After all of the television commercials that advertise medications and supplements to discuss with your doctors if and as appropriate to your health and in and for longevity, it is hard to believe that this Grandma is writing this post suggesting supplements and medication for us Boomers to discuss with specialist doctors to see if appropriate to your health and for health in and for longevity. However, it is my doctors and medical advisors who have said there are some supplements and medication I should consider taking at this stage in my life, if not earlier, and we all may consider, depending on our specific needs. You can decide if these are some of what you might need, or find you want to add to your list of supplements and medications already taken.
Although we Boomers are told that we are better off getting our nutrients from diet, rather than supplements, we are the driving force behind the dietary supplement industry, and who they are targeting. “Baby Boomers Still Driving Dietary Supplements, Vitafoods Industry Survey Finds, by Jennifer Prince, April 23, 2018, Nutritional Outlook.
See also, “Nutrients from food, not supplements, linked to lower risks of death, cancer,” Science Daily, April 8, 2019.
Here are four of the best supplements and medications to discuss with your doctors, if and as appropriate to your health needs. You already know what the drug commercials say, and could probably repeat the caveats verbatim without my repeating them here.
Supplemental Eye Vitamin: EVOA
Omega 3 + Antioxidants
contains Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Intended to help prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with more than 200,000 cases per year in the United States:
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe, irreversible vision loss in people over age 60. Blurred vision is a key symptom. See WEBMD:
A special combination of vitamins and minerals (AREDS formula) may reduce disease progression.
See information about the AREDS2 study and EVOA:
Links to the National Eye Institutes AREDS2 Study Information
To order:
Magtein
Contains Magnesium L-Threonate
For Learning and Memory
Also see, “The Real Deal on Brain Health Supplements: GCBH Recommendations on Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Dietary Supplements,” Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), which found that “scientific evidence does not support the use of any supplement to prevent, slow, reverse, or stop cognitive decline or dementia or other related neurological disease such as Alzheimer’s.” “The GCBH recommends consumers save their money and adopt healthy lifestyle habits instead.”
See the article about the study, “Brain Pills Are a Bust,” AARP Bulletin, July/August 2019.
The GCBH study says more than $3 billion was spent on memory supplements in 2016, expected to double by 2023, despite telling us to ignore such supplements. According to Amazon: “Preliminary research suggests that Magtein may provide more magnesium to the brain than other forms of magnesium. Magtein was shown in preclinical studies to support healthy brain synapse density in regions of the brain associated with memory.”
Buy at Amazon:
Metformin
Metformin is most commonly used to help in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, by prescription, but is also used as an off-label treatment. Some medical professionals now consider this six decades long standing drug a wonder drug, which may delay aging. See, “Beyond diabetes, metformin may prove to be a ‘wonder drug,’”Endocrine Today, February 2017.
See also: “Metformin diabetes drug could extend lifespan,” By Hannah Nichols, Medical News Today, August 8, 2014.
Metformin is also used for: metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
Metformin may have use as a weight loss drug. See, “Can Metformin Help with Weight Loss?”
See WEBMD for more information:
Cholesterol-lowering Statins
Cholesterol lowering statins are by prescription only. When my go to medical website, Science Daily, recently published a study about concerns with the use of statins, I took the study to my medical specialist. See, June 25, 2019 study,“Cholesterol medication could invite diabetes, study suggests,” He was aware of the study, is of those who think statins are a wonder drug, and was not concerned about the study. Because there is so much controversy about taking statins prophylactically, learn more about these before even asking your doctor if a statin is appropriate for you. Here is a link to a composite of many studies.
See, “Life-Saving Statins: Cholesterol-lowering meds can reduce risk of heart disease,” by Ronit Rose,
Chicago Health On Line, February 23, 2018. .
See Science Daily study and other studies quoted on left hand column of this study: “Taking statins for heart disease cuts risk in half, yet only 6 percent of patients taking as directed,” March 18, 2019.
For information as to what else statins can do as “[i]t’s been long recognized that these drugs do a whole lot more than just lower cholesterol levels,” see “Scientists Find New Tricks For Old Drugs,” by Richard Harris, July 9, 2018, NPR.
See WEBMD on statins:
Yes, we Boomers are always looking for ways to stay “forever young.” Always discuss medications and supplements with appropriate doctors before taking. We must also be concerned about interactions between medications! See previous post, “Now That I Am in My Seventies I Understand Why No One Tells You the Truth About How To Optimize Life in Your Seventies.”
There are pros and cons to the above four supplements and medications as with all supplements and medications. I hate the list of side effects that go on and on in drug commercials, and usually end with ‘and risk of death.’ The drug commercials get one thing completely correct though: never take a supplement or medication without consulting medical professionals first.
Joy,
Mema
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