Great article. I've been wondering about Prevagen. How much do they spend on TV commercials ? We clearly need more truth in advertising. However, it doesn't look like it's going to happen soon. In the meantime, I'll continue to subscribe to your column Examined and to Consumer Reports.....two beacons of light and hope in the intentionally dark and deceptive world of consumerism. Thank you for your service.
Thank you :) I tried to find the advertising expenditures, but all Google came back with quickly was a link to a site that states Quincy Biosciences spent less than $100 million last year on ads. So somewhere between 0 and $99,999,999... I'm guessing closer to the latter figure.
How can a person differentiate between the legitimate ones vs the questionable ones? My chiropractor - really great guy who has helped me - has recommended several supplements. I’m just not sure about them.
I read enough about Prevagen to ignore it (especially the commercials). I've also been reading about the possibility of flavonoids possibly helping memory and focus, two of my being old problems. So I tried Cocoa via for 3 months, about $130 worth. Didn't notice any change so I quit. Any thoughts about the flavonoid theory?
I think there is general consensus that flavonoids are good - possessing antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects which reduce things like cardiovascular disease, cancers, and cognitive decline. They are best obtained through fruits and vegetables in my opinion. I've read pretty consistently over the years that reducing these sorts of beneficial compounds into simple components strips all the complex micronutrients we might also get by eating the whole fruit or vegetable. And usually it's the complex array of hundreds of compounds in the fruit/vegetable that provides the benefit. Reductionist approaches like taking high dose beta carotene often end up being harmful when studied, but i don't think Cocoa sounds too simplified so no worries.
Thank you Dr. McCormick for another informative and worthwhile article. I must admit the Prevagen commercials were enticing and I often thought about buying some to see how effective it was. Fortunately I never remembered to do so but after your article I can now remove one more decision that I don’t have to make.
Brilliant! I can assure you from this comment and from your wit (which is a high level cognitive feat) that your brain is working just fine, and that you do not require supplements to support it!
That motto usually holds true, doesn't it? Or as my daughter came home from school recently telling me, the kids say "If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's probably an alien spy and run as fast as you can!"
Excellent analysis. Thank you.
I’m impressed. Factual but very lovingly presented. Great article!
Great article. I've been wondering about Prevagen. How much do they spend on TV commercials ? We clearly need more truth in advertising. However, it doesn't look like it's going to happen soon. In the meantime, I'll continue to subscribe to your column Examined and to Consumer Reports.....two beacons of light and hope in the intentionally dark and deceptive world of consumerism. Thank you for your service.
Robert Andrews
Thank you :) I tried to find the advertising expenditures, but all Google came back with quickly was a link to a site that states Quincy Biosciences spent less than $100 million last year on ads. So somewhere between 0 and $99,999,999... I'm guessing closer to the latter figure.
Most supplements are useless, many do not contain what they say they do, a significant portion are outright dangerous...they are not regulated.
That is the truth... beyond the lack of efficacy are the unknown risks.
How can a person differentiate between the legitimate ones vs the questionable ones? My chiropractor - really great guy who has helped me - has recommended several supplements. I’m just not sure about them.
I read enough about Prevagen to ignore it (especially the commercials). I've also been reading about the possibility of flavonoids possibly helping memory and focus, two of my being old problems. So I tried Cocoa via for 3 months, about $130 worth. Didn't notice any change so I quit. Any thoughts about the flavonoid theory?
I think there is general consensus that flavonoids are good - possessing antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects which reduce things like cardiovascular disease, cancers, and cognitive decline. They are best obtained through fruits and vegetables in my opinion. I've read pretty consistently over the years that reducing these sorts of beneficial compounds into simple components strips all the complex micronutrients we might also get by eating the whole fruit or vegetable. And usually it's the complex array of hundreds of compounds in the fruit/vegetable that provides the benefit. Reductionist approaches like taking high dose beta carotene often end up being harmful when studied, but i don't think Cocoa sounds too simplified so no worries.
Thank you Dr. McCormick for another informative and worthwhile article. I must admit the Prevagen commercials were enticing and I often thought about buying some to see how effective it was. Fortunately I never remembered to do so but after your article I can now remove one more decision that I don’t have to make.
Brilliant! I can assure you from this comment and from your wit (which is a high level cognitive feat) that your brain is working just fine, and that you do not require supplements to support it!
Thanks for this post! “If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t true” apples here! Good advice- I’ll save my money! Linda
That motto usually holds true, doesn't it? Or as my daughter came home from school recently telling me, the kids say "If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's probably an alien spy and run as fast as you can!"