In general, plant polyphenols / phytochemicals (especially in high concentrations) can be problematic, because they don’t have a role to play in normal human biology (i.e. they don’t get incorporated into our cells/tissues) although they do effect certain pathways. They are foreign molecules to us. However, in my view, the right ones at the right doses (and sometimes, in whole food matrix) can be beneficial in 3 contexts:
- as a hormetic/beneficial stressor on the body, for elevating glutathione or other mediators, or
- for feeding the microbiome, or
- for a specific medicinal or therapeutic use case
Have I missed anything?
From a hormetic standpoint, rather than molecular hormesis (i.e. using a whole bunch of plant compounts like Ashwagandha, Curcumin, EGCG & an endless list). I’d rather use more of environmental hormesis (i.e. exercise, cold exposure, heat from sauna, breath work, sun UV exposure at the right time of the day, and fasting), which are natural ways to stress the body that have evolutionarily driven primates/humans to become resilient through the ages.
From a nutritional standpoint, my personal view is that animal source derived supplements (of course, right brand / quality / dose) are far safer, and bioavailable for humans. E.g. fish oil, dessicated organs, dessicated fish roe, oyster extract, whey protein, probiotics, bone broth powder, etc. Our biology will readily consume, utilize and incorporate these compounds, as they are compatable to us (generally speaking, not accounting for allergies for some, and not factoring personal dietary choices).
Btw, my supplement coaktail does include quite a few plant-derived molecules. There may be some benefits to these, however, I think that plant extracts warrant a greater level of caution, when it comes to toxicity, especially for those with genetic susceptibilities (e.g. sub-optimal MTHFR, CYP family of genes, etc), and also considering potential cross-reactivity between compounds (which are very hard to determine & can be highly bio-individual).
When it comes to plant compounds, rather then concentrated extracts, I suggest you consume them as part of your whole foods, as far as possible. E.g. coffee (rather than caffeine extract), tea (rather than EGCG extract), curry powder (rather than circummin extract), etc.
To keep this discussion more relevant, I’m ignoring pharmaceuticals (most of which are plant-derived).
Any thoughts?
