In our order department, callers regularly talk with us about how they use our supplements. We use the term “supplements” to encompass vitamins, minerals, herbs, omega-3 fatty acids, and any other dietary supplement. We know there are many more supplement users than the ones we to talk to, or correspond with through email. We want to offer a few of our hints and tips regarding supplement use:
• Supplements are best absorbed with food. It doesn’t matter which meal you choose, just make sure it’s one that also contains some amount of fat. This means if your morning breakfast is a piece of whole wheat toast with jam, a piece of fruit, and a container of fat-free yogurt, you need to take your supplements another time. Or, even better, add almonds to this breakfast and take your supplements then. An ideal meal contains fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
• Please take the supplement as recommended on the label. We hear from many people who take the original Cooper Complete formulation, but only take four of the eight tablets in the daily serving. Our scientific advisory team feels so strongly about the levels of vitamin D, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc, Selenium, and Chromium, that the levels are identical in the original formulation and Basic One, our one-a-day product! When the number of tablets is cut from eight to four per day, the strength of these ingredients is also cut in half. Please consider taking Basic One instead of Cooper Complete if you are unwilling or unable to take all eight tablets.
• It is ok to switch between vitamins. It is perfectly fine to switch back and forth between Cooper Complete and Basic One. Many people take Basic One when traveling, and Cooper Complete when home. We also have marathoners and triathletes who switch from Elite Athlete to either Cooper Complete or Basic One during the off season.
• Keep tabs on your vitamin D needs. Our adult multivitamin and mineral formulations (Cooper Complete, Elite Athlete, and Basic One) all contain 2,000 IU vitamin D. We also sell a standalone vitamin D product that’s 1,000 IU vitamin D per tablet. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine last year, researchers reported that 77 percent of Americans fall short of the 30 nanograms per milliliter minimum. While we can statistically assume that chances are good you’re below the minimum and may need additional vitamin D, the only way to know for certain is through a blood test. After the blood test, your physician will help you figure out how much vitamin D you need, and the recommendations vary widely depending upon individual circumstances – we hear everything from an additional 1,000 IU per day to an extra 50,000 IU each week.
• Know your calcium requirements. Look at your diet, figure out how much calcium you get on a typical day, and then decide how much (if any) calcium you need to add in supplement form. Our body can absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time. If you need more than 500 mg calcium per day, split it up into two or more servings.
• Do not add a supplement to your routine that you do not need. If you do not have joint pain, or if you don’t suffer the effects of an enlarged prostate, don’t take those supplements.
If you’re unsure about a product (be it ours, or another brand), or have a general supplement question, please call us or email us – we’d love to help you. A “real human” here at the Cooper Aerobics Center answers all the calls (so you’ll need to leave us a message if you phone after hours), and it’s genuinely our pleasure to help you figure out what supplements make sense for your particular situation.
Our toll free number is 888-393-2221; email us at Questions@CooperWellness.com.
To purchase Cooper Complete supplements, visit the Cooper Store.
Reference
Vitamin D deficiency soars in the U.S., study says
Jill Turner is VP Operations for Cooper Concepts, the company that markets Cooper Complete nutritional supplements. Email (jsturner@cooperwellness.com) or call 972-560-3262 with your questions and comments regarding supplements.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Ginseng Dietary Supplements
We recently had a reader write in and ask us our opinion on Ginseng, a supplement not currently in the Cooper Complete line.
Ginseng is a dried root of one of several species of the Araliaceae family of herbs. Ginseng comes in several forms - Asian (Panax ginseng) and American (P. quinquefolius L.) are the most common, but there’s also a Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) ginseng which is much less expensive, but doesn’t contain the same active compounds that American and Asian ginseng contain.
Ginseng root that is mostly unprocessed is called “white ginseng” while “red ginseng” is typically Asian ginseng root that has been steamed and dried. Traditional Chinese medicine delineates between the “white” and “red” form, but scientific evidence doesn’t indicate significant differences.
Ginseng is typically marketed as an herb that will improve overall energy, particularly in those who are tired or stressed, and in 1997 sales topped 300 million annually. Unfortunately, the scientific research to date hasn’t been able to confirm that ginseng helps to improve energy at all, so these are essentially unsupported but well believed marketing pitches.
Researchers have also studied the impact of Ginseng on other health conditions, and have found that American Ginseng may lower blood sugar levels before and after meals in patients with type II (adult onset) diabetes. Because of this, diabetes should work with their physicians when adding Ginseng to their supplement regiment.
There have been other interactions reported too - Asian ginseng (Panax Ginseng) may cause manic episodes in those on antidepressants. And taking Asian Ginseng in conjunction with Coumadin or Warfarin, may decrease the effect of the drug.
Long term use of Ginseng doesn’t seem to be the norm. Typically the product is taken for two- or three weeks, and then followed by a one- to two week “rest” period.
In August, 2010, ConsumerLab.com reported test results on 11 ginseng supplements. Six of the supplements passed their review while five did not – either because they failed to contain the claimed amount of the ingredient on the label, or due to lead contamination.
To purchase Cooper Complete supplements, visit the Cooper Store.
Reference
Ginseng
Panax ginseng pharmacology: a nitric oxide link?
Ginseng Supplements
Jill Turner is VP Operations for Cooper Concepts, the company that markets Cooper Complete nutritional supplements. Email (jsturner@cooperwellness.com) or call 972-560-3262 with your questions and comments regarding supplements.
Ginseng is a dried root of one of several species of the Araliaceae family of herbs. Ginseng comes in several forms - Asian (Panax ginseng) and American (P. quinquefolius L.) are the most common, but there’s also a Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) ginseng which is much less expensive, but doesn’t contain the same active compounds that American and Asian ginseng contain.
Ginseng root that is mostly unprocessed is called “white ginseng” while “red ginseng” is typically Asian ginseng root that has been steamed and dried. Traditional Chinese medicine delineates between the “white” and “red” form, but scientific evidence doesn’t indicate significant differences.
Ginseng is typically marketed as an herb that will improve overall energy, particularly in those who are tired or stressed, and in 1997 sales topped 300 million annually. Unfortunately, the scientific research to date hasn’t been able to confirm that ginseng helps to improve energy at all, so these are essentially unsupported but well believed marketing pitches.
Researchers have also studied the impact of Ginseng on other health conditions, and have found that American Ginseng may lower blood sugar levels before and after meals in patients with type II (adult onset) diabetes. Because of this, diabetes should work with their physicians when adding Ginseng to their supplement regiment.
There have been other interactions reported too - Asian ginseng (Panax Ginseng) may cause manic episodes in those on antidepressants. And taking Asian Ginseng in conjunction with Coumadin or Warfarin, may decrease the effect of the drug.
Long term use of Ginseng doesn’t seem to be the norm. Typically the product is taken for two- or three weeks, and then followed by a one- to two week “rest” period.
In August, 2010, ConsumerLab.com reported test results on 11 ginseng supplements. Six of the supplements passed their review while five did not – either because they failed to contain the claimed amount of the ingredient on the label, or due to lead contamination.
To purchase Cooper Complete supplements, visit the Cooper Store.
Reference
Ginseng
Panax ginseng pharmacology: a nitric oxide link?
Ginseng Supplements
Jill Turner is VP Operations for Cooper Concepts, the company that markets Cooper Complete nutritional supplements. Email (jsturner@cooperwellness.com) or call 972-560-3262 with your questions and comments regarding supplements.
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