From: Kathryn Aegis (aegis@igc.apc.org)
Date: Mon Jan 12 1998 - 14:51:58 MST
Anders Sandberg:
>Like most of the substances discussed here the placebo effect plays a
>huge role. I suppose that if you eat something that gives you more
>energy, think it will have beneficial effects you will become more
>assertive.
We could call it a secondary effect, and that represents one of the
problems in discussing supplements--they are usually advertised by
their secondary effects rather than the actual process they have an
affect on. To take a supplement on the basis of its secondary
effects can lead to poor or damaging choices in relation
to life extension programs.
To use Sasha's original question as an example (hope he doesn't
mind), I saw a red flag on the mention of l-carnitine, because I knew
that it is used in thermogenic formulas, and Sasha doesn't own an
ounce of extra fat on him! Now, whether Sasha's svelt figure is the
result of diligent diet, exercise, or simply a good supply of his own
l-carnitine, I don't know. But for him to ingest l-carnitine on the
basis of its energy---->agressiveness enhancing effect might result
in a situation where he had to begin ingesting a higher level of
calories, thereby increasing his glucolic metabolism and reducing his
own supply of DHEA, which he may or may not be keeping track of
through medical testing, and require him to increase his DHEA
supplementation to maintain longivity levels. Now, given the data
Anders provided on the neural effects of l-carnitine, Sasha might
decide that it is worth the juggling act to take a quantity of it,
but he would have to understand its primary effects in order to make
that choice in the first place.
Sin,
Kathryn Aegis
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