Ep 45 | Swallow This, Part 3: Hope Is Not a Clinical Trial

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Perimenopause has officially entered its supplement era, and apparently every capsule on the internet is promising to fix your metabolism, your wrinkles, your joints, your brain, and maybe your credit score.

In the third installment of the Swallow This series, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch sort through another round of popular supplements with their trademark mix of evidence, skepticism, and just enough sarcasm to make reading medical studies almost fun.

This episode tackles berberine, glucosamine, CoQ10, collagen, and NAD+, separating promising science from clever marketing. Rebecca and Amy explain why the quality of a study matters just as much as the headline, how industry-funded research can paint a very different picture than independent studies, and why "natural" doesn't automatically mean effective, or even safe.

Listeners will learn which supplements may have a role for specific medical conditions, which ones don't live up to the hype for perimenopause, and why the phrase "more research is needed" is sometimes the most honest answer in medicine.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:55] Berberine buzzkill

[3:05] Natural GLP-1... maybe?

[6:32] Leave your liver alone

[8:03] Dog joint medicine? Glucosamine reality check

[14:21] CoQ10 heart talk

[20:00] Collagen vs. wrinkles

[25:17] Lasers in the vag (please don't)

[29:34] NAD+ hype train

[32:43] DON'T INJECT RANDOM STUFF!

[33:47] Cowboy hats for the Wild West

[35:29] Social media vs. science

Studies Mentioned:
Gianturco SL, Mattingly AN. Distinguishing between compounding facilities and the development of the 503B bulk drug substance list. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). Jan-Feb 2021;61(1):e8-e11. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2020.06.024

A 2-yr Randomized Controlled Trial on Creatine Supplementation during Exercise for Postmenopausal Bone Health. Philip D Chilibeck et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc.2023.

Prokopidis K, Witard OC. Understanding the role of smoking and chronic excess alcohol consumption on reduced caloric intake and the development of sarcopenia. Nutrition Research Reviews. 2022;35(2):197-206.

Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, Kechagias KS, Forbes SC, Candow DG. Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. Mar 10 2023;81(4):416-427. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac064

Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. Jul 15 2018;108:166-173. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.013

Ye Y, Liu X, Wu N, Han Y, Wang J, Yu Y, Chen Q. Efficacy and Safety of Berberine Alone for Several Metabolic Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Apr 26;12:653887.

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Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch

Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.