Supplement Safety, Quality & Effectiveness with Fullscript Ep 31
16 Jun 2022 · 33 min
Dr. Villegas, a naturopathic doctor, explains how to choose safe supplements. Biotin can interfere with cardiac troponin labs, metformin depletes B12, and most people don't need as much as they take. Work with a practitioner and buy from third-party tested brands like NSF Certified for Sport.
Chapters
Welcome to the Find Your Edge podcast. I'm your host, Chris Newport, founder, head coach, sports nutritionist, and exercise physiologist at The Endurance Edge. Our mission is to empower people to reach and sustain peak performance and health. So get ready to dive into all things training, nutrition, recovery, and more. We hope to give you detailed information and inspiring stories to help you be your best. Let's do it. All right. Welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am your host, Christina Fiumara Newport, and I am here with Dr. Villegas from Fullscript. So welcome to the show.
Hi, Chris. Thanks for having me.
Awesome. So first of all, I want to, uh, talk all about supplements today and get everybody introduced to you. So if you would please, Dr. Villegas, introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about your background and your experience in the supplement industry. Sure.
So I'm a naturopathic doctor in Ottawa, Canada. I've worked in the natural health products industry in Canada for over a decade. So I've worked with supplement brands, dispensaries, key opinion leaders, and I've also worked in private practice seeing patients. I, you know, I've spent a great deal of time educating practitioners on products and ingredients in the marketplace and the quality assurances they should take into consideration to ensure safety and treatment outcomes.
Awesome. Fantastic. Um, and next thing, let's just like, let's literally just both feet dive in. So I get, um, we use supplements quite extensively in our practice. Um, obviously whole foods are fantastic, but there's other pieces and parts that go into, um, health and wellness. And I've been seeing more and more people who we might make a recommendation for a particular set of supplements And they're going, oh, it's cheaper on Amazon, or it's, you know, maybe I can find that somewhere else on the internet. Um, speak to that a little bit about, and, and, and if you will talk a little bit about like quality and safety. And, um, I know this is a huge question, like where to purchase your supplements and all that kind of stuff. So, um, but get the ball rolling for us. Tell us a little bit about that.
Uh, sure. So yeah, that is a bit of a loaded question. There's a lot to unpack there. Um, I think when people are approaching supplements and thinking about supplement quality, they should probably just take a step back and think about the journey of your supplement from seed to bottle. So think about sourcing, farming, harvesting, manufacturing, storage, distribution, any testing that's conducted on the raw materials and the finished product. And of course, evidence for use in the specific condition that it's being utilized for. It's important for people to know that dietary supplements are not as strictly regulated as pharmaceutical medications. So dietary supplements are actually regulated under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, or the DSHEA. And in that statute, it defines and regulates dietary supplements. So it's important for people to know that, again, not all dietary supplements are created equally. There are many supplements that lack transparency regarding their purity, their quality, their safety. And if production and distribution of a product doesn't adhere to strict manufacturing standards, you know, the product couldn't contain expired ingredients, right? Which probably won't do anything, could have inaccurate label claims, and could also risk cross-contamination with other ingredients. And I know, you know, we've seen countless news articles around this, you know, supplements contaminated with, with various medications, with heavy metals. You know, I've seen an article that came out on pediatric products actually being laced with heavy metals. So it's important, you know, where you're getting these supplements from. And, you know, when you think of a high-quality supplement, I think a lot of people think of professional line supplements. It's important to recognize, though, that professional line is sort of a marketing term. It doesn't guarantee that it will be high quality, but there's a high likelihood it will be a high-quality supplement. And high-quality supplements, uh, viewed from the lens of a practitioner generally means safety and good treatment outcomes. So safety in that, you know what you're getting, right? So the identity testing has been done. What's listed on the label is actually in the product as well as allergens, right? You want to make sure that you're not consuming any dietary supplements that contain things you're allergic to, or even maybe excipients or non-medicinal ingredients that you're intolerant to. And of course, contaminants. So that could be microbiological contaminants, that could be heavy metals. The list can go on and on there. In terms of outcomes, you want to think about, again, evidence for use. You want to think about potency, right? So, you know, does that company conduct regular potency testing to prove, you know, what's listed on the label is correct? And for your listeners, that often translates to performance and results in their competitions.
