How supplements can benefit your health
Many people take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement as nutritional 'insurance' against deficiencies. But recent research provides additional reasons for using a variety of supplements, including herbs, to both prevent and heal diseases - and indicates that optimal levels may be higher than conventional wisdom has long dictated.
If you're basically healthy, is there any advantage in taking supplements regularly? And if you develop a disorder or ailment, can you expect supplements to offer an)- help? What follows is a summary of the major benefits that, according to researchers, most people can expect if they use the supplements covered in this blog. More detailed information about the therapeutic effects of specific supplements can be found in the entries in the 'Supplements' category.
Enhancing your diet - Conventional wisdom has long held that, as long as people who are healthy eat well enough to avoid specific nutritional deficiencies, they don't need to supplement then-diet. The only thing the)' have to do is consume a diet that meets the RDIs - Recommended Dietary Intakes - developed by government health agencies for vitamin and mineral intakes.
But even if one accepts the government’s standards for vitamin and mineral intakes as adequate for good health, there is evidence that the diets of many people fall short of these nutritional requirements. In Australia, a recent 'snapshot' survey of 14 000 people revealed that, while Australians generally consume the right amounts of meats and fats for good health, 'we need to eat more breads, cereals and cereal products, another serve of fruit each day, several more serves of vegetables, another serve of milk and milk products, and to include fish two or three times a week' in order to obtain the minimum level of nutrients believed necessary to prevent illness.
Its common knowledge that many people make nutritionally poor food choices: for example, they're more likely to select chips than broccoli as a vegetable serving, and will opt for a soft drink rather than a glass of skim milk as a beverage. Not only may these and other foods contribute too much fat and sugar to your diet, but they can also result in less-than-optimal intakes of vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytochemicals.
Even with the best nutritional planning, its difficult to maintain a diet that meets the RDIs for all nutrients. For example, vegetarians, who as a group are healthier than meat eaters (and who tend to avoid junk foods lacking in vitamins and minerals), may still be deficient in some nutrients, such as iron, calcium and vitamin B12. And most people who want to follow a healthy, low-fat diet will have a problem obtaining the recommended amounts of vitamin E from their food alone, because so many of the food sources for vitamin E are high in fat. Another complication is that a so-called balanced diet may not contain the more specialized substances - fish oils or soy isoflavones, for example - that researchers think may promote health. For people who are generally healthy but for some reason can't eat a well-balanced diet even- day, a supplement can fill in these nutritional gaps or boost the level of nutrients they consume from adequate to optimal.
There are various other reasons why even those who have good eating habits might benefit from a daily supplement. Some experts now believe that exposure to environmental pollutants - from car emissions to industrial chemicals and wastes - can cause damage in myriad ways inside the body at the cellular level, destroying tissues and depleting the body of nutrients. Many supplements, particularly those that act as antioxidants, can help to control the cell and tissue damage that follows toxic exposure. Recent evidence also indicates that certain medications, excess alcohol, smoking and persistent stress may interfere with the absorption of certain key nutrients. And even an excellent diet would be unable to make up for such a shortfall.
Specific nutritional programs of vitamins, minerals and other supplements can be designed that will take into account these and other environmental and lifestyle factors that affect nutrient levels in the human body.
If you're basically healthy, is there any advantage in taking supplements regularly? And if you develop a disorder or ailment, can you expect supplements to offer an)- help? What follows is a summary of the major benefits that, according to researchers, most people can expect if they use the supplements covered in this blog. More detailed information about the therapeutic effects of specific supplements can be found in the entries in the 'Supplements' category.
Enhancing your diet - Conventional wisdom has long held that, as long as people who are healthy eat well enough to avoid specific nutritional deficiencies, they don't need to supplement then-diet. The only thing the)' have to do is consume a diet that meets the RDIs - Recommended Dietary Intakes - developed by government health agencies for vitamin and mineral intakes.
But even if one accepts the government’s standards for vitamin and mineral intakes as adequate for good health, there is evidence that the diets of many people fall short of these nutritional requirements. In Australia, a recent 'snapshot' survey of 14 000 people revealed that, while Australians generally consume the right amounts of meats and fats for good health, 'we need to eat more breads, cereals and cereal products, another serve of fruit each day, several more serves of vegetables, another serve of milk and milk products, and to include fish two or three times a week' in order to obtain the minimum level of nutrients believed necessary to prevent illness.
Its common knowledge that many people make nutritionally poor food choices: for example, they're more likely to select chips than broccoli as a vegetable serving, and will opt for a soft drink rather than a glass of skim milk as a beverage. Not only may these and other foods contribute too much fat and sugar to your diet, but they can also result in less-than-optimal intakes of vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytochemicals.
Even with the best nutritional planning, its difficult to maintain a diet that meets the RDIs for all nutrients. For example, vegetarians, who as a group are healthier than meat eaters (and who tend to avoid junk foods lacking in vitamins and minerals), may still be deficient in some nutrients, such as iron, calcium and vitamin B12. And most people who want to follow a healthy, low-fat diet will have a problem obtaining the recommended amounts of vitamin E from their food alone, because so many of the food sources for vitamin E are high in fat. Another complication is that a so-called balanced diet may not contain the more specialized substances - fish oils or soy isoflavones, for example - that researchers think may promote health. For people who are generally healthy but for some reason can't eat a well-balanced diet even- day, a supplement can fill in these nutritional gaps or boost the level of nutrients they consume from adequate to optimal.
There are various other reasons why even those who have good eating habits might benefit from a daily supplement. Some experts now believe that exposure to environmental pollutants - from car emissions to industrial chemicals and wastes - can cause damage in myriad ways inside the body at the cellular level, destroying tissues and depleting the body of nutrients. Many supplements, particularly those that act as antioxidants, can help to control the cell and tissue damage that follows toxic exposure. Recent evidence also indicates that certain medications, excess alcohol, smoking and persistent stress may interfere with the absorption of certain key nutrients. And even an excellent diet would be unable to make up for such a shortfall.
Specific nutritional programs of vitamins, minerals and other supplements can be designed that will take into account these and other environmental and lifestyle factors that affect nutrient levels in the human body.
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