Dr. Mahtab Jafari is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the School of Biological Sciences, and Director of the UCI Center for Healthspan Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of The Truth About Dietary Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide to a Safe Medicine Cabinet.
In this episode, we focus on The Truth About Dietary Supplements. We start by talking about Dr. Jafari’s academic background. We then get into dietary supplements: what they are; who makes and sells them; if they are regulated and tested; and the reporting of adverse side effects. We talk about botanicals used in traditional societies. We discuss issues with the ingredients of supplements, and potential interactions with medication. We talk about how we can know that a supplement is trustworthy. We go through several communication issues regarding social media, celebrity influencers, and anecdotes. Finally, we talk about how to know if one has some deficiency, what to ask healthcare providers about supplements, and how to monitor the effects of dietary supplements.
Find the full episode here.