Comment · Thu, September 28, 2017 · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
Important Safety Considerations
Original post in this thread
GetOutOfBox · 143 points
I've been refining my stack for a long time now, and one thing I've increasingly grown aware and have become very concerned about is the potential for some unknown, but serious consequences to taking large supplement stacks, particularly those incorporating lots of herbal or fungal supplements. So I figured I'd make a post to help guide your research in larger/long-term stacks.
A) Beware of liver enzyme effects. So many common nootropic herbs interact with hepatic enzymes, typically in an inhibitory manner (though inducing can also be harmful). Piperine is used to enhance absorption but this also means enhancing the absorption of the range of compounds the target enzyme is in charge of metabolizing. This could have consequences such as increasing the amount of time you are exposed to certain harmful byproducts of metabolism or absorbed from the environment. It also increases intestinal permeability both good and bad.
You must take particular care when you are also on medication affected by the enzymes affected by your supplement stack.
B) Beware of too much antioxidants. While oxidation plays a role in the mutation process of DNA leading to cancer, cancer cells are in f…
What they were answering
sevenfive_ · 1 points
None of these studies have anything to say about exogenous increases in growth factors -- the fact that elevated levels are found in tumors doesn't imply much at all. And the relationship isn't that clear cut anyway.
For potential treatment options, inhibition of neurotrophin signaling can be beneficial in some cases and detrimental in other cases.
Also linking to past discussions on /r/noot hardly means anything when most of the people commenting don't know any more than you or I. Bottom line is we don't have a single recorded case of noots appearing to cause cancer, nor do we have any expert opinion saying such a connection is likely, so it's basically just crankish to keep on talking about it like this.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
None of these studies have anything to say about exogenous increases in growth factors -- the fact that elevated levels are found in tumors doesn't imply much at all. And the relationship isn't that clear cut anyway.
It means that exercising caution is warranted. If we had clear cut proof that exogenous supplementation of compounds that increase NGF caused or drastically increased the spread of cancer, we would be having a much different conversation right now.
Bottom line is we don't have a single recorded case of noots appearing to cause cancer, nor do we have any expert opinion saying such a connection is likely, so it's basically just crankish to keep on talking about it like this.
Bottom line is that we have corollary evidence that NGF can play a role in the spread of certain types of cancers, and mentioning that possibility is absolutely something that benefits the community. We don't need to wait for 100% conclusive proof to express caution, nor do we have to wait for some perceived authority on the subject to tell us how to feel about it. Nobody here is saying that if you take nootropics that increase growth factors like NGF that you will for sure increase your risk of cancer. I can absolutely guarantee that if you want an appeal to authority, ask one to come here and comment on the subject, and they will relay the same caution. In fact, I bet they exercise even more caution than I am. Any expert on the cause and spread of cancers would absolutely recommend a cautious approach to taking compounds that increase growth factors. Again, I still use many compounds that increase growth factors, and will continue to do so till there is evidence that the risks are too high. However, everyone should be aware of the possible risks, based on the corollary studies we currently have on the matter.