How to Use Nutrition Supplements for Optimal Health
A dietary supplement can contain vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, or amino acids. They can be found in a multivitamin, as an individual vitamin or mineral like calcium or iron, or as fat soluble nutrients like vitamin A, D, E and K (which are best absorbed with food).
Nutritional supplements should only complement a healthful diet, not replace it. Consult our internal medicine physicians in Cary to make sure any nutritional supplements you take won’t interfere with your prescription medications.
Know Your Nutrient Needs
Supplements can provide more of certain nutrients than the average diet provides, but they are meant to support — not replace — a balanced eating plan. If you want to use nutritional supplements, talk to your doctor first.
Dietary supplements can be found in a variety of forms, including tablets, capsules, powders, drinks, and foods. They may contain vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals, amino acids or live microbials.
A good starting point is a high-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement that provides a range of nutrients. Then, consider a more specific supplement to address particular needs or health conditions. Check this site out to find out a knockout post about ProHydrolase.
The Nutrition Facts label on food products can help you determine your nutrient needs. For example, you can look for the % Daily Value of a nutrient to see how much you should consume or not exceed each day. Then choose foods that give you more of those nutrients and less of others you may want to limit, such as saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.
Talk to Your Doctor
While dietary supplements are usually available without a prescription, they can still have strong effects on the body. They can also interact with certain medications, interfere with lab tests or cause side effects when taken at high doses. It’s important to share the entire list of vitamins, minerals, herbs and dietary supplements you take with your doctor, especially for people in certain age groups like teenagers and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The supplement industry isn’t regulated by the FDA in the same way that drugs are, so you may not be getting exactly what’s on the label. And because a supplement can’t treat disease, it should never replace medication. If you do need to use supplements, your doctor can work with you on a plan that includes blood testing (to see how you’re doing) and identifying the best dosage for you. He can also work with you to determine if you’re meeting your nutrient needs from food alone.
Know the Side Effects
As with any substance, supplements can have side effects. But most of the time, they’re benign. Problems can occur if you take too much, overdo it or don’t follow package guidelines. You may also have an allergic reaction to a supplement, or it might not mix well with your medical history and current medications.
It’s wise to get your go-to healthcare professional’s seal of approval on any new supplement regimen. They know your unique medical profile and can alert you to how a supplement might impact any existing health conditions or interact with certain meds. Also, they can help you spot any bogus claims, like “treats high cholesterol” or “cure arthritis,” which are reserved for prescription drugs, not dietary supplements. You’ll also want to be sure the supplement you’re considering is made by a reputable manufacturer that follows FDA good manufacturing practice guidelines. This is the best way to ensure the quality of the product.
Know When to Take Supplements
Supplements are meant to be a complement to a nutrient-dense diet. They should only be taken if you have a deficiency, as it is still important to get your nutrients from food. When taking vitamins, it’s important to keep in mind that they are absorbed better when they are taken with a meal and that some are fat-soluble. It’s also crucial to avoid supplements that make disease claims (ie, “lowers cholesterol,” “treats heart disease,” etc). These kinds of claims are reserved for prescription drugs and should be avoided at all costs.
Lastly, it’s best to only take the recommended dosage of each vitamin and mineral. Too much of certain vitamins can actually be harmful. For example, too much vitamin D can weaken bones and biotin (a popular supplement to promote hair, nails, and skin health) can interfere with lab test results if it is consumed in high amounts.
