Guys, as we age into our 40s and beyond, it’s imperative that we really take care of ourselves for our mental, spiritual, and physical states. Eating a healthy diet of vegetables and meat is one of the best things we can do along with exercise to not only make us healthy, but also to keep us healthy. These create the basis for healthy aging and even age change while waiting for the current state of health. Beyond that, there are thousands of supplements you can add to this diet. However, knowing what to take is key to getting the best value and not wasting money on things that don’t work, may cause health issues, or are just a waste of money. . While I could go on and on about supplements and what is good or bad, here are the 5 worst for men after 40.—Dr. Jerry Bailey BAA, DC, CAc, FIAMA, MS in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, is a Board Certified Nutritionist, Acupuncturist, Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Physician at Lakeside Holistic Health with over two decades in his field. Bailey is also a leading expert in male medicine and leads the world in the emerging science of poly-hormonal adrenal testosterone syndrome.

These supplements are often loaded with heart and blood pressure boosters that can wreak major havoc on your cardiovascular system and kidneys. These are often stimulants that can increase your risk factors for stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, and increased impotence and erectile dysfunction. In our younger age groups, we could tolerate these forms of stimulants a little more safely. But as we have aged, they are not so much on the good side anymore. If you want to adjust the mid-waist bulge, eat better and exercise harder for shorter durations.

Ditch those caffeine- and sugar-laden drinks. These quickly prepare you for cardiac, cerebral and vascular incidents. Even the sugar-free ones contain a dose of caffeine. The artificial sweeteners in the sugar-free ones your body can’t tell the difference between real carb-based sugar or the fake calorie-free chemical sweetener. It unloads insulin in response and your glucose levels will drop accordingly. Avoid them at all costs. Good old-fashioned coffee, green tea, or other caffeinated teas are fine and will boost your energy much better without the harsh stimulants.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

My third worst isn’t really bad, but needs to be taken with an estrogen blocker or you could end up with higher estrogen and the negative effects of that increase. Most over-the-counter (OTC) testosterone boosters, unless they are a herbal blend or part of the SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator) family, can increase your testosterone levels, which is what we want as we age, BUT they can also increase your estrogen levels. Increased estrogen levels increase breast tissue, brain inflammation, whole body swelling, erectile dysfunction and affect our mood as a man. So if you’re going to take a T-booster of any type, be sure to add an estrogen blocker of some kind, like chrysin, wild nettles, Maca, and/or DIM (diindolylmethane) which comes from of cruciferous vegetables. It would also be wise, if you are not sensitive to it, to increase cruciferous vegetables to aid in the clearance and detoxification of increased estrogen.

Although there is some controversy with this statement, some would say there is no evidence that soy or other phytoestrogens have a negative effect on men, as a general rule with my male clients, NO SOY ! I have seen it clinically increase estrogen levels and decrease testosterone levels in soy sensitive men. Although small amounts of tofu, edamame, or other soy foods may sometimes be fine, I suggest my clients avoid it if they have low testosterone and/or high levels of estrogens. When in doubt, cut it!

This might come as a shock to many, but calcium supplements are my fifth bad supplement for men over 40. If you eat a poor diet and don’t exercise, and add calcium, you put yourself at increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiac event. . Increased calcium levels along with chronic inflammation due to poor diet increase calcium deposition leading to stiff and hardened arteries. A state you don’t want as we age. As noted, this greatly increases the risk of heart attack and/or stroke. The key is to get your calcium from vegetables in the diet, thereby decreasing overall inflammation and reducing the risk of a pro-inflammatory diet, i.e. the standard American diet.

Those above are truly the best. All others would be based on your unique biochemistry and health goals. It’s best to get as much as you can from food and then use supplements to supplement what you don’t get from food or need based on testing.

Supplements are one of those expenses that can cost you very much or not much at all. I often get customers bringing in grocery bags containing bottles of supplements from every advertisement they read or watch. More than 90% of them can be stopped if they simply correct their diet. Spend money on food first, then supplements.

It really is best to know what you need to take to be safe and effective. Find a functional medicine practitioner who performs metabolic tests such as organic acid tests, Dutch tests, or micronutrient tests to be sure that you are not only taking what you need, but also what you need to optimize your health and longevity.

Dr. Jerry Bailey