Leukemia treatment is the gift that keeps on giving. It never lets you go completely. The cancer gods have reminded me about this yet again. Earlier this year, a few of my heart health numbers were off. One of those numbers, my hsCRP (high sensitivity c reactive protein), was high. hsCRP is a measure of systemic inflammation. You’ve probably heard of this type of inflammation. It’s not sudden or severe, but rather on-going. It’s a sign that your immune system is sending out inflammatory cells even though you don’t have an obvious injury or infection. Over time, it can increase the risk of some health problems like heart disease, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis.
I knew that people like me who have had a stem cell transplant are at an increased risk of heart disease. Despite knowing this, I still didn’t think that I would fit that picture. While I wasn’t surprised I got leukemia, as it has a certain randomness to it, I was always confident that I would never be at risk for heart disease. I just don’t fit the profile. No family history. I was at a healthy weight. I exercised. I ate a healthy diet. I had it all! But I had also had a stem cell transplant. My over confidence was misplaced. My doctor put me on a statin to lower my hsCRP and thus, the inflammation. Going on a heart med totally rattled my healthy girl identity. This is just not who I am! I wanted to do more to control the inflammation. I knew that turmeric had some buzz as an effective anti-inflammation supplement. So, I combed PubMed for research articles about anti-inflammatory nutritional supplements. And I did find some decent studies that show that turmeric works.
After several months of taking turmeric every day – or rather choking down the two horse-pill-sized capsules that are a dose – I had my regular appointment with my transplant doc. He had measured my liver enzymes, as he typically does at each visit. Your liver enzymes tell you about your liver health. Well, mine were a little above normal. My doctor wanted me to take a medication to lower them. But I suspected the turmeric was the culprit. I had read that liver toxicity can be a side effect of taking turmeric. These cases used to be rare, but with the addition of pepper to turmeric supplements to improve absorption, they may be getting more common. I told him I wanted to stop the turmeric for a month and then get my liver enzymes rechecked. And low and behold, after stopping the turmeric, my liver enzymes went back to normal! It was a relief to stop taking those gigantic pills and not have to add on yet another med to lower my liver enzymes.
If you're taking turmeric, my experience alone doesn't necessarily mean you should stop. But please ask your doctor to check your liver enzymes to make sure you are not having this potential side effect.
So, let’s talk about the bigger picture here. Dietary supplements can be good, bad, or somewhere in between. And they are big business on social media:
Herbs have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years.
Recent surveys show that eight in ten internet users search for health information online. 74% of them use social media for their search. There are almost 5 billion views of TikTok videos on the topic of supplements.
Researchers at the University of Michigan report that an estimated 15.6 million U.S. adults — or 5% — have taken at least one herbal supplement in the last 30 days that might be damaging to the liver.
· Past research has shown that these supplements may be toxic to the liver:
o Ashwagandha
o Black Cohosh
o Garcinia Cambogia
o Green Tea Extract
o Red Yeast Rice
o Turmeric or Curcumin
So, here’s our take home message from my little story:
· Supplements Can Have Side Effects and Drug Interactions. Sometimes people think that supplements are harmless because they are natural. But if you’re taking something because you want to have some sort of biological benefit from it, then it stands to reason that it can also have possible side effects or interact with other meds you are taking. Plus, they are much more concentrated in pill vs. plant form.
· Supplements are NOT Approved by the FDA. Now I know that the FDA has taken a lot of political hits in recent months. Are they perfect? No. Are they pretty good at what they do? Yes. Believe me, you do not want to live in a country without an FDA. They do a good job of evaluating the data on pharmaceutical drugs – both in how well they work and the possible side effects. I’m a fan – but an objective one. The FDA does have some regulatory powers over supplements, but they don't evaluate safety and effectiveness. They do monitor "adverse events" and the they can pull a supplement off the market for certain violations or if there is evidence that it's dangerous . But because they don’t approve supplements, we’re all playing fast and loose when it comes to supplements. And not just with whether they work. Often, supplements don’t have the amount of the active ingredients they state on the bottle. It can be more – or less! It can also be adulterated with heavy metals, pharmaceutical drugs, and contaminants. In these cases, the FDA would step in if these issues are discovered.
· Talk to Your Doctor Before Taking Any Supplement! Doctors don’t always know a lot about supplements (they have a lot to do!) but they should be able to find out for you. A great place to go to find evidenced based, unbiased information about supplements ConsumerLab.com. Now, this is a paid subscriber site – but it’s just $63 a year. It might be worth it to you if you use a lot of supplements or just have a great interest in them. Or you can just ask me on my blog comments!
· Beware of Influencer Info. Even reputable influencers are often selling a product and are financially supported by companies that may bias their messages.
Another Important Point:
If you are drinking green tea or using turmeric or curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) in cooking – that is fine. In fact, it could be healthful and certainly not dangerous. When components of these foods are concentrated in high doses in supplement form, that’s when you might see health benefits and possibly, serious problems. Remember, the dose makes the poison!
Beth Kitchin PhD RDN
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