Yeah, I've definitely had some people who, um, they get on a particular set of supplements or one supplement even, and they just note feeling so much better, right? So I mean, this is— this can be very meaningful, and then the opposite can be true too. Um, so this is a lot to think about, especially for the average person. So A lot of people, I feel like, get their news about supplements from, uh, social media or, um, multi-level marketing companies, their neighbor, what their training partner is using. How can we effectively disseminate the information out there as to what's best for us? What, what are your suggestions?
It's a great question. I think it's always important to consult with a licensed healthcare provider whenever you're thinking about starting a new supplement. You know, that healthcare provider can do a relevant workup for you. They can, you know, interview you, look at your medical history, conduct physical exams, and, you know, very importantly, conduct lab tests to see, you know, what nutrients you're deficient in. It'll not only address the most important issues affecting your health, it'll also ensure that you're being prescribed a supplement that's appropriate for you. I can't tell you how many patients have come into my office with a big bag full of supplements, really proud of all the things they're taking. And exactly what you mentioned, they, they heard about it on the news or on social media. A friend or family member is taking the supplement. So they started, or maybe even a coworker, you know, there, there could be implications there. So you want, really want to make sure that that product is high quality, safe, and personalized for you. You know, a good example to think about here is biotin. I think a lot of people pick up biotin because again, they hear through news articles or social media that it's a helpful nutrient for skin, hair, and nails, which it is. But, you know, for me, if I see someone who's just taking biotin for that, it's kind of like your check engine light comes on on your dash and you just replace your tires, right? It doesn't take the full picture into account. And more importantly, from a safety aspect, high doses of biotin can interfere with lab testing. So one lab test it can definitely interfere with is cardiac troponin. Which is an important test done to determine if you're having a heart attack. So biotin has been shown to actually lead to a misdiagnosis by lowering troponin levels. It can also potentially interact with thyroid labs as well. So just something to be aware of there.
Are there any other potential examples that you can think of? And the one that's coming to my mind is I always try to remind patients to not take any supplements for a couple of days before they get lab tests, because there may be some elevated lab numbers or, um, uh, things that might just generally be thrown off. So any examples that you can think of or, um, any other thoughts on lab testing and supplement use?
Uh, not, not any more in terms of lab testing, but I, you know, I can jump to even medications. So thinking about interactions with medications, you know, metformin is a good example for people who are, you know, trying to control their blood sugar. Metformin can lead to depletions of vitamin B12, which again, you would need to, you know, conduct a relevant lab test to see if that's happening. But also it can have an interactive effect with certain botanicals like berberine, which is something that, you know, can have an antimicrobial and blood sugar effect. It might even have an additive effect with metformin bringing blood sugar down too low, resulting resulting in people feeling unwell. So, you know, just to take all the guesswork out of it, see a licensed healthcare professional, let them know everything that you're taking so they have a clear picture on what's going on.
It sounds to me like we should be taking supplements as seriously as we take prescribed medications.
Yeah, exactly. I would say so. Yeah. And, you know, I think people also think that Maybe, um, some healthcare providers want them to be on supplements for forever, and that's not the case, right? Um, you know, supplements should be there to supplement a good diet. Um, and you know, once things have improved in terms of someone's health, then you can sort of reassess and consider taking that off the table.
And I think that's a good place to insert, you know, goals that, you know, it may depend on what somebody's goals are. Maybe they're training for a marathon and then they get done with that and they want to Do something totally different.
Um, exactly.
Yeah. All right. So, um, a couple of scenarios that I would love to present to you. What would you say to the person who is a total supplement naysayer? Like, I can get everything from my diet, or in the similar light, they, they're just too overwhelmed, like sourcing, harvesting, testing, uh, you know, like, oh my gosh, I'm just overwhelmed. I'm just not gonna take anything. Other than going to visit your licensed healthcare provider, right? Which hopefully we're gonna beat that with a dead horse. Um, what would be some of your suggestions for them?
