What you need to know about supplements and natural nutrients
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We live in a time where we have alternatives for almost everything. Can't go out to shop? There are e-commerce sites to go to. Miss going out to the movies? You can check out online streaming platforms to easily watch old and new films.
This is true even when it comes to our nutritional needs.
Visit the drugstore and you will certainly see shelves full of dietary supplements ranging from capsules, tablets, powders, gummies, and drinks.
The dietary supplements industry has become a billion-dollar industry in the US alone, with revenues amounting to $31 billion back in 2018.
That figure is expected to go up further as people become more health-conscious in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
But are these supplements enough to replace natural sources of vitamins?
The deal with supplements
Supplements are also known as synthetic nutrients because they are made in laboratories.
These are created to replicate the effects of natural nutrients through the combination of natural but mostly artificial ingredients.
Natural nutrients, meanwhile, are those derived from natural food sources like meat, vegetables, and fruits, grains, among others.
An article on healthline.com stated that eating real food allows the body to acquire more nutrients than ingesting a supplement tablet made specifically to mimic a particular nutrient.
It also questioned how much nutrients the body acquires when taking in supplements.
A published study posted on Harvard Health Publishing mentioned: “Getting our nutrients straight from a pill sounds easy, but supplements don't necessarily deliver on the promise of better health. Some can even be dangerous, especially when taken in larger-than-recommended amounts.”
It doesn't mean, however, that supplements are entirely bad and should be avoided altogether.
Given its purpose, supplements do serve as a substitute for nutritional imbalances.
“Women of childbearing age should take a folic acid pill every day (in the range of 0.4 to 0.5 micrograms). Folic acid supplements protect against babies being born with neural tube defects. The value of folic acid supplements in preventing cancer and heart disease, which had been suggested by studies 20 years ago, has not been confirmed by randomized trials,” wrote Dr. Anthony Komaroff on Harvard Health Publishing in 2015.
“People who are at increased risk for developing osteoporosis (most older adults) are likely to benefit from a regular vitamin D supplement. Authorities differ as to the dose. In my opinion, a dose of 1,000 international units (IU) per day is generally beneficial and safe.”
The article stressed that dietary supplements can be beneficial to people with certain medical conditions.
“There are some people who are born with a genetic condition that interferes with the metabolism of B vitamins. I'm one of them. People like us need to take a high-dose vitamin B supplement each day,” mentioned Dr. Anthony
Natural sources
Logically speaking, natural sources of mineral and vitamins are more recommended than opting for artificial substitutes.
Examples of these whole foods with health benefits are fruits, vegetables, oily fish, beans, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Natural food sources produce nutrients and vitamins to help the body boost its immune system, strengthen bones, improve organ functions, among many others.
As mentioned, supplements aren't entirely bad but not fully endorsed by health experts either.
But how much supplements are enough for the body to take?
There's a saying that too much of anything is bad. In this case, it is always best to consult with a doctor or a nutritionist to know the kind of supplement that you might need.
People with health conditions are highly encouraged to ask their doctor before ingesting anything outside their prescribed medications.
“Usually it is best to try to get these vitamins and minerals and nutrients from food as opposed to supplements," Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Harvard Health Publishing,
“Fruits, vegetables, fish, and other healthy foods contain nutrients and other substances not found in a pill, which work together to keep us healthy. We can't get the same synergistic effect from a supplement. Taking certain vitamins or minerals in higher-than-recommended doses may even interfere with nutrient absorption or cause side effects.”
This view is shared by Dr. Larry Appel, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research.
“Pills are not a shortcut to better health and the prevention of chronic diseases,” he told John Hopkins Medicine in an article interview.
“Other nutrition recommendations have much stronger evidence of benefits--eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and sugar you eat.”