Q. Can taking too many supplements at once counteract or cancel each other out? -Jenny

Q. I am currently taking several supplements. But, as I take them each morning I wonder if anything I am taking is counteracting with each other or cancelling each other out? Is there a good resource online, that you know of and recommend, that I can go to for this information? Thanks!

Dear Jenny,

The likelihood of two supplements counteracting one another effect is very slim.  The question I find most people struggling with is “which ones to take.”

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of supplements being offered and more appear every day.  You can overwhelm yourself  with trying to pick your way through this maze.  I would offer some simple advice.  If you take care of your sleep cycle and get a good 7  to 8 hours of sleep every night, drink clean filtered water, eat organic whole foods and exercise every day then your absolute need for supplements will be much less. 

But even if you lived a perfect lifestyle (good luck with that) I find certain nutrients are still beneficial and when deciding what to take I can offer a few suggestions. 

Be careful taking one person’s recommendation or reading one editorial.  If you really want to know what’s going on  then you have to look at the research.  For any topic you can find positive or negative information. 

I like the site “vitasearch.com”  because I can put in any number of keywords and read short abstracts about that topic. 

I also like “Google Scholar” as it will reference nearly anything in the available data base.  Researching nutritional and supplemental information is not easy and finding a good integrative practitioner (shameless self promotion) can be very helpful.

Good luck finding your healthiest version of you,

Dr. Gary Huber

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