Dr. Rhonda Patrick

But I take it. Here's a big flaw with a lot of those studies that are cited by journals, great journals like JAMA, for example. They're poorly designed. They're poorly designed. So, you know... They're designed like drugs, I guess. Exactly. Exactly right. Exactly. So the problem is when you have a drug trial, randomized controlled trials are the gold standard, right?

But I take it. Here's a big flaw with a lot of those studies that are cited by journals, great journals like JAMA, for example. They're poorly designed. They're poorly designed. So, you know... They're designed like drugs, I guess. Exactly. Exactly right. Exactly. So the problem is when you have a drug trial, randomized controlled trials are the gold standard, right?

But I take it. Here's a big flaw with a lot of those studies that are cited by journals, great journals like JAMA, for example. They're poorly designed. They're poorly designed. So, you know... They're designed like drugs, I guess. Exactly. Exactly right. Exactly. So the problem is when you have a drug trial, randomized controlled trials are the gold standard, right?

You have a drug and then you have a placebo. But the thing is, is that with a drug, everybody has zero levels of that drug in the start of the trial, right? That's right. So you don't have to measure anything, right? Because there's nothing to measure until you take the drug.

You have a drug and then you have a placebo. But the thing is, is that with a drug, everybody has zero levels of that drug in the start of the trial, right? That's right. So you don't have to measure anything, right? Because there's nothing to measure until you take the drug.

You have a drug and then you have a placebo. But the thing is, is that with a drug, everybody has zero levels of that drug in the start of the trial, right? That's right. So you don't have to measure anything, right? Because there's nothing to measure until you take the drug.

Yeah, bad example, like statins. So, you know, but when you're doing a... You don't have a normal blood level of Lipitor, right? Right, exactly. When you're doing a study on vitamin D or... omega-3 or fill-in-the-blank vitamin mineral, everybody has varying levels of these micronutrients in their body. And so you have to measure things. You have to measure things at the start of the trial.

Yeah, bad example, like statins. So, you know, but when you're doing a... You don't have a normal blood level of Lipitor, right? Right, exactly. When you're doing a study on vitamin D or... omega-3 or fill-in-the-blank vitamin mineral, everybody has varying levels of these micronutrients in their body. And so you have to measure things. You have to measure things at the start of the trial.

Yeah, bad example, like statins. So, you know, but when you're doing a... You don't have a normal blood level of Lipitor, right? Right, exactly. When you're doing a study on vitamin D or... omega-3 or fill-in-the-blank vitamin mineral, everybody has varying levels of these micronutrients in their body. And so you have to measure things. You have to measure things at the start of the trial.

You might have someone that's already got sufficient levels of vitamin D. They may have 50 nanograms per milliliter level vitamin D. And so you give them a vitamin D supplement and it's not going to do anything because they're already sufficient, right? Yeah.

You might have someone that's already got sufficient levels of vitamin D. They may have 50 nanograms per milliliter level vitamin D. And so you give them a vitamin D supplement and it's not going to do anything because they're already sufficient, right? Yeah.

You might have someone that's already got sufficient levels of vitamin D. They may have 50 nanograms per milliliter level vitamin D. And so you give them a vitamin D supplement and it's not going to do anything because they're already sufficient, right? Yeah.

Or the converse is they're so deficient and you give them a supplement that's 400 IUs or 800 IUs, which doesn't raise their blood levels hardly at all. that it doesn't really do anything.

Or the converse is they're so deficient and you give them a supplement that's 400 IUs or 800 IUs, which doesn't raise their blood levels hardly at all. that it doesn't really do anything.

Or the converse is they're so deficient and you give them a supplement that's 400 IUs or 800 IUs, which doesn't raise their blood levels hardly at all. that it doesn't really do anything.

Exactly. So that's the fundamental flaw of clinical trials in nutrition. that right there, is that the MDs that are running these trials are running them like they're drug trials, and they're not. You have to measure things. With that said, there have been some well-done trials.

Exactly. So that's the fundamental flaw of clinical trials in nutrition. that right there, is that the MDs that are running these trials are running them like they're drug trials, and they're not. You have to measure things. With that said, there have been some well-done trials.

Exactly. So that's the fundamental flaw of clinical trials in nutrition. that right there, is that the MDs that are running these trials are running them like they're drug trials, and they're not. You have to measure things. With that said, there have been some well-done trials.

Yeah, that is possible, not to mention the fact that smokers – I mean, if you give beta-carotene to non-smokers, it doesn't cause cancer. But smokers are doing so much oxidative damage and they're getting DNA damage that a high dose of something like beta-carotene, which can be an antioxidant, may then allow some of that. It's basically –

Yeah, that is possible, not to mention the fact that smokers – I mean, if you give beta-carotene to non-smokers, it doesn't cause cancer. But smokers are doing so much oxidative damage and they're getting DNA damage that a high dose of something like beta-carotene, which can be an antioxidant, may then allow some of that. It's basically –