Supplements - Are They Helpful?
Supplements cannot take the place of a healthy diet, but they can be recommended for a variety of reasons.
Multivitamin/multi-mineral
A good daily multivitamin/multi-mineral supplement can work as insurance against gaps in the diet – for example, to cover those days when you are on the road and simply can’t get the fruits and vegetables you need.
Antioxidants and phytonutrients
The more regularly we supply our bodies with antioxidants and phytonutrients, the better our nutritional requirements will be met on a daily basis, and the better our overall health will be.
Supplements can also provide natural therapeutic agents in optimal dosages that may be difficult to obtain from diet alone, and that may help prevent and address age-related diseases.
There are generally little side effect concerns with high quality supplemental vitamins and so the potential gain very often outweighs the very small amount of risk. But understanding which forms of nutrients are safe and the most bio-active is important.
Here are a few tips on selecting among the major supplement classes:
Vitamin A: Some forms of supplemental vitamin A, when taken in even moderate daily doses, can be toxic. Mixed carotenoids are recommended – these are substances that the body converts to vitamin A, avoiding toxicity potential and maximizing effectiveness.
Vitamin D: Inexpensive vitamins tend to contain vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), the kind synthesized by plants. But when humans eat plant-derived D2, it needs to be converted by the body to D3 (choleciferol), the form most readily used by the human body and which skin makes when exposed to ultraviolet light. Although vitamin D2 will contribute to adequate daily intakes, for most people D3 is recommended, as this form has been shown to have greater biological activity in human tissue.
Vitamin E: In nature, this vitamin is found as a combination of eight different active compounds – four tocopherols, and four tocotrienols. Many manufacturers use inexpensive, synthetic versions of one or only a few of those eight forms. My recommendation is to use a complete, naturally derived tocopherol/tocotrienol complex that more closely mirrors the natural vitamin E found in foods.
Calcium: Manufacturers make calcium supplements in many forms, including calcium carbonate (the main constituent of chalk, and the most common supplement type), calcium lactate and calcium aspartate. Calcium citrate is generally preferred because it is more easily absorbed, especially by older people who may have less stomach acid. Although more expensive, calcium citrate is more than twice as bioavailable as calcium carbonate.
Fish Oils: Oils derived from the fat of cold-water fish are an excellent source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. Unless carefully sourced, however, these otherwise natural compounds can be contaminated with toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Seek out products derived from fresh catches and waterways with minimal pollution, and recommends those that have received the highest rating for purity.