The Truth About Supplements

Supplements are a popular, profitable, and rapidly growing industry. Yet there’s still a lot of confusion about what’s in supplements, what they do, and which supplements actually help meet different health goals. 

This course is here to help! Over 12 days, you’ll learn the science behind the most popular supplements (like Vitamin C, fish oil, collagen, and multivitamins), plus get practical tips to better understand what you’re putting in your body, and, most importantly, why.

In this first lesson, you’ll learn…

• Surprising statistics on the supplements industry 
• Key regulations and certifications
• Tips for reading labels – and spotting red flags
• Where to store your supplements 
• Differences between essential and non-essential nutrients

By the end of this course, you will feel more confident selecting the best supplements for your health goals, so you can take what you need and skip the rest!

Plus: 

• Supplement Shopping & Storage Tips

• A Guide to Supplement Certifications

Vitamin D is vital for bone and muscle health because it plays an important role in helping your body absorb calcium and phosphorus, both critical minerals for making (and maintaining) strong bones.   

What else? Higher intake and levels of Vitamin D are associated with lowering fracture risk, reducing your chance of getting certain cancers and diseases, and increasing survival rates of malignant melanomas in children. 

On the other hand, Vitamin D deficiencies are linked to increased risk for cancers and elevated mortality rates caused by severe infection in end stage kidney disease patients. 

Luckily, you can get vitamin D from the sun and a few foods, but how much is enough? Find out Dr. Mary Pardee’s take on the research and her Vitamin D recommendations depending on where you live, your age, and your skin color.

Vitamin C is well known for boosting immunity, but how well? In this lesson, Dr. Mary Pardee offers a brief history lesson of Vitamin C, who may be most likely to benefit from it as a supplement, and her favorite Vitamin C food sources.

Whey — a collection of proteins derived from milk — can help drive gains in muscle mass. Maintaining muscle mass is important at any age, but particularly so as people age and are more susceptible to muscle loss.

But how much protein is ideal in a day? And what are the differences between whey protein powder and regular protein powder? Are ultrarefined whey protein powders worth the money? Dr. Mary Pardee answers these common questions and shares her personal experience with whey protein.

Collagen seems to be everywhere right now — in pills, creams, and powders. It’s a nearly $2 billion industry and is only expected to get bigger.

You’ve likely seen claims that collagen supplements will make you look younger and improve your joint health. This is because collagen’s primary function is to strengthen the connective tissue of joints, ligaments, bones, and skin. And as we get older, collagen begins to unravel and decrease.

But what does the research say about taking collagen supplements? Dr. Mary Pardee explains her perspective, including a form of collagen that she does not recommend!

Curcumin is an antioxidant derived from turmeric (an earthy, yellow-orange spice) – and other in plants in the Zingiberaceae family.

Curcumin is best known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which is why it’s commonly used to help with osteoarthritis and other conditions rooted in inflammation. Other studies suggest curcumin may also improve memory and strengthen attention.

Dr. Mary shares when and why she includes curcumin in her treatment plans as well as how to maximize bioavailability.

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have many benefits for your body and brain. Research suggests they improve heart health, lower blood pressure, and potentially alleviate depression.

Unfortunately, the average person in the United States is getting about half the optimal amount — and your body does not make this nutrient on its own. In this lesson, Dr. Mary Pardee discusses optimal omega-3 levels and ways to reach those levels with both food and supplementation.

Magnesium is a mighty mineral that does so much for your body, such as supporting your nerves and muscles and helping you produce serotonin. In total it’s essential for over 600 chemical reactions in the body!

However, 70% of U.S. adults do not meet the RDA of magnesium.

Explore the relationship between muscle fitness, mental health, and magnesium and learn which forms of magnesium to take for different outcomes. As a bonus, Dr. Mary Pardee also debunks a common magnesium myth.

Multivitamins are the highest market size of all supplements at $22.4 billion. But is there really the research to support daily consumption? 

It’s complicated! In this lesson, Dr. Mary Pardee explains why studying multivitamins is more elusive than you might expect, and why they still may be worth taking for certain populations. 

Plus: Get tips for narrowing down the many available multivitamin options.

Creatine – a type of amino acid that plays a key role in energy production in the brain – is often used to improve exercise performance and new studies are being conducted around its role in cell production, inflammation, cognitive function, and GI disorders.

However, there are also a lot of myths about what creatine does in the body. For example: Does creatine lead to weight gain? Will it leave me feeling dehydrated?

In this lesson, Dr. Mary Pardee unpacks the most common creatine misconceptions and shares her recommendation for the form of creatine you should buy.

Coenzyme Q10 is an endogenous antioxidant — meaning that your body can produce it on its own. Typically your body is able to make sufficient quantities, but some studies show it might be worth taking to help with certain issues, such as fatigue, infertility, and heart failure.

In this lesson, Dr. Mary Pardee explains the role of this important antioxidant and whether supplementing with CoQ10 is likely to help with your overall health.

The terms Vitamin B9, folate, and folic acid are often used interchangeably, but they have subtle distinctions. Folate is a naturally occurring form of Vitamin B9, whereas folic acid is a synthetic form often added to food products, such as flour and cereals. 

In this lesson, you’ll learn the symptoms and conditions associated with folate deficiencies, how to pick the right dose for you, and an in-depth look at the difference between folate and folic acid.