Do you still suggest ZMA?

Nutrition Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello Jordan,

I see an article you wrote back in 2012 where you suggest taking ZMA before sleeping could be beneficial, as well as valerian root, melatonin, etc.

Is this something you still stand by?

Thanks - great articles and supplements.

Willy

2

Nope. I have changed my position on ZMA. Hopefully I’ve edited that article too…

3

Thanks for clarifying. Are the benefits of ZMA 100% mental, or is there a little benefit not significant enough to take it?

Also, do you think that all the scientific research on examine.com is bogus? The site claims it takes into account thousands of research articles – and that many other supplements you don’t recommend have benefits.

Just a suggestion - It would be cool to see how you and Austin look at research, criticize it, and determine what research to include as footnotes in your articles.

Thanks for the reply

4

I don’t think there are any benefits to ZMA that are reliable enough to be called "benefits’.

I think that examine.com is a decent research and while I may not always agree with the authors’ summary on a particular topic, I still think it is a good resource. That said, I do not think there is strong evidence for other supplements from a performance standpoint than what I am currently recommending.

As far as the process of determining what makes a good and bad piece of literature, that’s somewhat complicated. Ideally it’s published in a reputable journal, the methodology is clear (and correct for the outcomes measured), and the sample subjects being analyzed are both robust and generalizable to the population we deal with. That’d be a good start.

5

Thanks for the response I really appreciate it.

Aside from Dr. Sullivan’s literature reviews do you have any suggestions about a book or article someone should read to learn how to determine if information or research is legitimate?

6

I don’t think there’s a resource that I’m aware of that fits this description just yet, unfortunately.