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The right supplements can help your heart, sharpen your immune system, and even improve your sex life. The wrong ones, however, can be ineffective or even harmful. “You run into problems because most men are ‘prescribing’ these things themselves,” says Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of consumerlab.com, an independent tester of health and nutritional products. “Don’t take supplements with abandon. They should be used carefully, because taking in too much of certain nutrients can cause problems.”

We consulted with top doctors, reviewed the latest research, and waded through marketers’ claims to bring you 18 of the best supplements for men. Use our guide—along with advice from your own doc, since many supplements can interact with other medications—to fine-tune your strategy.

Acetyl L-Carnitine

Problem: Brain drain

This amino acid converts fats to energy and boosts antioxidant activity in the body. In supplement form, it may protect gray matter from stress caused by alcohol and aging. And in a 2006 study, people who received 1,000 milligrams (mg) of acetyl L-carnitine a day saw relief from mild chronic depression.

Dose: 1,000 mg/day / Natural sources: Red meat, dairy products

Korean Red Panax Ginseng

Problem: Erectile dysfunction

Sixty percent of men with erectile dysfunction who took this supplement noticed improvement, according to a 2002 Korean study. The herb may also protect your heart—in a recent Canadian study, a daily dose reduced arterial stiffness.

Dose: 900 mg, up to three times a day / Natural sources: Korean ginseng root

Coenzyme Q-10

Problem: High blood pressure

CoQ-10 can lower your blood pressure while boosting your levels of ecSOD, an enzyme thought to protect blood vessels from damage. CoQ-10 may also improve sperm quality, Italian researchers say. Japanese researchers found it can increase fat burning during exercise.

Dose: 30 to 200 mg/day / Natural sources: Meat and fish, eggs, broccoli

Vitamin D

Problem: Bone weakness

Vitamin D is a hormone that helps your bones absorb calcium. That’s a critical benefit, but there’s also a steady stream of other compelling reasons to take it, Dr. Cooperman says. For instance, Vitamin D has been linked to reduced levels of depression, reduced risk of colorectal cancer, and less chance of a heart attack.

Dose: 1,000 IU Vitamin D/day / Natural sources: Sunshine, fortified milk

Fish Oil

Problem: Heart disease

Loaded with the essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, fish oil can reduce triglycerides, boost HDL cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. But your heart isn’t the only beneficiary: The healthy fats may also reduce inflammation and improve cognitive performance, and may lower your risk of colon and prostate cancers.

Dose: At least 500 mg DHA and 500 mg EPA daily / Natural Sources: Salmon, tuna, or other fatty fish

Magnesium

Problem: Migraines

A drop in magnesium can be a major headache. “Blood vessels in your brain constrict, and receptors in the feel-good chemical serotonin malfunction,” says Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York Headache Center. Result: a migraine. The mineral also might help regulate blood pressure and could ward off stroke and diabetes.

Dose: 250 mg/day, plus the magnesium in your diet / Natural Sources: Leafy greens, whole grains, pumpkin seeds, coffee, nuts

Psyllium Husk

Problem: Diabetes

This fiber is more than a colon clearer. In a recent Finnish study, the addition of psyllium to meals reduced participants’ blood sugar and insulin response. Paired with protein, it was also shown to suppress ghrelin, a hormone that makes you hungry. Psyllium is one of five soluble fibers approved by the FDA for lowering LDL cholesterol.

Dose: 20 to 35 g/day, divided and taken with at least 8 oz liquid / Natural Sources: Some fortified cereal grains

Problem: Upset stomach

Probiotics are healthy bacteria that crowd out the disease-causing bad bacteria in your gut. Some can reduce diarrhea caused by certain infections, antibiotics, chemotherapy, and irritable bowel syndrome, Dr. Cooperman notes. The encapsulated good guys may also boost your immune function.

Dose: 1 capsule (with at least 1 billion bacteria) a day /
Natural sources: Yogurt, kefir, and other dairy products

Quercetin

Problem: Low endurance

Want to extend your cardio session? People who didn’t exercise regularly but took 500 mg of this antioxidant twice a day for a week were able to bicycle 13 percent longer than the placebo group, a University of South Carolina study found. It may help reduce the oxidation of LDL particles and reduce blood-vessel constriction.

Dose: Up to 500 mg, twice a day / Natural Sources: Red wine, parsley, grapefruit, onions, apples

Pycnogenol

Problem: Poor memory

This supplement’s antioxidants fight free-radical stress in your brain and stop the degradation of nitric oxide, which preserves neural connections. In a recent Australian study, it improved memory in elderly people. Pycnogenol also supports better bloodflow, which helps fight joint pain and reduce muscle cramps.

Dose: 150 mg/day / Natural sources: Pine bark

Glucosamine

Problem: Joint pain

Glucosamine, a building block of cartilage, can relieve pain and inflammation in joints, says Nicholas DiNubile, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon. In fact, a recent study found glucosamine is more effective than acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol) at relieving symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, often caused in younger men by joint injury.

Dose: 1,500 mg glucosamine/day / Natural sources: Crustacean shells

Vitamin C

Problem: Injury

Sixty percent of adult men don’t get enough vitamin C in their diets, according to an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study. Vitamin C helps protect your cells from the tissue-damaging free radicals produced by exercise. It also helps heal wounds, and it’s key to production of the collagen found in ligaments and tendons.

Dose: Up to 1,000 mg/day in spaced doses / Natural sources: Citrus fruits, sweet peppers, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts

EGCG

Problem: Extra body fat

Men who took green-tea extract burned 17 percent more fat after moderate exercise than those taking placebos, according to one study. EGCG, the most active antioxidant in green tea, is thought to prolong exercise-induced boosts in metabolism. It has also been shown to help prevent cancer and can improve heart health.

