leave comments or otherwise give me feedback: http://miceats.blogspot.com/ http://miceats.blogspot.com/
alias240 11y ago
> a deficiency in any nutrient is less to do with a lack of it in the diet and more to do with the body's ability/willingness to absorb and utilise it I too have come to realise this. Many times when I have been eating well, good quality food with plenty of variety, I catch a heavy cold that puts me out of action for at least a couple of days. Other times I have eaten like crap for weeks at a time, living off of pizza and fast food, skipping meals, and been around sick people and still don't catch anything. I have seen this pattern repeat over and over throughout my life.

Symmetry 11y ago

"Polyphenols in coffee have been shown to affect free radicals in vitro,[132] but there is no evidence that this effect occurs in humans. Polyphenol levels vary depending on how beans are roasted as well as for how long. As interpreted by the Linus Pauling Institute and the European Food Safety Authority, dietary polyphenols, such as those ingested by consuming coffee, have little or no direct antioxidant value following ingestion." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_and_pharmacology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_and_pharmacology It's very hard to trust health information you get from the news.