So, uh, for someone who's very skeptical, um, of the supplement industry that maybe doesn't wanna take supplements, um, I would say, you know, think about your nutritional status cuz it's not just diet that dictates your nutritional status. Um, you know, certainly you could think about the standard American diet, high in refined carbohydrates, low in protein, low in fiber, low in nutrients, um, that certainly would lead to poor nutritional outcomes. But even if you're on a special diet, like you're on a keto diet, right? You're on a vegan vegetarian diet, um, you know, without, uh, you know, the proper supplementation there, you can potentially run into some issues. Um, another thing to think about is the decline in nutrient levels, uh, in the foods that we eat because of modern agriculture. So magnesium is a good example here. That's a nutrient that's necessary for a ton of biochemical pathways in the body. Including the metabolism of vitamin D. So you can be out there getting a lot of sunshine thinking that your vitamin D is great. Maybe you haven't had your vitamin D levels measured, which I would encourage you to do so. But without enough magnesium, you're not metabolizing the vitamin D optimally. You know, sometimes depending on, you know, your, your sort of stage in life, like if you're in adolescence, pregnancy, lactation, if you're looking to improve athletic performance, all of those things will dictate increased nutrient requirements above the dietary intake. And if, you know, on the other side of things, if, if you're dealing with a critical illness, um, everybody's aging. So if you're dealing with aging, you have increased metabolic nutrient loss. So you got to take that into consideration as well as impaired digestion and nutrient absorption. You know how many people are walking around with indigestion or IBS or SIBO? All of those things can lead to poor nutritional outcomes. I did touch on it briefly before, but also medication-induced nutrient depletions are something to be mindful of as well. Um, and the nutrient deficiency that you're not aware of that would be seen in a lab test, right? Cause you could feel great, but if you get your lab tests done and you know, you probably need some supplementation, who knows how much better you could potentially feel. Um, one more thing to add there is that, um, nutrient intake above the recommended dietary allowance may actually reduce the risk of chronic diseases. So, for example, supplemental calcium intake is inversely associated with colorectal cancer. Supplemental magnesium intake is associated with reduced blood pressure in individuals with chronic conditions. And supplemental vitamin D intake is associated with reduced risk of osteoporosis and fracture.
Okay, Dr. Villegas, so you said I need to take my calcium, I need to take my magnesium. So I'm just— why do I have to order it from a healthcare provider? Why don't I just go to the grocery store? Grab someone off, off the shelf. So, um, different types, um, of perhaps, I mean, at the grocery store you're not going to find a lot of things that are chelated, but maybe touch on that a little bit.
Sure. Yeah. Uh, so you're saying sort of like ingredient form, right? Ingredient form does matter.
So especially magnesium was one that I was thinking of calcium, calcium. Well, I'm just going to take a Tums. How about that? Or how about I just take a Tums all day long?
Right. Yeah. I mean, magnesium is a great example there. Uh, you can get magnesium oxide, you can get magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium threonate, the list goes on and on. Generally magnesium oxide is poorly absorbed. Generally there, when someone takes too high of a dose of magnesium oxide, it acts as an osmotic laxative. So they'll have diarrhea, they'll be running to the toilet. That's why often when I, when someone first starts magnesium, I tell them wait till the weekend or when you're home or close to the toilet just in case. And so citrate is a little bit better than that. Glycinate though, I would say is better than both of those forms in terms of the effect on gastrointestinal health. You know, you'll, you'll probably see less of that reaction because it's chelated with an amino acid to help with that absorption.
Very cool. My new favorite is definitely magnesium 3 and 8, especially my, for some of my higher, maybe higher anxiety or depressed patients or mood disorders, things like that.
Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, the research around that is pretty promising. Yeah.
That's exciting. Very cool. Okay. So we have the naysayers and some of the medication depletions, various nutrients. I would say from a trend perspective right now, I'm seeing a lot of people who are not only, um, long distance athletes, but really, you know, plant-based is the thing, although hopefully we're all eating plant-based, but to me in my mind, that truly more means like vegetarian, vegan. Um, you know, what's going on with their B12, especially with their increased performance needs. So hopefully we can get them going with something, but what about the people who are taking everything under the sun? Like the list goes on and then I get on a call with them and they're like, oh yeah, I forgot this other thing. Let me go run to the kitchen and get it. Um, cause we do a lot of virtual counseling. So what would you say to the person who's taking all the things?
Well, my first question would be, how do you know what's working? If you're taking so many things, right? How do you know what's helping? How do you know what's hindering? Are you getting the most for your money, right? Is that supplement personalized to your needs? Are they interacting with your medications if you're taking medications? Unless the under the sun reference is a hyperbole for a treatment plan from an integrative clinician, I would say please stop. Certain nutrients can build up to toxic levels. A good example here is fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. And you might even be experiencing adverse effects from your supplements that maybe you've mistaken for a disease process. So for example, high doses of vitamin B6 might lead to peripheral neuropathy. So you want to be very careful here, what you're taking, how much you're taking it, how long you're taking it for. I'm going to go on and on about this, but go see your doctor, right? Let them know exactly what you're taking because chances are they have a good insight into how you're feeling, why you're feeling that way. And you know what products you probably need to stop taking. And again, I, again, I just wanted to say, you know, supplements aren't meant to be taken indefinitely.
