Choose the good supplements
With the large number of nutritional supplements available today it is difficult to know
which one is best for you and your family. Many people buy one because they think they
need it. Others buy one based simply on the price, but that is a poor way to decide,
because there are many other things that you should consider when choosing a nutritional
supplement.
The first thing is whether you need a supplement at all. For many years most Western
doctors were taught in medical school that eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh
fruits and vegetables would provide all the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy
life. And for many years that was probably true. People lived in rural environments and
had immediate access to fresh, ripe food, the soil was rich in the trace elements and raw
materials plants needed to make vitamins and they could get all the substances people
needed from the soil. The air and water were clean, life was slower and less stressful,
people didn't smoke or drink as much as today, and people had more time to prepare food in
healthy ways.
If all of those things are still true for you, you may not need a nutritional supplement.
Throughout most of the world, however, the soils of the farms have been depleted of many
important nutrients so they are missing from the plants grown in those soils. The soils
are also polluted. All kinds of foods must travel long distances from where they are grown
to where they are eaten. Fruits and vegetables must be picked before they are ripe so they
can survive the long journey without spoiling. The air and water are polluted, people have
very little time to cook and often eat convenient, fast food that may not provide balance
in any of the nutrients, and life has become very stressful for most people. If this
describes the world you live in, you probably need a nutritional supplement.
A good supplement should have the proper balance of vitamins and minerals. This is
important for all the vitamins to function correctly. Research has shown that an excess of
an isolated vitamin or mineral can cause depletion of others. For example, taking more
than about 100 mg of zinc a day can cause the amount of copper absorbed to decrease to
unhealthily low levels.
Vitamins must also be synergistic. This is when two or more vitamins work together to help
each other in their functions. To do this they must be present and be taken in the right
amounts. Recent research has shown, for example, that the antioxidants vitamin E and
vitamin C should always be taken together. When taken alone or in amounts that are too
high relative to the amount of vitamin C available, vitamin E can promote damage to cells
caused by aggressive remnants of biochemical reactions called free radicals instead of
helping to prevent it.
The free radicals come from normal metabolic processes, from pollution, and from many
other sources. It is thought that cell damage from free radicals may contribute to the
aging process and to many diseases. Substances called antioxidants protect cells from free
radical damage. The antioxidants include vitamins C and E, mixed carotenoids such as
alpha- and beta-carotene, glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, Co-enzyme Q10, the bioflavonoids
including anthocyanidins found in grape seeds, alpha lipoic acid, and others. The minerals
selenium and copper are needed in extremely small amounts but are essential because they
help some of the antioxidants to do their jobs properly. Vitamin B12 is also necessary in
only extremely small amounts, but without it nerve damage will occur. Other minerals such
as chromium, boron, manganese and molybdenum are also required in only very small amounts,
while zinc and magnesium are required in larger amounts and calcium in even larger
amounts.
When comparing different supplements, pay special attention to how complete each
supplement is--does it provide all the vitamins and the minerals you need in the amounts
you need?
Examine the potencies of the nutrients offered. Be certain that the potency of the
vitamins and minerals is guaranteed. If the label says it contains 500 mg of vitamin C, it
should contain exactly that, not more, and not less. Your supplement should be balanced so
that the vitamins are neither too strong nor too weak. The amount of vitamin E that has
been found to be ideal is between 400 IU and 800 IU per day, for example. Smaller amounts
may be of only limited benefit. People need between 2 and 50 mg of vitamin B6 a day; more
than 200 to 500 mg of vitamin B6 a day may permanently damage nerve cells. The amount of
vitamin C which is required is between 1000 and 1500 mg per day, and smokers will require
more vitamin C than non-smokers.
Important criteria
The following criteria are important when choosing a supplement:
| 1. |
Supplements should be made to pharmaceutical grade
standards. Supplements which meet these standards are manufactured in a facility which
follows the GMP--Good Manufacturing Practices--the same quality control standards
established for the manufacture of prescription drugs |
| 2. |
They must be complete and balanced. They should provide
all of the essential nutrients at optimal levels, not the Recommended Daily Allowance
(RDA) levels often used in the United States, which are generally far too low.
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| 3. |
All nutrients and antioxidants must be balanced to
achieve synergy, the working together of different nutrients. |
| 4. |
They should be manufactured according to recognized
guidelines for guaranteed purity and potency. In the USA these are U.S.P. standards. |
| 5. |
All ingredients should be tested to ensure potency and
consistent purity. Quality controls should also be in place during all parts of the
manufacturing process to ensure that no contamination occurs. |
| 6. |
Look for the antioxidants, which protect cells from
damage by free-radicals and be sure that they are present in the amounts considered
necessary for optimal health, not in minute quantities. |
| 7. |
Be sure the other important vitamins-the B vitamins
such as niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), Thiamin (vitamin B1) and
others are also present in sufficiently large amounts. Smokers and people who eat a lot of
refined sugar need more than the 2-5 mg most adults need per day. Drinking coffee or tea
frequently and eating raw fish can inactivate vitamin B1, also increasing the amount
needed every day. Remember that cooking can destroy certain B vitamins and that, because
the B vitamins dissolve in water, boiled foods may contain much less of them than raw
foods. |
Supplements for children should be chosen with equal care. Children need more of many
vitamins and minerals than adults because they are growing, but they need the same
vitamins and minerals as adults. Be sure that the children's product you choose meets the
same standards as the one you choose for yourself.
Look for a product which contains the kinds of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants needed
for optimal health and remember that such products may be more expensive than those which
may not what you need for truly optimal health and well-being. Price is not the only
reason to buy one product instead of another; be sure your money is spent on something
which will truly be of benefit to your body and not just to your conscience.
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