Nutrition Supplements

The good, the bad and the useless

Possibly the most important thing to remember about supplements is that nothing is as beneficial as eating good quality food. Man has been able to obtain all the vitamins, minerals, oils, carbohydrates, fibre and even sugar, from the food that has been available. The only reason to consider taking supplements is when the body is unable to take in what is needed. Of course, the body may have problems in absorbing some vitamins and minerals, so then there is a good case.

Supplements are not an alternative to good food

There are times when vitamin and mineral imbalances arise and when they do, it is beneficial to restore the body’s natural balance. Imbalances and deficiencies arise from a number of reasons. For example, taking an antibiotic kills gut bacteria and to restore the correct balance, probiotics should be taken.

The main reason for supplements being useful is because food quality is so poor. Over the decades, food manufacturing methods have focused on finance rather than quality. An orange is grown for its colour and supermarket appeal and may have no vitamin C at all. Apart from poor food quality, toxins, stresses of life and general pollution result in deficiencies that must be addressed.

Most people accept that junk food is bad for the body; and then they eat it. It is possible that they do not know what junk food is. Foods that have been “manufactured” with lots of mechanical procedures and cooking cycles, with added colour and flavour all qualify as junk. Junk food is not neutral to the body, it is damaging. Apart from being devoid of vitamins, it is usually high in carbohydrates and sugar. Upon examination of “Fruit Drinks” in the supermarket, many can be found to have zero fruit in them.

Some supplements react with medication

and so the doctor should be informed at each visit

Another interesting fact is that taking supplements initiate a placebo effect on the body. When someone takes something, the brain brings about a reaction in the body as if the supplement is having a beneficial effect.

Many people take supplements when they reach “a certain age”. The statistics certainly suggest that this is the case but people do not realise which supplements they need. As a result, they take a broad spectrum multivitamin in the hope that this will be sufficient. While this is a good idea, some minerals such as iron are dangerous if taken in too high amounts. Many people suffer with too much iron rather than too little.

There are other dangers when considering supplements:

1 Government organisations such as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence are anti supplements, and though they cannot restrict the use at present, they have been working to control the sale and use through legislation. As a result, there is a considerable amount of official looking misinformation about supplements.

2 There are many organisations selling supplements that are of little use. Amazon has admitted (August 2019) that it has (unwittingly) sold fake supplements via its third party suppliers.

3 Government guidelines for vitamin and mineral levels are misleading and well out of date. These may lead people to believe that they do not need supplements when they do.

The following is a list of common supplements:

■ Vitamin C. Also known as ascorbic acid, this is something that the body cannot make or store so is “essential” to take in daily. The UK government suggests that 80 mg a day is sufficient, but that was set by the Royal Navy (in 1747) as the minimum to offset scurvy. In reality 1,000 mg a day or even more would be beneficial. It should be taken throughout the day rather than at one time because the body cannot store it.

■ Glucosamine Sulphate and Chondroitin. This is well known to offset arthritis. It has been used by vets for animal use for a long time and has few known side effects. Glucosamine protects cartilage and chondroitin helps grow new cartilage.

■ Omega oils. These are “essential oils” because the body cannot manufacture them and so need to be ingested. The correct balance between omega 3 and 6 is 1:1 or even 1:1.5 because omega 3 is anti-inflammatory whereas omega 6 is pro-inflammatory. Instead of a supplement, take extra virgin olive oil; the Mediterranean diet is high on this oil.

■ Co-enzyme Q10. Also known as ubiquinone, is a vitamin-like substance found throughout the body, but especially in the heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas. It is found in small amounts in meats and seafood. Its role in accepting and transferring electrons in the mitochondria also makes it perfectly suited to act as an antioxidant.

■ Vitamin B12. A lack of vitamin B12 can cause neurological problems, which affect the nervous system, such as: vision problems, memory loss, pins and needles (paraesthesia). Vegetarians often have low B12 because a major source is meat. Alcoholics also suffer B12 deficiency.

■ Vitamin D. The two main ways to get vitamin D are by exposing bare skin to sunlight and by taking vitamin D supplements. People cannot get the right amount of vitamin D the body needs from food. Avoid supplements by going into the sun for between 15 and 30 minutes a day depending on the time of year.

■ Probiotics. The word means “for life” whereas antibiotics means against life. The main reason people need probiotics is after taking antibiotics in order to restore the gut bacteria.

Having the correct balance of gut flora has been underestimated for a long time. There is no need to continue with probiotics; once the gut flora have been set, they should remain so.

■ Antioxidants. These are substances that protect the cells against the effects of free radicals — molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke and radiation. Antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, and carotenoids, help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Astaxanthin is regarded as one of the most powerful antioxidants.

■ Curcumin/Turmeric. There is no official consensus on whether it is best to take curcumin or turmeric supplements. Both turmeric and curcumin can reduce joint inflammation, cholesterol, blood sugar, as well as tumours (cancers), fungal and bacterial growth.

■ Minerals. Iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium all are necessary for the body to function correctly. A blood test is the best way to test for deficiencies. It is possible to over dose on some minerals (eg iron), but important to maintain the correct balance.

■ Fibre. Another supplement that should not be necessary with the correct food. Fibre is simply food that cannot be digested and helps regulate the bowel and remove toxins from the body. Without is, there is a risk of bowel complaints and constipation. A common fibre is psyllium husk which bulks up and forms a gel in the stomach.

■ Resveratrol. This is one of the most powerful polyphenols; it stimulates autophagy and is very protective of the heart. It is contained in grapes, red wine and berries and is the reason why red wine is so healthy. Take one glass of red wine a day (only one), not white or rose.

The list of supplements is endless, including chlorella, evening primrose oil, folic acid, ginseng, milk thistle, St Johns wort and ginkgo biloba.

Many people solve the problem of supplement complexity by taking the “shotgun” option. That means taking a multivitamin tablet daily. The most common is Nutrilite which the best-selling multivit worldwide. According to PUBMED, the most common supplements are: multivitamins 71%, omega 3 oil 33%, calcium 32%, vitamin D 32% and vitamin C 32%. The over 55 year olds purchase 80%+ of all supplements.

In conclusion

If food was better in quality, there should be no need for supplements. In the real world, supplements are needed, particularly for those on a special diet or those who are over 55 years of age. Some supplements are not needed and the vitamins can be obtained by more natural means. When supplements are needed, it is important to obtain them from a reputable source or they may be useless.