Yeah.
You know?
Yep.
Yeah.
Yeah. And life stage varies and like we talked about goals change. Um, so yeah, great point there. Um, so touching on labs a little bit more because as dietitians, we can't order labs. They can, we can help them purchase them themselves, but seeing that we work um, in conjunction with a lot of physicians and that kind of thing. Um, and let's say somebody's brand new to this whole supplement thing and they're like, ah, you know, I really want to get healthy, where do I start? What would be— if somebody came to your office and they want to perform great, perhaps they're not on any medications, they just want to be generally awesome, um, would there be any particular labs that you would suggest or other things that you might be looking at from a physician's perspective?
For sure. Well, because I'm in Canada, vitamin D is top of mind for me. We don't get as much sunlight as you do down there in North Carolina. Complete blood count, also a very important test. All doctors can run that test. It can give them insights on various blood cell types. If you're maybe deficient in B12 and folate, running something like looking at your total iron binding capacity, iron saturation, that's also important for energy levels, especially if you're a vegan or vegetarian. Yeah, that's, that's generally where I would start. You know, you could go on to do more things like red blood cell magnesium. You can look at serum zinc levels. If someone's coming in and they're having a lot of digestive issues, then you can run functional digestive panels to take a look at what might be going on. So the list is probably endless. With lab tests. Um, but yeah, that, that's generally where I start.
So it sounds to me like have a good relationship with your practitioner.
Exactly. Yes. Awesome.
Very cool. Um, cause nutritionally we can look at those things, a lot of those things that you've mentioned. So vitamin D, CBC, um, iron, talk a little bit about iron cause you've touched on it before in terms of toxicity, but not in specific not specifically to iron. So tell us a little bit about like, again, once you grab at the grocery store, those types of iron and maybe other types that might be best and like how often to take it. And obviously this is not specifically addressed to anyone. These are, you know, um, general things that we're speaking of and not specific to the person, but, um, yeah, I'd love to get your take on that.
Sure. Yeah. I mean, it's always important to be aware of your iron status. That's another nutrient that can build up to toxic levels in your liver. So you do want to be very careful there. Generally, you know, if you're a male, you probably don't need to be taking supplemental iron. You know, that's my own opinion, though, that might be different depending on who's in front of you at your office. But in terms of iron forms, Yeah, they range quite a bit. Um, there are some forms of iron that are very constipating, which isn't great if you're, if you're an athlete and you want to perform and, you know, you can't go to the toilet before a big race or something. Um, iron, iron bisglycinate is another one to think about there that would be, you know, gentle on your stomach, a little bit better in terms of absorption. Um, but yeah, you know, again, going to see your, your physician will, will kind of, um, clarify to you what supplement you need to be on and what form of that supplement.
Very cool. And timing too. Maybe speak to that. Like, I'm just going to take all my supplements first thing in the morning and now my stomach hurts. What's up with that? Right. Yeah.
I mean, zinc is a good example. That's one that you never want to take on an empty stomach. The capsule can stick to the lining of your stomach, cause a lot of nausea. Generally, you want to take most of your supplements with food. You know, there are some fat-soluble nutrients that you want to make sure you're consuming with a fat-containing meal. There are supplements as well that are intended for sleep that you don't want to be taking earlier in the day, like melatonin, right? And then feeling drowsy for the rest of the day. You know, generally you want to be careful about certain combinations of supplements like calcium with iron. They can compete with each other. Zinc and copper compete with each other. A lot of the more contemporary formulations account for that. And so they have the nutrients in various ratios to kind of get around the transporters that are used for each nutrient. But again, something to be aware of there.
Cool. All right. So, and one more I'm going to throw at you, which is a common one. Of course, I think we've already mentioned B12, right? And its tendency to be a little lower perhaps in a plant-based or a vegan's diet. And we definitely need it from a performance perspective. But again, the stuff that you pick up at the grocery store, um, more of the cyanocobalamins, maybe talk about a little bit of those different types and, um, and similarly, um, performance implications perhaps, and even some other, um, just general health things that may require a little bit more whether it be B12 or perhaps even another, like folate, for example.
