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How To Choose....
A Vitamin Supplement - (1)
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Do I
need a supplement?
How do you know what kind of nutritional supplement is right for you?
First you should decide if you need a supplement. If you can answer the following question
with "yes", you may not need one:
Do you almost always eat freshly prepared food with at least 5 kinds of fruits and
vegetables a day? If not, ask yourself a few more questions: Is your life
stressful? Do you get enough sleep? Do you smoke? Do you eat fast food? Do you live in a
city where the air and water may be polluted? If you answered any of these questions with
"yes" you probably need a supplement.
I need it, but which one?
If you decided that you do need a supplement, try to find one that gives you the proper
balance of vitamins and minerals.
For example, you probably need between 400 and 800 IU (International Units) of vitamin E
and between 1,000 and 1,500 mg of vitamin C a day. Vitamins E and C should always be taken
together, so be sure a supplement has both. You also need alpha- and beta-carotene. Other
necessary vitamins include the vitamins B12, and B6, niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid
(vitamin B5), and thiamin (vitamin B1). Glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, Co-enzyme Q10, the
bioflavonoids including anthocyanidins found in grape seeds, alpha lipoic acid, and
several other antioxidants would be very good as well. A good supplement will also provide
you with the minerals you need, such as calcium, magnesium, chromium, boron, manganese and
molybdenum. A supplement should provide zinc also, though more than about 100 mg of zinc
per day may be too much, while you need less than about 200 mcg of selenium. Women should
probably take an additional calcium supplement to help prevent osteoporosis.
Comparing prices is not a good way to pick a supplement. Just because a supplement costs a
lot doesn't mean it is good, but a supplement that costs only a little probably doesn't
have the right ingredients in the proper amounts and ratios to be of much benefit.
Remember that the supplement you buy should do something good for your body and not just
for your peace of mind. For more information on picking a nutritional supplement see our in-depth information.
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