Dose: 890 mg/day green tea extract (containing 340 mg of EGCG) / Natural sources: Green tea

Lycopene

Problem: Prostate-cancer risk

Found in tomatoes, this potent antioxidant may reduce your risk of prostate cancer, according to a recent University of Illinois study review. The researchers say it may work by altering hormone metabolism and by causing cancer cells to self-destruct.

Dose: 15 to 20 mg/day / Natural Sources: Fresh or cooked tomatoes, and fruits with red/pink flesh

Red Yeast Rice

Problem: Cholesterol

It contains lovastatin—a prescription statin—as well as other compounds that may help manage cholesterol. In a recent Annals of Internal Medicine study, patients who took red yeast rice during a 12-week diet and exercise program cut their LDL by 27 percent, compared with 6 percent for those who only dieted and exercised.

Dose: 600 mg, 3 times a day (Consult your M.D. if you’re on heart meds.) / Natural sources: Red yeast rice, some sake, red rice vinegar

Resveratrol

Problem: Cancer risk

You can’t stop the clock, but you can slow it down. This chemical, found in the skin of grapes, seems to interact directly with genes that regulate aging, says Dr. Katz. Resveratrol has been shown to promote DNA repair in animals, enhance bloodflow to people’s brains, and halt the growth of prostate-cancer and colon-cancer cells.

Dose: No dosage recommendations/ Natural sources: Red wine, red grape juice

SAMe

Problem: Depression

Talk about head-to-toe relief: A synthetic form of a dietary amino acid, SAMe has been found to treat depression as effectively as prescription antidepressants, according to Canadian researchers. It has also been shown to reduce joint pain and inflammation, and it may aid cartilage repair.

Dose: 600 to 1,600 mg/day depending on the condition / Natural sources: Made in your body, possibly after eating meats, greens, and oranges

Saw Palmetto

Problem: Enlarged prostate

As you age, your risk rises for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition that makes you trickle at the toilet. Saw palmetto may help restore the flow. In a recent Korean study, men taking 320 mg of saw palmetto daily saw their BPH symptoms decrease by 50 percent after 1 year.

Dose: 320 mg/day / Natural sources: Saw palmetto berries

— By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

Imagine a categorizing system in which numbers are assigned to foods, allowing you to choose the foods that curb appetite, help shed excess pounds, lower your risk for diabetes, and improve heart health. These in fact are the claims of popular diets that use the Glycemic Index—GI diet, for short.

The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods (on a scale from 0 to 100) based on their effects on blood sugar levels in the body. Eating highly processed foods, such as bread made from refined white flour, raises blood sugar higher and faster than does eating whole foods, such as whole-wheat bread or an apple. Foods—like white bread—that cause the most rapid rise in blood sugar are given a higher number, while whole-wheat breads and apples have lower ratings. A rating of 55 or below is considered low, and 70 or above is considered high.

Additional information and values for the GI diet can be found at: www.GlycemicIndex.com, and www.Mendosa.com. The Glycemic Indexes of a few foods are listed here:

Food Item	GI
Peanuts	14
Grapefruit	25
Pizza	30
Oranges	48
Potato Chips	54
Snickers Bar	55
White Rice	64
White Bread	70
Popcorn	72
Baked Potato	85

The Premise

Proponents of the GI diet believe that the lower the GI number of a carbohydrate food, the better.   High GI foods are digested and metabolized more quickly, causing a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. This creates a dramatic spike in levels of the hormone insulin, which works to remove sugar from the blood. These responses can lead to an overproduction of insulin, contributing to weight gain. Therefore, carbohydrate foods with low Glycemic Indexes cause less insulin secretion and slow the clearing of glucose from the blood stream—resulting in greater satiety, and fewer calories consumed throughout the day.

The Spark Response

Using the Glycemic Index for meal planning is a very complicated process. Here are some of the limitations:

• Only about 5% foods in the national food database have been tested.
• There is usually a wide variation in the GI measurement. A potato can be as low as 56 or as high as 100. In fact, a food’s GI score can change based on the food’s ripeness level.
• A food’s GI score can also change based on preparation techniques. Grinding and cooking can elevate the GI score of some foods, because they become quicker and easier to digest.
• GI testing is done on individual foods, but we consume most foods in combinations. Fiber, protein, and fat will usually reduce the Glycemic Index of a meal.
• The rate at which different people digest carbohydrates varies. And each person’s glycemic response may vary throughout the day.
• When certain high glycemic foods are eliminated from the diet, so are vital vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. Watermelon has a GI of 72 but it is high in potassium, vitamin A, and lycopene, for example.
• Relying on the Glycemic Index can still lead to overeating and weight gain. Peanuts look like the perfect choice with a GI of 14, but with about 400 calories in ½ cup, they won’t help shed pounds when eaten in excess.

The Glycemic Index is a marvelous tool for ranking carbohydrates. However, it is currently only in its infancy regarding health benefits. More research is necessary to make it a truly valid, reliable, and applicable teaching tool. The simple facts still remain:

• 20% of Americans’ calories come from high carbohydrate foods, such as cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, ice cream, sugar, candy, soda pop, and chips.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grain products (whole-wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, and wheat germ) are nutritionally superior to highly processed, refined products.
• Simply limiting the total number of carbohydrates you consume at a meal can more easily control your blood sugar levels.
• You probably don’t need a complicated rating system to confuse you about which carbohydrates to include in your diet.

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