So, yeah. So, so for the B12 example, there's cyanocobalamin, which is what you mentioned, methylcobalamin, hydroxycobalamin, and adenosylcobalamin. So cyanocobalamin, as you mentioned, not very neuroprotective, not, not really going to do much in terms of methylation compared to methylcobalamin. Hydroxycobalamin and methylcobalamin, I view as somewhat equivalent. I don't think that they're that drastically different. I know that they can sometimes be drastically different in price. So if a patient is looking to stick to a budget, methylcobalamin all day, I'll go with that. And sorry, what was the other example? So you mentioned B12. Oh, folate. So sometimes if there are methylation issues, which you can look at through— before the podcast, we were chatting about genetic testing. That's something that you can look at to know what form of folate is appropriate for that person. So 5-MTHF BHF is generally the folate I go with. I know that one is neuroprotective, biologically active, and quite affordable for most people.
Very cool. Yeah. What have you— what are, what are some of the bills you've seen with somebody, like how much they can spend per, I don't know, per month or per day on, on supplements?
It honestly ranges. There are some people that are comfortable with hundreds of dollars in a visit on supplements, and there are some people who, you know, cut it off at maybe $50 or $20. So, um, you know, it— I would say work with that person. Um, you know, if, if you can work specifically on their diet, do that first. Always diet first, supplement second. Um, so once you clean up their diet, give, give them some time with that. If you want to revisit supplements later, you can go ahead and do that. Uh, but it kind of is all over the place for me. I don't know if it's the same on your end.
Yeah. Um, I, I find a lot of it depends Compliance as well. Like I can't swallow a large pill or, okay, well now we're gonna have to do the liquid version of that. That might be a little bit more expensive. And, um, but yeah, I, I try to be cognizant of that, what their compliance level is gonna be, what their budget might be and, uh, and go from there. So yeah, great tips there. Cool. Um, let's finish with talking a little bit more about Fullscript.
Sure.
And, and, uh, full disclosure, I contacted Fullscript and you— there were, uh, there were a few other companies that I contacted about doing this podcast and they actually declined.
Oh.
So they didn't want to talk about some, you know, various proprietary things or whatever. And, you know, so I very much appreciate that you come on, but full disclosure, we do use Fullscript as an affiliate, um, dispensary. That's where we— it's such an easy way to go through, pick the product, send it to the record, send it to the patient, and they can see it directly in their phone, on their computer. They purchase it, it's delivered right to their door, and I feel comfortable knowing, um, that it ships safely, it's housed safely, um, it is what the product actually is. Um, and we, and we haven't even touched on, you know, some, uh, what, what might happen in Amazon warehouses and that kind of thing. So Talk a little bit about maybe the, the other places to get supplements and a little bit more about Fullscript and why that really matters.
Yeah, sure. So I mean, there are third-party distributors out there with quality programs. I would argue that they're kind of bare-bones quality programs. They're not really robust. So at Fullscript, there are, you know, a lot of strict quality, purity, label accuracy, and safety standards that are set. So when we bring on new brands, we actually have them fill out a very detailed, long questionnaire looking at things like label claims, good manufacturing practices, FDA inspections, label and facility testing, raw ingredient information, recall procedures, testing for adulterants and contaminants. So it's very thorough. And something else to mention about the distribution centers, so where, you know, these these supplements are housed, they're actually NSF certified. So it's actually a step above good manufacturing processes. They have a lot of strict safety codes in terms of how things are stored, hygiene practices, and so on. And I think before we started the call, we also kind of briefly mentioned NSF. So for those that aren't aware, NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation, and they work to develop public health standards and certification programs that help protect food, water, consumer products, and the environment. So again, the distribution centers at Fullscript and Emerson are NSF certified, so that ensures that they have strict operating procedures. And, you know, this just provides an extra assurance to everyone that's purchasing, you know, supplements that there is that independent third party that's going in and partially reviewing things, making sure that we're following standards and guidelines, confirming that product labeling claims are accurate. And verified, um, as well as, you know, demonstrating an organization's commitment to quality. So beyond that, there are also NSF Certified for Sport brands that we carry. So two of the brands that we carry are Thorne and Clean Athlete. So, you know, NSF Certified for Sport actually just certifies that the dietary supplements are free from banned substances. So for any of the listeners there that are regularly, regularly tested by USADA, uh, very important that you're taking a supplement that is NSF Certified for Sport. It actually tests for over 280 substances that are banned by major athletic organizations like steroids, uh, SARMS, stimulants, diuretics, growth hormone releasing agents. And again, verifies that what's on the label is actually in the product.
