The Science
Plain-English summaries of published research on the nutrients we stock. Every post links straight to the study on PubMed, so you can read the original for yourself.
In a three-year randomised trial of 777 older adults, 1 g of omega-3 a day slowed several DNA methylation clocks of biological ageing. Adding vitamin D and exercise improved the effect further.
The long-standing objection to oral glutathione is that the gut destroys it. A six-month randomised placebo-controlled trial measured body stores directly and found they rose by 30 to 35%.
VITAL randomised 25,871 people to vitamin D or placebo for five years. The vitamin D group had 22% fewer confirmed autoimmune diagnoses. It is the largest trial of its kind.
An individual patient data meta-analysis of three trials found zinc acetate lozenges cut cold duration by about 2.7 days against a 7-day average. The effect held across age, sex, smoking and allergy status.
144 women took the active methylated form of folate, synthetic folic acid, or placebo for 24 weeks. The methylated form raised red blood cell folate significantly more than folic acid did.
Across 11,306 people, regular vitamin C cut cold risk by more than half in people under heavy physical stress, and shortened colds in everyone. One of the most thoroughly studied questions in nutrition.
A meta-analysis of 34 randomised double-blind trials covering 2,028 people pinned down what magnesium supplementation actually does to magnesium status, and how much and how long it takes.
A Lancet series pooled 185 prospective studies and 58 trials covering 135 million person-years. The biggest risk reductions clustered at 25 to 29 g of fibre a day, and the curve kept improving beyond that.
244 healthy postmenopausal women took 180 mcg of MK-7 or placebo for three years. Arterial stiffness improved, most clearly in the women whose arteries were stiffest to begin with.
A meta-analysis of 16 randomised trials found creatine monohydrate improved memory, with moderate certainty evidence. Overall cognitive function and executive function did not budge.
Griffith University randomised 312 economy class passengers flying out of Australia to elderberry extract or placebo. Cold duration and symptom severity were both significantly lower on elderberry.
Stanford ran a 17-week randomised trial of two gut-targeted diets. Fermented foods steadily raised microbiome diversity and lowered inflammatory markers. High fibre did something different and more individual.
