NATURAL REMEDIES

Can health-boosting supplements help you to cope with life on the road? Sally Brown ZLSLJ[Z [OL WYVK\J[Z [OH[ JV\SK THRL H KPɈLYLUJL

T ravelling across time zones may broaden the mind but it takes its toll on the body, affecting everything from your circulation and digestion to immune system and memory, according to 2015 research by the University of Surrey, UK. But is there anything you can do to reduce your chances of getting ill?

If you visit your local pharmacy or health food store, you would think so. The shelves of supposedly health-boosting supplements seem to grow weekly. Some, such as extract of reishi mushroom, already have a cult following in the US. Others, like turmeric, are even creeping into our lattes. But given that some of these supplements aren’t cheap – will a health-boosting pill really make a difference to our health?

“There is evidence that taking a natural supplement can reduce your chances of getting ill,”says Karen Alexander, nutritional therapist and technical advisor to Wild Nutrition, a UK-based supplement supplier.“In an ideal world, we would get everything we need from a balanced diet. But frequent travel often means erratic eating patterns, as well as disrupted sleep, dehydration and reduced circulation, all of which lower the immune system, so the body is less efficient at fighting off viruses and bacteria. For all those reasons, frequent travellers should consider supplementing to support their health.”

Still, if health-boosting supplements work, it begs the question, why aren’t GPs handing them out like Smarties? The answer is evidence.“There are pills that have been shown to have an effect on cells in laboratory tests, which suggests that they may be useful, but there’s a very big step between that and being effective in a patient,”says Anton van der Merwe, professor of molecular immunology at the University of Oxford. “To prove that, you need a large, double-blind, placebocontrolled clinical trial, which is the gold standard in medicine. Unlike pharmaceutical medicines, these products don’t need to provide this evidence. Just because a supplement is sold on the high street, it doesn’t mean there’s any proof that it’s safe, or that it works.”

It’s a case of “buyer beware”, says Jayney Goddard, president of the Complementary Medical Association.“Some products on our health food store and pharmacy shelves are just not worth buying,”she says.“Someone with a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle doesn’t need supplements, but frequent travel can deplete the body so you may need extra support. Do your research, and then treat it as an experiment and see if it makes a difference.”

As we know you’re busy, we’ve done the hard work for you. Here are supplements with enough convincing evidence to suggest they could make a difference, and help to defend your health against the challenges of frequent travel.