I'm not really sure if anybody who wants those things in their product that you just mentioned, like, I'll take those please. Thank you.
So, and sorry, just to continue, I don't mean to cut you off.
No, please.
You know, people are probably also aware that we recently acquired Emerson Ecologics, and Emerson themselves have a very robust Emerson Quality Program. And for anyone that's been on the catalog through Emerson, you can actually see the badging directly in the catalog, Silver Partner or Gold Partner. We're looking to actually integrate everything into one catalog. With respect to the quality program so that you have that ease of access to see, okay, we're holding products to a very high standard here. This is a gold product. I can feel comfortable recommending this to my patient. I know it'll be safe, it'll have effective treatment outcomes, and it will decrease my any potential liability or concerns I have around prescribing supplements. So, you know, moving forward, we're looking to kind of expand this program and make it more practical for practitioners. So we're looking at origin and sustainability stories So, you know, what brands and products that are out there that are really committing to environmental stewardship. We're also looking at third-party testing. So beyond NSF, there are so many more organizations worldwide that do this kind of third-party certification testing, and it can be pretty overwhelming. I mean, you know, you listed all the things I mentioned from seed to shelf, and that's overwhelming as it is. So, you know, I encourage people, you know, go out, read about these third-party certifications that you see on your supplements, find out if they align with your values and goals, and that way, you know, you can communicate communicate that to your provider, and you can rest assured that, you know, that product is what, what you're looking for. Beyond that, we're also looking to publish studies, so peer-reviewed studies on things like pesticide residues in greens products, heavy metals in pediatric and prenatal products, and so on.
Yes, I think that's some great points to pick up for sure. And that's, that's something that I love using on, on, because I, I use both Fullscript and Emerson. The fact that you guys are all that have merged, which is fantastic, but, uh, it makes my job so much easier because the amount of effort that we put in as practitioners trying to find the right supplements, like I had mentioned, for compliance, for cost, for evidence-based effectiveness, um, all those pieces, it's a lot to put together. So using some of those filters are great, or looking for particular products that have a certain amount of, you know, various nutrients. It's just because there's a lot. I mean, this is a billion-dollar industry, right? There's a lot out there, and it's overwhelming. And even sometimes I get like the shiny, the shiny, uh, you know, shiny, attracted to shiny objects. Yeah, I'm like, oh, that, that new supplement supplement, brain power. Oh, okay. I need— it's like, stop, look at what's in it. And then it's like, oh, okay, I shouldn't be distracted by that.
And that's a, that's a really smart approach, right? Don't get it— don't get distracted by flashy marketing campaigns, right? Know what's in the supplement, know what's behind the company, ask them what they do in terms of testing. Um, you know, there are even companies out there that are upfront about their certificates of analysis, and you can just type in the lot number of the product you have and you can have that full report from Um, to add to that transparency.
Very cool. All right, Dr. Viegas, I always like to tie up the episode by summarizing your top 3 tips for our listeners as to, you know, helping them, because our mission is to really empower people to reach and sustain peak performance and health. So what would be, what would be your top 3 takeaways for our listeners?
Okay. So my first takeaway, and I've, I've mentioned this many times during the conversation. So book a consultation with a licensed healthcare provider. That'll take the guesswork out of your supplementation and diet. The second is work with third-party distributors like Fullscript, like Emerson Ecologics, who have robust quality programs to thoroughly vet the products they sell. And avoid third-party distributors that are not upfront with their quality programs. And the third and final point would be what I mentioned just briefly earlier. Learn about the third-party certification organ— organizations out there. There are a lot of them. Um, you'll probably find an organization that aligns with your values and goals, and that will make it easier to communicate your needs to your practitioner.
Love it. Dr. Viegas, thank you so much for being a guest on the Find Your Edge podcast. I really appreciate it.
Thank you, Chris. The feeling is mutual.
Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at The Endurance Edge. Thanks again. And we'll catch you next time.
More from Chris


Carb Loading for Female Endurance Athletes: What New Ironman Research Reveals Ep 163


What Are We Training For? Performance, Longevity & Finding Joy in the Process Ep 162


When You Can't Race the Same Way, Find Another Way: Kris Bonot's Triathlon Story Ep 160


Le Tour de Femme: Women, Cycling, Community & Supporting Women With Cancer Ep 158


How Roadless Races Creates Trail Events Built Around Adventure & Community Ep 157